What Your Cravings Say About You

Craving certain foods may be your body's way of asking for a particular fuel, so ignoring it isn't always possible.

People crave sweets for a couple of reasons. For starters, either your happy hormone levels (serotonin) have dipped, or your stress hormones (cortisol) have risen. The craving stems out of the fact that carb-laden and sugar-rich foods help increase feel-good hormones.  Another reason is because you’re hungry or tired and looking for a quick hit of energy because your blood sugar levels have dipped. Simple carbs deliver easily-digestible, fast-acting energy.  Nutritionists say grab berries for a healthier fix.   Craving bread?  You may be low in tryptophan—an amino acid which is responsible for producing the mood- and sleep-regulating hormone, serotonin.  Can’t stop thinking about a juicy burger?   the odds are high your body is begging for iron—a mineral that’s plentiful in the dishes you can’t stop thinking about.  Are sodas your thing?   the obvious culprits are sugar and caffeine, but there’s another reason you reach for a can on the red: You may have trained your body to sneak a soda at 3 p.m. every day. In which case, it isn’t necessarily a craving as it is a bad eating habit.