The Truth Behind Food Cravings (and How to Stop Them!)

Do you find yourself constantly craving certain foods? Chocolates, donuts, pasta, cheese, coffee or maybe wine?

Well, we all have cravings from time to time and I know the feeling all too well. I’ve had the longest love affair with licorice and to tell you honestly, it was a challenge to ward off this craving!

The problem with many of our cravings is they are often followed by health issues — like bloating, weight problems and so on. In my case, licorice shot up my blood pressure and gave me puffy eyes.

When I knew how licorice had affected my health, stopping it became easy. Yes, when you see what certain foods and ingredients can do to you, warding them off from your diet isn’t hard. I’ve managed my cravings well and hey, YOU CAN, TOO!

Do you know what’s more interesting though? Food cravings in menopause are your body’s way of giving you a nudge that it needs something. In my case, craving for licorice made sense when I knew I lacked sodium and potassium and that I had to drink more water!

Other than nutrient deficiencies, hormonal fluctuations, stress and strong emotions can also leave us craving in midlife. I’ve looked into some of the most common cravings and what they mean for your body!

Let’s start diving into why we crave and later on, we’ll explore some tips and hacks on how to prevent unwanted cravings!

What’s Really Behind Those Uncontrollable Food Cravings?

Hormonal decline (specifically in estrogen and progesterone levels), lacking protein and healthy fats in your diet, deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals, stress and emotional dips are the common causes of food cravings in midlife.

Food cravings are something many people experience, but for us midlife women, these cravings can be puzzling. During menopause, we may find ourselves reaching for snacks or treats more often than we used to — and sometimes without even knowing why!

One of the key players in food cravings is the fluctuation of our key female hormones. Estrogen and progesterone, which regulate various functions in the body, can have a significant impact on our food desires.

• Progesterone, known as the calming hormone, is the first to decline during perimenopause. Low levels of progesterone can lead to mood swings, anxiety, feelings of depression and fatigue. In turn, this can make us seek comfort from food — even if we have energy stored.

• As estrogen levels decline in menopause, some women may crave carbohydrates or sugary foods — leading to a cycle of seeking quick energy boosts! This can be a result of our body’s attempt to compensate for lower energy levels, which is common during this time of life.

Nutrient deficiencies can also contribute to those intense cravings. As we age, our body’s nutrient needs change, and sometimes, we aren’t as mindful about our nutrient intake. Protein and healthy fats are particularly important for helping you stay full for longer. Not eating enough of these nutrients can, therefore, affect how good your hunger signals work!

Being low on specific vitamins and minerals has a direct impact as well on your relationship with food. For example, low levels of magnesium can lead to chocolate cravings, while low iron can make you want to eat more red meat. It’s our body’s way of signaling that it needs certain nutrients to function optimally!

Additionally, stress and emotional factors can amplify cravings. Many of us juggle work, family and personal responsibilities. Not to mention the bodily changes and symptoms we might be dealing with in midlife. When we’re feeling overwhelmed, we may turn to food for distraction and comfort.

That’s why finding healthier coping mechanisms (such as eating foods that support your nutrient needs, doing mindfulness practices or engaging in physical activities) can help in managing cravings without resorting to that huge bag of chips!

In this video by Dr. Hyman and Alexandra Jamieson, they narrowed down the causes of food cravings into four: Bacterial, Nutritional, Emotional and Physical. By understanding the reasons behind our cravings during midlife, we can make more informed choices about our eating habits!

7 Common Food Cravings in Menopause and What They Mean

Chocolates, other high-sugar foods, pasta and other high-carb foods, junk foods, fast food, oily foods and snacks, meat, cheese and other dairy products are the most common go-to choices for midlife women. Each craving could be related to a certain nutrient lacking in the body!

Let’s demystify these cravings and see how you can curb them with healthy alternatives:

1. Chocolates

Nutrient Deficiency: Magnesium

Function: Helps in energy production, live detoxification, sugar and fat breakdown, cholesterol regulation, muscle contractions, hormone production and electrolyte balance.

What It Means: Cravings for chocolate, especially dark chocolate, happens all the time and to a lot of people. But this is most common in women before menstruation and even as they approach their menopausal years. The common thing between these two phases? Hormonal imbalances!

Chocolates are rich in magnesium. Magnesium helps balance your hormones: it metabolizes serotonin (our mood-enhancing hormone), helps produce testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. This mineral also regulates your thyroid hormones, adrenaline, cortisol, insulin, DHEA and human growth hormones.

