Food cravings are a part of life. We all have them. Some more often than others. But what does it mean when you have a food craving? What can you learn from your food cravings? It may be overwhelm, frustration or some other emotion that is triggering a food craving.
I have this great book by Doreen Virtue that helps to identify the probable meaning of food cravings. It helps me and my clients understand what does the food craving mean, and what emotion or struggle we are experiencing. Then find a plan to overcome the issue and find balance again.
Last month, I had just finished answering a Facebook post. The craving was for salty and crunchy snacks like corn or potato
chips. What does it mean? The probable meaning is that you feel overwhelmed. Later that same day, I suddenly needed a bowl of sweet potato corn chips. Not just a regular serving, but a whole bowl. I remembered this response to the post, and asked myself: What am I overwhelmed with??
And there it was. I had a huge To Do List to complete before my holiday trip to Chicago to visit family. I still finished the bowl of chips, but as I did, I also changed my perspective to choosing one task to do at a time, rather than looking at the whole task list which was an overwhelming challenge and wondering-how-I-will-ever-get-it-done thing.
Once I had this realization and new outlook, I no longer craved chips. And I got thru my To Do list quicker.
This past week, I suddenly got a craving to eat ice cream. Coffee Buzz, Buzz, Buzz 
by Ben & Jerry. It is one of my favorites! And has been a favorite of mine for over 16 years.
I had a tub now in my freezer as that flavor is now available in grocery stores rather than just in Ben & Jerry stores. I ate it right out of the container! First off, I hardly have ice cream let alone have it in my freezer. I just don’t eat it much. Secondly, I never just eat it out of the container. But there I was, enjoying every bite! But wondering….”what does it mean”? So I looked it up!
Coffee ice cream is the need for exhilaration. Chocolate is frustration with love life. And well, I had just been through a sudden break up and was discussing this issue with a girlfriend who was shocked as the day before the breakup I had just told her how great things were. An hour later after our conversation, here I was eating ice cream. I didn’t feel guilty. I just ate it, enjoyed it and hours later found the meaning to this odd craving of mine.
In my case, food cravings are unusual as I eat healthy with plenty of green vegetables, healthy proteins and fats and very little sugar except for dark chocolate. Sometimes, the emotions are what drive us to eat something out the ordinary. We choose food to provide us temporary love and recognition. When I work with clients, I balance the blood sugar to help with sugar cravings. But sometimes, knowing the emotional component to the food cravings is the understanding we need to move past the cravings. I have also used Path To Heal sessions to help clients and me to get over these emotional issues. In the Foodtervention program, we use both the Path and EFT to resolve the emotional issues. And are in the midst of creating a new program called Cravings Soul-ution.
Next time you have a food craving, whether an out of the blue one, or a continual, repetitive one, knowing ‘what does it mean’ can really help resolve the issue and allow you to love yourself more fully and heal the emotional issue triggering the craving. If you need help sorting through your cravings, call me and set up a time where we can identify the probable meaning, and help you overcome the underlying issue driving the craving.
Check out some of the meanings on this Facebook post!