CRAVINGS
Occasional cravings for certain foods are common and can be the body’s way of getting specific vitamins or nutrients from foods(think pregnant women craving pickles). However, if you find yourself constantly craving sweets or carbohydrates it can be a sign that something totally different is going on. Cravings can be overwhelming, an urge telling you “I have to eat this or that food NOW!” Contrary to what many uniformed people may have told you, it is not a sign of weakness or a lack of willpower, it is your body trying desperately to get something it needs. Now what that something is, can vary widely depending on WHY your body is wanting a specific type of food. Remember, the body does not ever do anything without a reason, uncovering that reason is what Functional Medicine is all about. Below we will explore some common and even a not so common reason for cravings.
1. Candida overgrowth or SIBO: When you have an imbalance in your gut bacteria and the harmful bacteria has outnumbered the good bacteria, the body will begin to crave certain foods that actually feed the harmful bacteria, for example-sugar and/or simple carbohydrates. As if this isn’t bad enough, as you consume more and more of these sugars and simple carbohydrates(cakes, cookies, sodas, chips, fast foods/processed pre- packaged foods), the bad bacteria uses them to grow more and more, increasing and intensifying the cravings more and more, making it a vicious cycle.
2. Adrenal Fatigue: As we discussed in some of the earlier sections, adrenal fatigue happens when the adrenal gland, the gland that releases cortisol(the stress hormone), believes that due to one or more chronic stressors(mental/emotional stress, physical stress, or biochemical stress), you are in a constant state of fight or flight. This constant need for cortisol eventually causes the adrenal glands to not function as well as they should. A common craving associated with adrenal fatigue is salt or salty foods such as pretzels or chips because salt is essential to carry out biochemical processes such as healthy adrenal function.
3. Stress: Even if you are not in one of the four phases of adrenal fatigue, stress can raise cortisol and overtime cause an imbalance in the gut microbiome resulting in cravings for salt, sugar, and simple carbohydrates which can lead to SIBO and/or leaky gut.
4. Not having enough protein, good fats, and fiber in your diet: If you find yourself feeling “hangry” (hungry and angry), this may be due to unregulated blood sugar levels throughout the day. When blood sugar drops, the body will crave an easy fix in the forms of sugar and/or simple carbohydrates to spike the blood sugar quickly. This “easy fix” will last a few hours until your blood sugar crashes again, leaving you feeling tired, and forced to deal with even more cravings. Common patterns include mid afternoon or late night cravings.
5. Nutrient deficiencies: When the body is deficient in certain nutrients, cravings can be a way to prompt you to eat foods that can supply those vitamins and/or minerals.
6. SNP’s (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) Most people have never even heard of SNP’s or their connection to cravings. However, in a small percentage of the population these genetic SNP’s can play a major role in not only cravings but also in weight management. SNP’s tend to run in families, so if you have overweight parents or if you have been overweight since childhood and are unable to lose weight or control certain cravings, you may have one of these SNP’s. For patient’s who have strong cravings, never feel full no matter how much they eat, constantly want to snack, have weight management problems, or other conditions such as insulin resistance, leptin resistance, metabolic syndrome, or even PCOS, a SNP may be a contributing factor. If a SNP is suspected, Dr. Williams will order an additional specialty test that checks for 5 specific SNP’s that have major implications in cravings and weight management. If you are found to have one of these SNP’s it doesn’t mean all hope is lost, it only means that because of your special circumstance, cravings and weight management has to be addressed in a different and very specific way. But remember, your body is capable of having more than one thing wrong at a time, so even if you have one of these SNP’s, you can still have other factors going on such as SIBO, nutritional deficiencies, adrenal fatigue, leaky gut, etc… which must also be addressed along with learning how to eat and exercise according to your SNP. Functional Medicine takes a multi-pronged approach that will address all underlying factors contributing to your cravings and/or weight management problems.
As you can see, cravings can be coming from many different factors. Only through comprehensive testing can the root cause(s) be uncovered and addressed. Functional Medicine is always searching for WHY. Once the problem(s) have been identified, Dr. Williams will devise a very individualized plan based on all of your test results to address any imbalances and restore the body to the highest level of health possible for each patient.