Cravings v nutritional needs

Dortilolma

I suffered from an eating disorder that I'm still battling to this day. My relationship with food is very obsessive, but I'm careful and after a great deal of counselling and support I'm healthy again.

Through my experience I learnt to listen to my body and it's needs, but I find at times I'm still fooled by addictive cravings.
In my worst moments I was only eating fruit, if anything at all, I found my self craving a potato, and my counsellor informed me that this was my body telling my what it needs.

Now many years down the line I find myself confused. I'm craving sweet things, I don't eat them, I haven't done for months, but I'm having the strongest craving for sweets and sugars... and protein.

How do we tell what is an addictive craving and what is a nutritional one?

EileenG

It's a tough one, because sometimes something that feels like a craving is really a nutritional need: breastfeeding women who crave chocolate are often low in magnesium, for instance, and cocoa is a good source.

But more often, I think the cravings really are just cravings, like an ex-smoker who really wants a cigarette.

I'm sure someone will correct me, but I can't think of anything which is in potatoes that isn't in fruit.

Cravings for protein probably are real. I suspect one difference between a craving and a nutritional need is that a craving can only be satisfied by one particular food item (like chocoalate or jelly beans) while a nutritional need could be satisfied by something different which contains the necessary item (like having fish instead of chicken).

corkcomp

strong sugar cravings can sometimes be a sign that you need to eat ..... something . make sure you are eating regularly and enough (but not too much)

El_Dangeroso

I find chromium and magnesium supplements help with cravings for me.

If in doubt I brush my teeth, if it's a real craving it's stays until after I'm done.

Tricky one though, I have been craving a smartie mcflurry lately and I'm pretty sure there aren't any nutrients in that!

Dortilolma

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

I have been craving a smartie mcflurry lately and I'm pretty sure there aren't any nutrients in that!

I had that craving 4 years ago, and I never eat at McDonalds!

I can identify most cravings that aren't nutritional needs because they do tend to be for things like brown M&M's or foxes biscuits. I used to indulge and that would have a very ugly ending.

Does any one ever find that if you go a few weeks with out eating junk you no longer crave it, but when you allow your self one indulgence suddenly the cravings come back?

Should we just never indulge, ever?

raptorman

I dont have an answer for your question so I wont hazard a guess. I would suggest joining fitday.com though, you can plug in everything you eat and it'll tell you how many calories your comsuming, it breaks down the protein fat and carbs and all the various nutrients of your daily intake.

Dolbert

Dortilolma wrote: »

Does any one ever find that if you go a few weeks with out eating junk you no longer crave it, but when you allow your self one indulgence suddenly the cravings come back?

Should we just never indulge, ever?

That's a toughie... I had no junk for 6 weeks up until last week and the cravings had definitely passed. Then I had a slip up and found it extremely hard to get back into it, some of which was probably the sugar cravings talking! I think the occasional treat, like at a wedding or birthday/ Christmas is fine, but to eat junk for no reason other than to 'treat yourself' is potentially very derailing.