What food cravings are accompanied by health problems?
Each of us happens periods of irresistible craving for these or other products: we are drawn to sweets, then to salted chips … What’s going on? Take a closer look: maybe this strange obsession wants to tell you something important!
Migraine
The craving for certain foods can be a typical symptom of the “prodrome” – the first stage of migraine, which can last from a few minutes to three days before the headache itself “hits”, says Neurologist and head of the Center for the Study of Headache Noah Rosen. Although the pull can be both sweet and salty, most often the goal is chocolate. That’s why some people even think that chocolate triggers migraine attacks: only you regale them, as the headache began. But in reality this craving is only a harbinger of the migraine already on the horizon.
Pre-diabetics and diabetics
If you always drink and cannot get drunk, talk to your doctor about checking your blood for glucose. Excess thirst often appears against the background of high blood sugar: your body tries to wash excess glucose in the urine, which means that you will go to the toilet, which can lead to dehydration and a constant sense of thirst.
You may also like to read: Methods for cleansing the intestine
Iron deficiency
The craving for certain foods rarely indicates a lack of nutrients in the body. That is, if you are drawn to cheese, do not rush to suspect a calcium deficiency. With this on to say that the craving for gnawing ice often indicates a lack of iron in the body. The reason for such a strange behavior in the diet is still unclear – there is no iron in the ice – but studies show that chewing ice raises cheerfulness in people with anemia caused by iron deficiency.
Dehydration
Are you ready to give half a kingdom for a pack of chips? Perhaps your body has a low level of fluid. “The body always strives for water balance and is very good at it,” says nutritionist Leslie Bonchy. But sometimes liquid and electrolytes are out of balance, and you can unconsciously reach for what will restore this balance. The craving for chips in this case is understandable, since sodium maintains the water balance. However, the best alternative to the chips will be salted cucumbers, rice with soy sauce or vegetable juice.
Lack of sleep
There is increasing evidence that inadequate sleep stimulates craving for low-quality food. One study from the University of California, which analyzed areas of the brain that control food choices, found that a lack of night rest dulls activity in the departments responsible for judgments and judgments, and increases activity in the deep centers of the brain responsible for the sense of reward. In other words, it is more difficult for you to make the right choice, and you, with a wave of your hand, ask for something tasty, albeit harmful. Therefore, the relationship between lack of sleep and overweight is increasingly being traced. In order not to overeat during the day, try to sleep for at least 7 hours.