Site Navigation

CONFESSIONS of an AFTER DINNER SNACKER– Part 3

How Nutritional Deficiencies Lead to Snacking

Are you malnourished?  Chances are that, if you’re having food cravings and snacking incessantly, your body is not getting the nourishment it needs.  Your body is sending you hunger signals and, no matter how much you eat, you just can’t satisfy the cravings.  This is because you need to learn the signals your body is sending you.  Let’s have a simplified crash course on nutrition.

There are macronutrients and micronutrients in food.  Macros and micros, respectively, for short.  Macros are the proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that we ingest in the form of food and contain calories.  Micros, on the other hand, are the minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants in the food we eat and do not contain any calories.  When you eat too many carbs and not enough protein or healthy fats for example, your macros are said to be out of proportion.  This imbalance leads to a lack of micros.  This lack of micros causes your body to live in a state of malnutrition thereby, causing food cravings.  Makes sense, right?

BEWARE:  You don’t always crave what you need!  That would just make too much sense, wouldn’t it?  Here’s how to decipher the messages that those food cravings are sending you.

Craving this You need this Eat this (vegetarian sources)
Sugar/chocolate/ Magnesium  & Calcium Dairy/nuts/broccoli/seeds
Salt cheese/yogurt/dark leafy
greens

Grilled cheese Omega-3s Eggs from free-range
sandwich/pizza/ chickens
anything cheesy

Everything in sight B Vitamins Dairy/dark leafy greens
because you’re avocados/potatoes/egg
stressed  yolks/banana

Meat or ice Iron Legumes/seeds/cashews/
iron-enriched grains and pastas/spinach

Extra salt/sugar Zinc Peas/nuts/eggs
due to dulled taste
buds

Refined carbs Nitrogen Fruits/veggies

High fat foods Calcium Broccoli/turnip greens/
cheese/beans

Salty foods Silicon or chloride Seeds/nuts

By no means is the list above comprehensive, but it does give you a good general starting point to help decode your own cravings and conquer them.  Your best bet is to #FUELUPforaFITLIFE to avoid nutritional imbalances and the cravings that ensue from them.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *