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When you have an undeniable craving for pizza, have you ever wondered what your body was specifically craving?
While some cravings are the result of gut bacterial overgrowth, many cravings for certain foods are really a message of malnutrition from your oh-so-wise body.
That's because most of our food has been grown in soil that's simply not as nutrient-dense as it was before there were large-scale farms--which means that cravings are more common than they have been in the past.
In its 2013 update of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010), the USDA reported that our average intake of important nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and potassium is so low that it declared the issue a "widespread public health issue."
A large portion of the calories Americans eat come from processed or refined foods that is essentially void of the vitamins and minerals our body so desperately needs. In turn, we end up craving vitamins and minerals to compensate for this lack.
On a very microscopic level, our bodies know what nutrients and minerals it needs to continue to function.
For example, magnesium is needed for blood glucose control, muscle and nerve function, and blood pressure regulation, chromium is necessary for controlling blood sugar and turning food into energy, and calcium keeps our blood acidity in check and keeps our bones and teeth strong. If you're missing one of those nutrients, your body will develop a craving so that you will (hopefully) get the nutrients you need.
It's difficult, though, to help your body with it's cravings because it doesn't always line up. For example, if you're craving that sugary cupcake, you might actually be craving the amino acid tryptophan. If you're watching your weight, you would be much better served getting your tryptophan from, say, cheese or sweet potatoes.
ELLE Magazine put together an amazing chart so you can help your body get what it really needs.
Check out the chart below:
What do you think about this list? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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