Healthy Alternatives: Raw cacao, spinach, Swiss chard, pumpkin seeds, avocado, nuts, wild-caught fish, sea veggies and a few pieces of dark chocolate is also good.

Speaking of healthy alternatives, I’ve written an article all about guilt-free chocolate recipes you can enjoy!
Check it out below.

2. Donuts, Cakes, Pastries, Soda, Ice Cream and Other High-sugar Foods

Nutrient Deficiency: Chromium and Tryptophan

Function: Chromium metabolizes fats and carbs for energy, regulates your sugar levels, balances cholesterol and stimulates enough insulin in your body. On the other hand, your body needs tryptophan to produce your happy and calming hormone, serotonin. Tryptophan is also a good amino acid for menopause because it helps ease menopause symptoms — like mood swings, anxiety and depression.

What It Means: Chromium is essential in energy production. When you crave sweets, this may indicate sugar fluctuations. Your body needs energy, so it will tap into the fastest fuel which can give it energy: sweets! However, even if you do eat high-sugar foods, it won’t solve the problem. Sudden sugar spikes will only heighten your cravings even more.

Chronic stress may also be a cause of sugar cravings. When you’re stressed, you release plenty of cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones stimulate “hunger centers” in the brain and block tryptophan and chromium absorption. To satisfy your hunger, the body wants to tap into something that can give you immediate energy and the brain “believes” it’s through sugary foods.

Healthy Alternatives: For chromium, have more onion, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cinnamon, apples, berries and sweet potatoes. Cheese, lamb, liver, seeds, raw cacao, oats, kumara, spinach and raisins are rich in tryptophan.

Dr. Berg talks about the best two minerals for depression and chromium is one of them. Check out how the mineral can help you in this video [2:29]:

3. Pasta, Bread, Rice, Crackers and Other High-Carbohydrate Foods

Nutrient Deficiency: Nitrogen

Function: Helps increase amino acid production and build muscles in your body. It is also an essential component of your DNA and RNA. In addition, nitrogen is important in red cell production because it carries oxygen.

What It Means: Nitrogen is easy to get in the foods you eat. A deficiency is most common in vegetarians whose main staple of foods are vegetables and fruits. Although there are many vegetables and fruits that have nitrogen, they usually have less nitrogen content — leading to a deficiency.

Since nitrogen is needed for energy and movement, your body will tap into the most available source of energy: carbohydrates. A lack of nitrogen may cause malnutrition because of protein deficiency (nitrogen makes amino acids), low energy and fatigue.

Healthy Alternatives: Mussels, sardines, anchovies, scallops, crab, shrimp, lobster, oysters, Brazil nuts, almonds, spinach, green beans, asparagus and cauliflower.

4. Chips, Junk Food, Fast Food and Salty Foods

Nutrient Deficiency: Vitamin B12 and Vitamin C

Function: Maintain optimum functioning of your brain and the central nervous system. Vitamin B12 and vitamin C are also essential in red blood cell production, immunity and DNA regulation.

What It Means: Salty food cravings in menopause are especially common during stress when the hormone adrenaline is released. This hormone triggers the “fight or flight” response. When this happens, your heart rate and blood pressure shoot up and anxiety sets in. Your reflexes, responses and the body in general also heighten their function.

Now, when we are constantly stressed, your body also demands more adrenaline because salt or sodium aids in the creation of this hormone. Unfortunately, when that happens, it also depletes your Vitamin B and C stores rapidly because they get flushed out of your body.

Healthy Alternatives: Vitamin B12 rich foods include beef liver, sardines, wild-caught salmon, nutritional yeast and grass-fed beef. Vitamin C-rich foods include guava, kiwi, leafy greens, orange, berries, papaya, mango, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts. Himalayan sea salt and licorice tea also help with stress and adrenal fatigue.

Dr. Berg explains nutritional yeasts are a complete protein, have most of all the B-vitamins and are loaded with minerals and trace minerals. Get to know more about the benefits of nutritional yeasts here [3:10]:

5. Cheese and Dairy Products

Nutrient deficiency: Calcium

Function: Growth and development of muscles, muscle contractions, movement and hormone production.

What It Means: Fatty and oily snacks help draw out calcium in your bones and in other parts of the body where they are stored. If you have food cravings in menopause for these types of food, it could indicate that your body is trying to tap on stored calcium for usage.

