Eliminate Cravings For Better Health

By Frances Keith


An individual may think that he or she is too often lusting after a certain thing. Or he or she may want a thing more than is healthy. Such an individual may seek to eliminate cravings.

A craving is a forceful impulse or need that can come at strange times. They can also be aimed at strange things a person does not normally want. Or they can be directed at things that other people find unusual.

A craving can cause difficulty in day to day life. It can come in the middle of the night or in the middle of a workday. It can present itself at even more awkward moments such as during emergencies or moments of high stress.

Pregnancy is well-known to involve the appearance of cravings. Expecting mothers often report having them. They can be for highly undesirable things like horseradish, mustard seeds, and hot sauce. Women who are pregnant also report that they can come in combinations such as horseradish with ice cream, or hot sauce and pancakes. These irregular, unpredictable urges can, however, point to a nutritional need. For example, a craving for ice cream can imply a shortage of calcium. Likewise, a new-found taste for horseradish might mean the body is in need of sodium. Such tastes are usually temporary and disappear when the nutritional deficit is made back up.

Some individuals are affected by desires that are unhealthy. For example, a man may begin spending too much time at a tanning parlor because he desires the feeling that comes from the UV radiation. Sunlight typically stimulates a production of hormones that he may crave. Or he may need the effect the UV rays have on his circadian rhythm and biological clock. A woman may crave alcohol is she is an alcoholic. She may seek to drink booze at social functions due to stress or because of insecurity. A woman may choose to drink by herself because she is lonely and intends to experience feelings of freedom. In any case, an individual may wish to abolish his or her cravings if the cost of them starts to overshadow their benefits. If an impulse produces problems with health or financial issues, one may wish to eliminate those cravings.

A craving can be rooted in physical or psychological circumstances. Physical circumstances involve nutrition, stress, and sickness. Psychological circumstances involve depression, anxiety, and other issues. The way to eliminate unhealthy urges varies depending on whether the craving is rooted in physical or psychological circumstances.

Cravings that are physical in nature can be eliminated by dealing with those causes. If an individual eats an unhealthy diet, making that diet healthier can reduce the impulse or desire. If an individual is afflicted with a disease or disorder, getting treatment can mean managing or eliminating the impulse. If an individual is dealing with stress, reducing that stress can in effect get rid of his or her craving.

Cravings of the psychological sort can be handled by finding the psychological cause. If someone desires a certain food in order to feel comfort, finding other ways to get the same comfort can eliminate the craving. If an individual is suffering from depression and as result craves an unhealthy food or behavior, getting treatment for that depression by way of therapy or medicine can eliminate cravings.




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