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Every woman should know her food cravings. They can be major trigger points that can throw off our hormones and our best efforts at staying healthy.
Studies from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics show some food cravings are signs we're lacking key nutrients.
You may notice you just NEED potato chips, chocolate, pasta, or every sweet treat in sight. This can be after eating a meal or right before your period.
Before indulging, I like to ask myself:
if cravings occur after a meal, did I get the macronutrients my body needs? Protein and carbs keep us feeling full, and healthy fats make us feel satiated (a calming, satisfied feeling, kind of like your body is saying "I'm all good").
if cravings occur right before my period, how did I take care of myself this month?
Our period is an indicator to our overall health and our monthly check in point. And our body uses 80% of the nutrients we ate - all month long - the week before and during our period. So staying on top of our eating habits is crucial to our emotional and physical health (with the moderate indulgence, of course).
Oftentimes our bodies need more calories right before our period. We go through quite the process to menstruate and it takes more energy. So if you "all of a sudden" feel ravenous during this time, just tune in and see what your body needs.
Here are four food cravings every woman should know:
1. SUGAR
Sugar cravings are the bad bacteria in your stomach asking to be fed! Your stomach contains your microbiome, where bacteria live - good and bad. I do a Bombshell Shooter (inside the Recipe Plan for members of the Balanced Bombshells Lifestyle Plan) each morning and eat foods that promote good gut health like coconut yogurt, Tigernut flour, kimchi, and take a probiotic. This helps promote good bacteria, kill off the bad, and in turn, reduce sugar cravings.
2. CHOCOLATE
Chocolate cravings are a sign we're low in magnesium and calcium. I vamp up dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, dark turkey meat, bananas, and indulge in a few squares of dark chocolate (85% or higher) with less than 5g of sugar per serving.
3. SALT/FATTY FOODS
Salt and fatty food cravings mean our bodies need more essential fatty acids. I fill up on avocado, salmon, hempseeds, flaxseed, eggs, cook with coconut or olive oil, and top my protein muffins with nut butter (my fave recipes are shared the Lifestyle Plan!).
4. CARBS
Carb cravings indicate we need more vitamin Bs. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, which flush out these vitamins, which we need for energy! I cut back on these beverages and fill up on protein like chicken, grassfed beef, seafood, and complex carbs like brown rice or quinoa.
Share your thoughts with us at #balancedbombshells! What have you been craving?!
References:
(1) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bies.201400071
(2) https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/is-your-chocolate-craving-a-sign-youre-magnesium-deficient_us_590a07c4e4b03b105b44be54
(3) https://nutritionstripped.com/what-food-cravings-trying-to-tell/
Take your hormone knowledge to a whole new level!