Healthy Alternatives: Broccoli, kale, legumes, mustard greens, or turnip greens. Walnuts, almonds, oily fish (like salmon), flaxseed oil and chia seeds are also good sources of calcium.

Did you know that there are many myths about calcium? For one, it’s not true that calcium supplements increase bone density. Yup. Head over to my article below and make sure you’re aware of the facts!

6. Ice, Meat and Peanuts

Nutrient Deficiency: Iron

Function: Helps produce red blood cells and energy, boosts metabolism, aids in proper breathing, strengthens the immune system and synthesizes collagen. It is also essential in metabolizing hormones and neurotransmitters.

What It Means: Symptoms of iron deficiency (like sore tongue, dry mouth, altered sense of taste, difficulty swallowing and mouth sores) are eased by sucking on ice. This reduces swelling and dryness. Since it provides you comfort, you will begin to develop a craving for ice. Meat and peanuts are rich sources of iron, too.

Healthy Alternatives: Bean, legumes, nuts, seeds and dried fruits. Eat iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods. Vitamin C helps absorb iron. Beans or legumes with citrus fruits, red capsicums, tomatoes or berries are all high in Vitamin C.

7. Oily Snacks, Fried Foods and Other Fatty Foods

Nutrient Deficiency: Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Other Healthy Fats

Function: Helps in heart function, lowers triglyceride, regulates cholesterol, improves brain and central nervous function and aids in the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and testosterone.

What It Means: Experts say that when you crave oily and fried foods, you might be harboring a pool of toxins in your body. Omega-3 is essential for flushing out toxins and neutralizing free radicals!

Healthy Alternatives: Oily fish such as cod, salmon, sardines and tuna. You can also increase your consumption of olives, avocado, ghee, coconut, seeds, nuts and healthy oils.

“Food cravings in menopause are your body’s way of telling you it needs something… a vitamin, mineral, protein or nutrient to function properly.”

Zooming In: The Importance of Protein in Women’s Health

Protein is the macronutrient that doesn’t only help you curb hunger and cravings — it also benefits many other aspects of your health while aging:

→ It keeps you full for longer and prevents energy crashes.

→ It helps build muscles (having more lean muscles means we can handle glucose better).

→ It contains important amino acids vital for hormonal balance.

You see, as we age, we can’t digest protein as well as when we were younger. Sleep quality (something many of us struggle with as we hit midlife) plays a big role here! The amount of sleep you get influences how well your body can make new proteins (a process called “protein synthesis”) the following day.

Another thing to remember is, if you go on a diet or eat too little, you will not have enough of the building blocks (protein) that you need for a strong, healthy body. So yes, we all want to keep a happy weight, but we would also want to keep and build more muscles while aging.

THAT is how important protein is, not only for better hunger signals, but also for our overall health in midlife! Here’s a video from Dr. Peter Attia joined by Dr. Rhonda Patrick, discussing the benefits of protein on women’s health, wellness and longevity:

7 Effective Ways to Prevent Food Cravings in Menopause!

To prevent food cravings in menopause, it’s important to power up your diet with good proteins and healthy fats, add some herbs and spices, reduce stress levels (by doing some relaxation practices), hydrate properly, snack wisely, try bone broth and embrace alternative remedies, like aromatherapy.

1. Power Up with Protein and Healthy Fats!

These two are your besties for a nutrient-dense diet that will shush those cravings up!

One of my secrets to keeping a healthy weight is to have a protein-filled first meal of the day. This will keep you full for longer, help with those hormones and give you more stable energy levels. Eggs are my go-to but I am also a fan of drinking protein powder as I like to push my first meal of the day. For lunch and dinner, go for good protein sources (fish, seafood, meat) and colorful veggies… and watch them keep you full for longer!

If you feel hungry in between meals, consume more healthy fats — especially the ones we’ve mentioned (avocado, olive oil, salmon, ghee, coconut oil, nuts, seeds and MCT oil)!

2. Flavor Up with Herbs and Spices!

Add cinnamon, clove, cardamom and coriander to your meals. They help kill bad bacteria that feed on sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, thus, keeping your gut healthy!

Remember, with a well-functioning gut, your nutrient absorption becomes more optimal. In turn, your brain gets all the right signals and won’t send you back “wrong” hunger signals (a.k.a. cravings)!

