In this post I want to briefly address why we might be cravings foods and even start binge eating certain foods, but still feel hungry.
I used to binge eat nut butter and avocado. I could not get enough!
Cravings are defined as intense, urgent or abnormal desires or longings.
Binging is defined as an act of excessive or compulsive consumption (as of food).
This phenomenon can occur in people of any weight group.
We must understand that our body will overwrite our brain. Survival is always going to be more important than following diet trends or weight goals. It is always going to be more important for our body to be feeling emotionally safe, even if this goal is reached via eating.
For me it was almond butter and avocados. I have clients that are obsessed with chocolate. Others can’t stop eating sugar or salty/savory foods. Once the food in obsession is consumed, we still want more. Why are we not feeling satiated after we ate what we craved so much? For me personally, I learned my low carb diet and high stress level were leading me off track. At some point, I certainly needed to address some emotional triggers that had led me to over-consumption of cookies! In the end, a nutrient dense diet pretty much solved almost all my cravings and imbalances.
I believe that there is a reason for why we crave certain foods. In some cases, it can be driven by calorie deficiencies and in others it may be due to the lack of certain food groups which lead to a lack of specific nutrients. This happens because we view certain foods as being 'forbidden' according to society's standards, instead of considering our biology first and foremost.
Our garden's plants wouldn't thrive in shitty soil, lack of water, and nutrients.
Of course being stuck in stress responses isn’t helping here either. Stress overwrites feelings of satiation and initiates changes in our hormones. In this state, we no longer know whether we feel hungry or full, whether we got something that nourished us or depleted us.
Even sleep issues or lack of sleep can contribute to cravings because sleep regulates our hormones. Hormones regulate feelings of satiation.
In addition to needing food that nourishes us throughout the day, we also need play time, creative time, contact with nature, fun, and deep emotional connections to go with enough high nutrient calories.
When we feel a lack of control around food it can feel scary, and it doesn’t help that social media is making us more insecure about which food is right or wrong.
I believe educating ourselves on truly nourishing foods is necessary. Going by feeling is important, instead of having a hardened mind-set on certain food groups/items. Nutritional needs actually shift during your healing journey depending on so many different factors. They shifted a lot for me over the years.
But we also may need to take a look at our emotional health. What do we crave? Why are we not satisfied with our diet, our body, our life?
Emotional cravings can be caused by these factors:
Specific mood: some food cravings are triggered by specific moods/feelings.
High stress level: stressed individuals tend to show more cravings than non-stressed individuals.
Context association: craving foods that remind us of a certain setting. Like popcorn and movies, summer and ice cream.
Cravings can be caused by a variety of physical, psychological, or social cues that may have nothing to do with nutrient deficiencies.
Even a lack of bioavailable protein can bring on cravings, simply because our body is not getting the building blocks it needs to maintain basic body functions.
So how do we reduce cravings?
Having regular meals and not skipping meals can help to decrease the likelihood of cravings.
Eating nutritionally high-quality foods, and quitting processed foods.
Drinking structured and/or mineralized water also helps with cravings.
Stress reduction; Simply taking 10 minutes to lay down or sit still can reset the entire body.
Getting enough quality sleep.
Eating for specific emotional triggers, boredom, or food addiction may need investigation, and a trauma informed therapist or coach who is familiar with nervous system patterns and diet culture can help.
Here are some resources to get help with your nervous system:
https://www.marlenbrauns.com/bioenergetics
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7399671/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/balance-hormones#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
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