According to a survey published in the book Food Cravings (Lisa Shock, Apple Publishing Company Limited, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 1999), food cravings plague 97 percent of women and 68 percent of men. Women suffer more with this disorder than men. Often women will experience food cravings during their menstrual cycle, premenstrual syndrome, menopause, and pregnancy.
Food cravings manifest themselves in many forms, with foods such as chocolate, French fries, potato chips, sour pickles, pizza, ice cream, and alcoholic beverages. These forms indicate different deficiencies in the body. A person may also crave dirt or sand, which indicates a mineral deficiency.
Cravings are triggered by many different things, including depression, anxiety, chemical imbalances, and pregnancy. The main trigger of cravings is stress. Understanding the causes of these cravings will assist a great deal in the process of eliminating them. The body and the mind work together to keep the body healthy and to preserve life.
Food cravings are misguided attempts to restore balance to the body. When one craves starches, it indicates that the brain is low in serotonin. The most common cause for low serotonin is low blood sugar levels, which causes the body to crave starches or sugars. Most sweets and non-complex starches are what we call devitalized foods. Such foods do not provide the body with the necessary nutrients it needs, thus causing the craving to continue even stronger than before. Fiberless foods cause many diseases.
A deficiency of essential fatty acids is often the source of a fat craving. Parasite problems are common with fat cravings also. Parasites have numerous methods of creating food cravings to keep themselves fed. Their favorite foods are fats, sugars, and proteins. Tapeworms absorb vitamin B-12, gradually causing B-12 deficiency. When protein is craved, there may be problems with parasites. Protein craving can also result from protein deficiency. A sour food craving indicates a chemical imbalance, requiring a neutralization of acids in the body. This begins with over-consumption of acid-forming foods. When the body is more alkaline, sour food cravings will not occur. Last, but not least, is the craving for caffeine, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco. These substances rob the body of different nutrients, leaving it deficient.
Is there help for this disorder? Oh, yes! There is help through the use of the Eight Doctors that make house calls. These doctors will help to check all compulsory-eating habits, because they lead to emotional or physiological needs. This is usually filled by food cravings. The doctors will help to re-educate our minds; we cannot do it by ourselves; we need help from above. The first doctor is trust in God. The second is to obtain some negative ions from fresh air. The third is daily exercise that will keep the blood circulating. The fourth is sunshine, which makes rosy cheeks and disinfects. The fifth is proper rest that produces hormones. The sixth is the use of lots of water—both internally and externally—that assists in the revitalization of the body. The seventh is controlling yourself in all things; and the eighth is following the diet that man was given by the Designer of good nutrition. Following these doctors, you will no longer be a slave to food cravings, but you will have victory in Christ Jesus the Lord!
LaVerne Jackson is Associate Director and Business Manager of Missionary Education and Evangelistic Training (M.E.E.T.) Ministry in Huntingdon, Tennessee. She has a Masters Degree in Nutrition and is a Nutritional Consultant. She has been in Medical Missionary work for over 25 years. She may be contacted by e-mail at: godsplan@meetministry.org or by telephone at: 731-986-3518.