Explore some of the must-try herbs for women’s health in my article below and discover how you can incorporate them in some of your dishes!

3. Be Mindful of Your Stress Levels!

Is it really your body that needs fuel from food? Or is it your emotions that seek comfort from food? Yup, those two are not the same. But then, many of us tend to blur the line between them!

Check for patterns. If you feel like stress is making you want to eat more, try to break the cycle by doing some relaxing activities! They will actually help you lessen any emotional weight. That jar of cookies won’t.

Unwind! Take a step back by doing breathing techniques, some stretching, yoga, gardening or any activity you enjoy, really. They aren’t just distractions, no. They truly do wonders in reducing stress levels!

You can also take Ashwagandha. Some experts call this herb a craving-buster because it stops stress-related cravings and overeating! It is known to promote relaxation — both for the mind and body! Who doesn’t want some inner zen? I do!

3. Hydrate: Sometimes, It’s Just Thirst!

Our body is an intelligent system, but sometimes, there can be “glitches” in how it makes us feel. That’s why it’s very important that you know how to listen to your body!

Many of us mistaken thirst for hunger, and so, we reach for whatever snack we can munch on. So, the next time you feel a craving build up, try hacking your way out of it by drinking water first.

You can also add some lemon to your water in the morning to kickstart digestion and activate your body’s natural detox powers!

Since we’re talking about optimal digestion and natural detoxification, I’ve got a step-by-step blueprint especially created for resetting the gut in midlife. Check out my course FAST.EAT.THRIVE!™ below to know more!

5. Snack Wisely!

I don’t usually recommend snacking (especially to those who are trying to maintain a healthy weight, keeping their blood sugar stable and aiming for more stable energy levels) but if you really have to, go for guilt-free options!

And by “guilt-free options” I mean, foods that will satisfy you and actually keep you full — without putting your overall health at stake. In short, we’re talking about nuts, seeds and berries!

But don’t forget about moderation. Yes, these snacks are nutritious, but they can also be “entertaining”. Eat no more than a handful! Fruits, like watermelon and avocados, are good options as well.

6. Savor the Nutritious Kick of Bone Broth!

We are all for a well-balanced, nutrient-dense plate, but if you want a little sidekick for your nutrient needs, have some bone broth! This savory soup is rich in amino acids, glycine, electrolytes and collagen. It is also known as midlife women’s ultimate immune support!

Discover the amazing benefits of bone broth in my article below and grab some kitchen ideas on how to make one!

7. Aromatherapy — Fulfill Your Other Senses!

Did you know that we have five senses? Okay, of course you do. The point is, we don’t only have to satisfy our mouths!

You might actually be surprised that aromatherapy can have a direct impact on the brain and help stop cravings. Citrus essential oils are especially good at this!

Plus, they can boost the lymphatic system (a fancy term for our body’s internal drainage system) — helping you eliminate toxins which might be causing your cravings!

Food cravings in menopause are your body’s way of telling you it needs something…a vitamin, mineral, protein, or nutrient to function properly.

Had enough of Dr. Berg? Hope not! Not crushing on him or something, he just happens to have informative and easy-to-understand videos! Here he is again explaining the reasons for different food cravings in menopause and how you can prevent them [6:47]:

Takeaway

Let’s be honest: Food is comforting. And I’m not trying to take that pleasure away from you. But I hope, through this article, we are all reminded that food should also be, above all, nourishing.

Just like any building, our body needs the right foundation to stand tall and strong. If the materials used (or food, in this case) are low-quality, the building will not withstand damage — both internal and external.

In the long run, you will end up spending your resources (time, energy and money) doing all the repairs, just to maintain that building!

The same goes for your health in midlife. Food, and the vitamins and minerals they contain, are your foundation. They are your fuel. They are the building blocks of your body. Nourishing our system with healthy food sustains and satisfies it. So, when you eat right, your food cravings will naturally go away!

Also, midlife is not a time to only be concerned about cravings. We are also facing hormonal fluctuations and bodily changes that influence our overall health and well-being. Still, food is the foundational player here. Keep your nourishment game and lifestyle on the right track — and your body will stand tall with you!

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References:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24065065/
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10780928/
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938416304346
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-020-00326-0
nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/cravings/
eatright.org/health/wellness/healthful-habits/how-to-handle-food-cravings
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666309005650
americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/unusual-cravings-pica/