5 groups of foods, cravings for which indicate a micronutrient deficiency in the body

5 groups of foods, cravings for which indicate a micronutrient deficiency in the body

Your body and brain themselves tell you what’s wrong.

Nutriciologist, founder of the “School of Nutritionists”

How do you figure out what vitamins you’re deficient in by what you eat?

A strong craving for a certain food can be a signal that there is an imbalance of nutrients. With the help of such a desire, the body tries to make up for the lack of important and necessary substances in the fastest way possible. Let’s find out what the main taste cravings can mean.

How to restore balance?

• Reduce the amount of simple carbohydrates by adding slow carbohydrates to the diet (substitute): uncooked cereals, whole-grain bread, coarse flour, pasta from durum wheat, legumes, vegetables, greens.
• Check for hypoglycemia (take a comprehensive glucose test).
• Make up for chromium deficiency by adding bananas, apples, apricots, paprika, spinach, beets, avocados, broccoli, carrots to the diet.
• Balance the nitrogen content in the body by including enough protein foods in the diet (meat, poultry, fish, seafood, fermented milk products, legumes, nuts).

Chips, snacks, pickles

Craving for salty can speak of such conditions:

• violation of the water-salt balance in the body. Perhaps there is an overabundance of salt in the body and a state of dehydration is progressing. Salt retains water. When there is too much sodium in the body, the body may require even more salty foods to increase water cravings and compensate for dehydration. There may also be a process of inflammation of the genitourinary system;
• deficiencies of iodine, potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, sodium.

How to restore the balance?

• Observe the water-drinking regime (about 30 ml of water per 1 kg of body weight) and monitor the amount of salt. To exclude inflammatory processes in the body, it is worth to take a general urine test and make an ultrasound of the kidneys.
• Add to the diet foods rich in iodine: red and brown algae (kelp), halibut, cod, herring, shrimp, haddock, sea salt, clams, sardines, iodized salt, beef liver, eggs, onions, sorrel, white cabbage, cranberries, persimmons.
• Include foods containing potassium: beans, lentils, spinach, sweet potatoes, dried fruits, fish and seafood, bananas, nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, cashews).
• Increase the amount of foods containing calcium: fermented milk products (natural yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream), nuts (especially almonds and hazelnuts), cheese, legumes, herbs and dark green vegetables (parsley, dill, watercress, broccoli).
• Include foods rich in magnesium and zinc in the diet: legumes, nuts, seeds, greens and dark green vegetables, bananas, meat, fish and seafood, buckwheat, oats, wheat, cheese.
• There are more healthy foods that contain sodium: sauerkraut, olives, cheese.

Fried potatoes, fatty fish, lard, avocados, nuts, seeds, butter

The desire to increase any (useful and unhelpful) fat in the diet indicates a low calorie diet, a severe lack of fats. As a consequence – disorders in the hormonal system and a severe lack of energy.

How to restore the balance?

Add healthy fats: fatty fish, meat, nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado. Fried potatoes can be replaced with baked or boiled potatoes.

Citrus fruits, sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers

Many pickled and sour foods are natural probiotics. You may want them if:

• the stomach is low in stomach acid. It is an important element of the body’s defense, which cleanses and digests food. If its production is disturbed, a chain of processes leading to diseases of the digestive tract, allergies, nutrient deficiencies is triggered;
• magnesium deficiency in the body;
• vitamin C deficiency. The body may be in the process of fighting an infection or virus. Vitamin C is essential for the growth, development, and repair of all tissues in your body. It also plays a role in collagen formation, iron absorption, maintaining healthy bones, cartilage, teeth, wound healing, and immune system function.

How to restore the balance?

• Add greens (arugula, green onions, ramson), olive oil, pineapple, radishes, turnips, daikon, broccoli, cauliflower, berries (currants, cranberries, cranberries) to your diet, fermented foods (sauerkraut, natural yogurt), Himalayan or sea salt, sprouted grains (buckwheat, mungbean, oats), spices (cardamom, basil, ginger, turmeric, cilantro).
• Increase the amount of foods containing magnesium: greens, green vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, brown algae, fresh lean meat, buckwheat, millet, carrots, spinach, potatoes, apricots, peaches, bananas, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries.
• Include foods with vitamin C: rose hips, sea buckthorn, sweet peppers, black currants, kiwi, Brussels and cauliflower cabbage, broccoli, parsley, dill, citrus fruits. It is important to remember that heat treatment for longer than 15 minutes destroys the vitamin, and therefore it is better to eat vegetables, fruits and berries fresh.

Chocolate, candy, sweets

Reasons for cravings for sweets:

• A constant desire for chocolate indicates possible chronic stress. It contains the amino acid tryptophan (helps overcome fatigue). Chocolate also increases serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin levels;
• Magnesium, chromium, phosphorus deficiencies.

How to restore balance?

• Try to reduce stress levels.
• Adhere to a sleep and rest regimen. Establish strict time-management of working hours and time for rest, normalize sleep patterns (sleep after 23:00 to 06:00).

• Be outdoors more.
• Daily engage in adequate physical activity.
• Observe a balanced diet. Include in the diet products containing tryptophan: sweet potatoes, spinach, raisins, liver, coarse oatmeal.
• Include foods containing magnesium: fish, green leafy vegetables, beans, buckwheat, cocoa, pumpkin seeds, almonds, pistachios, oatmeal, hazelnuts, millet.
• Add foods containing chromium to the diet: offal, beef, chicken, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, whole grain cereals, eggs.
• Include foods with fluoride: fish, whole grain cereals, chicken egg yolk, liver, lamb.