I found this article about food cravings and what the body is really looking for. Knowing how important vitamins and minerals are to the skin, I thought I would post this article by Michael Ravensthorpe (original post was Friday, April 04, 2014 (Natural News). I have added to his article pointing out how the deficiencies affects the skin.
Most of us have, at one point in our lives, experienced intense food cravings for different unhealthy foods. Whether it be for chocolate, donuts, salty snacks or refined carbohydrates, our bodies appear to want them — and we’re often all too happy to submit. There’s just one problem: Eating these foods doesn’t seem to end the cravings. What is going on here? Are our bodies playing a cruel joke on us? Well, not quite.
Science now understands that these food cravings are a sign that your body needs certain minerals that can be found in unhealthy foods but are best acquired from whole foods. Indeed, only by acquiring minerals from natural sources, in which all nutrients are optimized for superior absorption, can we hope to finally end the cravings that plague our lives.
Chocolate: magnesium
Chocolate is the most commonly-reported craving in the Western world, so it shouldn’t surprise us that it is linked to a nutrient in which a huge number of us are unknowingly deficient: magnesium. According to recent statistics, up to 80 percent of Americans are lacking in this essential macromineral, which is needed for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including reactions that relate to relaxation. In fact, magnesium is nicknamed the “relaxation mineral,” since anxiety, irritability, insomnia and high blood pressure are its main deficiency symptoms. This is the reason why magnesium-deficient people temporarily feel better after eating a chocolate bar: the small amounts of magnesium in it (derived from its cacao content) relaxes them. But, of course, there are far healthier sources of magnesium than processed chocolate. Dark leafy greens, seeds and nuts, fish, beans and blackstrap molasses are all excellent sources of magnesium and will help end chocolate cravings.
Skin: Magnesium prevents wrinkles, as it helps the Enzymes that regulate DNA replication and repair the skin plus without this mineral, the skin is subject to a host of wrinkle-producing malefactors such as free radical that causes damage and inflammation.
Sugary Food Cravings: chromium, carbon, phosphorus, sulfur and/or tryptophan
The second most commonly reported craving in the West is high-sugar foods. This is the most complex craving to pin down, since deficiencies in no less than five nutrients could be causing it: chromium (helps to regulate blood sugar levels), carbon (one of the elements from which sugar is made), phosphorus (helps the body produce energy), sulfur (helps remove toxins) and tryptophan (a serotonin regulator). Therefore, the best way to end incessant sugar cravings is to simply improve your diet, which will help re-mineralize your body in all areas.
Skin – A diet of high sugar cause glycation which is where the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (or, appropriately, AGEs for short) that acts/damages proteins – collagen and elastin, the protein fibers that keep skin firm and elastic. Once damaged, springy and resilient collagen and elastin become dry and brittle, leading to wrinkles and sagging.
Read: Sugar and Aging
Refined carbohydrates pasta and bread: nitrogen
A craving for refined carbs like pasta and bread signals a deficiency in nitrogen. Nitrogen compounds are an essential component of nucleic acids and protein, and deficiencies in them can result in malnutrition due to a related protein deficiency. Therefore, if you find that you’re craving a lot of refined carbohydrates, add more nitrogen-rich foods to your diet. Most foods contain nitrogen in organic or non-organic form, but fruits and vegetables are especially rich in it.
Skin: Malnutrition leads to deficiencies in iron, iodine, vitamin A and zinc remain which leads the Skin to appear dry, and flaky and hair may turn dry, lifeless, dull plus wounds will take longer to heal.
Other cravings
The following cravings are less common than those detailed above, but are still regularly reported in today’s society:
Oily and fatty foods Cravings: You are deficient in calcium. Good sources of calcium include raw milk, cheese, turnip greens and broccoli.
Skin: Calcium plays a role in regulating the skin’s many functions. If there is too little calcium in the diet it can impair your skin’s health and the epidermis may appear fragile, thin and dry.
Ice Cravings: You are deficient in iron. Eat more iron-rich foods like leafy greens, meat, blackstrap molasses and sea vegetables.
Skin: Iron deficient is clearly seen by the present of Pale skin and dark circles. The lack of iron causes hemoglobin levels to decrease, which leads to reduced oxygen flow that can deprive your skin of its color, making the skin to look sallow.
About the Michael Ravensthorpe: He is an independent writer whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the website, Spiritfoods, through which he promotes the world’s healthiest foods.
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QUESTION ABOUT YOUR SKIN? Make an Appointment Today or send me an email to debra@debraspence.com
PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may use this article in your print, blog, magazine or electronic newsletter. But in order to do so, you must include the following paragraph “Information courtesy from Debra Spence – Answering your skin problems with Science and Nature. Debra Spence is a Cosmetic Chemist and Skin Specialist who provides skincare and treatment tips, product recommendations and reviews to professionals and patients. www.debraspence.com” Content Copyright © 2017, Debra Spence
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