Slayer's Den

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Constant Cravings​

You might be hungry, or your body might be tricking you into giving it the nutrients it really needs. Here's the healthiest way to stop the cravings.​

Losing fat is physiological, psychological, and sociological. It's all the -logicals, whether you're trying to go from lean to shredded or just trying not to be chubby anymore. Both groups face the same challenges: hunger and cravings.

"Lean to shredded" dieters are going to be hungry. After all, they're fighting off their body's survival mechanisms, which don't care about how etched they want their six-packs to be. For everyone else, hunger gets tricky.

Real hunger is your body's natural signal that it needs calories and nutrients to function. Blood sugar levels slowly drop, your body produces more ghrelin, and energy gradually wanes. A craving is different. It's a sudden desire for specific foods, often unrelated to the body's energy needs. Cravings can be set off by habits or even negative emotions that "beg" for a relieving hit of dopamine.

But hunger and cravings have something in common: both are triggered by basic nutritional deficiencies. Your body is kinda dumb in that regard. It needs something, but it only uses one language to speak to us: hunger and cravings. The message is often lost in translation.

Here are the most common deficiencies your body is asking you to fix.


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Deficiencies That Cause Hunger and Cravings​

1. Protein​

This is a newer discovery. Your body has a protein threshold: a goal you must meet every day. If you don't, your body "asks" for protein by turning on the hunger signals. If you answer your body with carbs or fats, it keeps asking for protein (i.e. you remain unsatisfied). Research shows this threshold is between 86 and 138 grams or 15-25% of daily calories.

Make it easy to meet your protein threshold by consuming 2-4 scoops of protein daily. Make shakes or mix it into other foods. (Better yet, make ice cream with it.) As a bonus, MD Protein contains micellar casein which keeps you full longer and prevents muscle loss even while dieting.

2. Magnesium, Zinc, and Chromium​

A magnesium deficiency causes cravings by disrupting various physiological and biochemical processes that influence appetite, mood, and energy. This deficiency is often associated with stress eating since magnesium regulates the stress response by modulating cortisol and other hormones. Typically, the cravings are for sugar and carbs. (Low magnesium levels impair insulin sensitivity, causing blood sugar fluctuations.)

Zinc regulates all the hunger-related hormones, but it's also essential for maintaining tastebud and olfactory receptor function. A deficiency dulls taste and smell, leading to heightened cravings, particularly for foods combining salt, sugar, and fat. And since zinc influences serotonin and dopamine, a deficiency leads to low mood or stress, common triggers for emotional eating.

A chromium deficiency can cause cravings by disrupting your ability to regulate blood sugar levels and energy metabolism. A deficiency results in weaker satiety signals.

3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids​

When your body lacks omega-3s (DHA and EPA), you might get crazy hankerings for greasy, fatty foods... which probably don't contain much omega-3.

An omega-3 deficiency disrupts the balance of your hunger and fullness-signaling hormones and increases inflammation, linked to heightened cravings. And since a deficiency is linked to mood issues and the function of your brain's reward center, it can also trigger cravings for sweets.

One study published in the journal Nutrients estimated that 90% of Americans fall below the optimal range for omega-3. Don't be part of that statistic.

4. Vitamin D​

A deficiency causes you to reach for foods you don't need by unbalancing your hunger hormones, disrupting serotonin production, causing fatigue, decreasing dopamine activity, and increasing inflammation. In an attempt to improve your mood or fight off tiredness, your body says, "Feed me!"

Most Americans have a deficiency or insufficiency of vitamin D, and most Americans are overweight. Coincidence? Probably not.

Keep your blood levels of vitamin D high by taking the most absorbable form: microencapsulated vitamin D3. This form uses caprylocaproyl polyoxyl-8 glyceride, a drug-delivery agent that guarantees absorption.

5. Micronutrients and Phytochemicals​

A study in Nutrition Journal found that when people drop calories to lose fat, they also decrease their intake of micronutrients. This lack of essential vitamins and minerals triggers cravings. Again, the body is "asking" for what it needs in the only way it knows how.

Likewise, research in Nutrients notes that certain phytochemicals (compounds found in plants) possess appetite-suppressing properties, and their reduced intake during restrictive diets increases hunger.

6. Other Potential Issues​

• An iron deficiency can trigger weird cravings for things like ice, dirt, and other non-food items. It's more common in women.
• B vitamins are vital for energy metabolism. Low levels lead to fatigue and cravings for quick-energy boosts.
• Sodium helps regulate fluid balance and nerve function. Deficiency can drive salty food cravings. Just add salt to healthy foods to avoid the pretzel binges.
• Can't stop eating cheese? It could be a calcium deficiency.