Food cravings are so normal and so common that I could write about 20 pages on the subject. Instead, I’ve decided to break this down via several blog posts on the psychology and what we can do about the foods we (especially women) most commonly crave.

It all comes down to choices…

This first post is meant to get you to think differently about your food cravings…
Being pregnant, I’m finding that yes, I tend to be craving certain “bad” foods more often but why is this? Hormones? Yes definitely.  I think I need to eat for 2? Hmmm, not in my case, but this excuse is used all the time in pregnancy. Boredom?  Absolutely not.  What do I think is the NUMBER 1 reason that I’m personally craving different foods?? I think it’s because my body is lacking in a nutrient or 2 which, in turn, may make me more tired or irritable.  Would this be your mentality when thinking about your food cravings or would you blame it on just being tired, PMS, on having a bad day or maybe even because you just worked out and so you deserve it??

What can you do about this then?

Here’s the thing, when I didn’t know I was pregnant I was craving bread and butter!! WHAT??? Anyone that knows me knows that I’ve never really liked butter and that’s all my body wanted, carbs and fat in it’s finest form.
My brain was telling me something…. but, what I didn’t HAVE to do was eat the bread and butter. (I did though… but we’ll talk about that in another post…) My brain was telling me that I needed MORE carbs and MORE fat because, yes, I was pregnant and probably wasn’t getting enough of these in my diet at the time.
NOW, I’m not saying this is TRUE in everyones case BUT what I’m saying is when you CRAVE something, take a moment and think about what it is that your body TRULY wants.  Does it want bread and butter or, does it want carbs and fat?  Does it want french fries or does it want carbs, fat and salt?  Does it want a chocolate bar or does it want sugar? (which can be consumed in a natural form like fruit).  Take some time to analyze what it is that your body is lacking and make a HEALTHY choice rather than a crappy one!!  IT’S ALL ABOUT CHOICES.

Your body is TELLING you Something

It’s time to get in tune with your body, listen and understand what your body REALLY WANTS and is ASKING FOR. It is THEN that you can make healthier choices. For example, instead of bread and butter, I could have had an apple and peanut or nut butter. Or maybe I could have had avocado cut up into a salad.  Basically, I could have had a healthier option…

Take Action NOW

Start writing that food diary now!  It is the number 1 way to discover what it is that your body is missing.  Also, when writing your food journal, start jotting down how you feel as well.  You may be able to relate certain foods to the ups and downs in your day- when you’re tired or when you have energy.

If you’re in ChicBoxing, hand your journal into myself so I can have a look over it to see if there’s anything that I think might help you out:-)  That’s one of the benefits of being a ChicBoxer!!

Stay tuned for the next post on substitutions for  certain cravings!

Looking forward to helping you on your journey to health and wellness,

Sara