What are your cravings telling you?
Perhaps there is no need to fight or get rid of them at all costs...
I have been thinking about cravings. In Diet Culture cravings are seen as something bad, something you need to fix / control and ideally eradicate. But what might happen if we look at them though a different lens?
What if your cravings were actually messengers?
Years ago my friend and meditation teacher Jen Ardis introduced me to “The Bell of Mindfulness”. That everything and anything can be an invitation for ‘waking up’, to be curious and to cultivate awareness and compassion.
I am constantly amazed how much information we can gain from exploring our various cravings with a sense of curiosity rather than from a place of something we need to quell. They can be physical or they can be metaphorical, either way they can tell us something.
Let’s start with exploring physical cravings.
What are your physical cravings telling you?
You might be craving something sweet because it’s been a few hours since your previous meal / snack and your body is running low on fuel. I believe that our bodies are infinitely wise and know that eating something high in simple carbohydrates are a surefire way to get some fresh energy into the system. Or there might be other times when that is not what you want but rather a solid meal with a variety of food sources are more what is needed.
I’ve found myself craving red meat from time to time, and often I find my period arriving around the same time. I’m not vegetarian but I have friends that are, and one of them shared that they have craved steak too(!) and it turned out that their iron was low…! And one of my clients who was vegan found herself craving animal proteins when she became pregnant.
The theory of specific food cravings linked with the body trying to tell you that it is lacking in some specific nutrient through craving something specific, seems to be mostly linked to pregnancy. Even at that I don’t know if it is entirely true, but it does make for some interesting exploring.
However, what I personally find most fascinating is the more metaphorical messages that our cravings can tell us.
The metaphor of cravings
One of my mentors said “What shows up on your plate is what shows up in your life.” When I think of this I think about the period in my life when I found myself eating a lot of roasted potatoes with mayonnaise as my main meals, or buttered toast as a snack. These mono-meals, where not just about taste and texture, when I looked the wider context of my life in which I was eating them I found that I was actually overwhelmed and a little bit “burnt”. The simplicity of the food combinations appealed to me because I didn’t have the capacity for a lot of complexity at that time. The “burnt” or “roasted” bit was also reflected back at me.
If I had judged myself for my food choices at that time, it would have added to the stress and overwhelm I was already experiencing. And I would have missed the subtext.
If you find yourself craving a lot of sweet stuff, think chocolate, sweets / candy, biscuits or other foods that are seen as ‘treats’, ask yourself; Where in my life is it lacking in sweetness?
Often people are not craving sweet foods just because they are looking for some quick energy (though as mentioned above this may be part of it), but because food might be the easiest form of pleasure accessible at that time. Think people who are busy rearing a family, or who has a busy / stressful job with little time to engage in time with friends or a hobby.
Sometimes food is the easiest form of accessible pleasure due to financial constraints.
Or food / eating can provide a breaktime that feels difficult to have if you’re not seen as “doing” something.
Craving very specific food may be heart hunger
Have you ever had cravings for a very specific type of food. Perhaps so specific it has to be a particular dish or brand of something? Sometimes when a craving is that specific, often what we are trying to do with the food, is access comfort and safety through that food because it is connected to a memory or memories, of comfort, safety and even love. The food or dish reminds us this because it was prepared, served and offered to us in that context.
You may nourishing your heart hunger with awareness by picking up something that you are familiar with or cook a family recipe that will connect you with people and memories of love and connection. For others they just notice that in certain situations, when feeling stressed or vulnerable, they crave very specific foods. Like how one client found herself eating “childhood cereals” when she was stressed out, or another person who shared with me that when her life was really stressful all she wanted was tinned tomato soup. For both of these women, when removing judgement and digging deeper, they could see that what they were doing was trying to take care of themselves with food.
Cravings aren’t bad per se, and if we can explore them with curiosity there is much information that can be gathered. When we understand what we are trying to do with food, it becomes easier to find alternatives to meet the same needs, especially if food isn’t actually meeting that need in a supportive long term way. Though nourishing yourself with food should always be an option that is available without shame and jdugement.
Let me know, what messages are your cravings telling you?
From the past: In this podcast episode I talk about the various types of hunger, and one is heart hunger.
There are still places available on the upcoming ‘Reclaiming Body Trust’ online group programme. If you are thinking about getting some support for your relationship with food, eating and your body then check out all the details (and sign up 😉) HERE ⬅️
Wishing you a lovely week ahead.
