Food is fuel for your body, but the spiritual meaning of food cravings indicates that your soul is also looking for fulfillment from food. Food cravings are foods that you want or need to eat in larger quantities than usual. Every person is hungry and tired of eating the same thing. Your body is asking for a different kind of food. Those foods are available on Earth but you do not eat them much because they cost more. Now, let’s discuss what foods to avoid and what foods you should eat. Read more on spiritual awakening cravings and craving spicy food for spiritual meaning.
Food cravings are often described as intense, almost uncontrollable desires for certain foods. Researchers have discovered that these strange food cravings happen between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. or at night between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. Although the research behind them is somewhat conflicting, one fact is accepted: there is a spiritual meaning to our cravings.
Spiritual Meaning of Food Cravings
The spiritual meaning of food cravings is one of the most misunderstood parts of spirituality. The reason why people want to know the meaning of their cravings is because they are often craving something healthy and nutritious, but they also want to know what it means when they crave unhealthy foods.
The best way to understand this topic is by looking at it from a spiritual perspective.
In most religions, there are certain foods that are considered clean and others that are considered unclean. However, even though these foods may be considered unclean in your religion, they can still have a positive effect on your spirit if you eat them with the right intentions.
For example, if you were raised in a Christian household where pork was considered unclean or unholy, but now you have moved away from Christianity or no longer believe in God at all,? Eating pork will not affect your ability to connect with God or pray; however, it can still make you feel guilty about what you ate!
If this sounds like something that could happen in your life, then keep reading! This article will help answer questions about the spiritual meaning of food cravings so that you may begin living more happily without feeling guilty about eating certain foods.
Spiritual Awakening Cravings
Spiritual Meaning of Food Cravings
Have you ever wondered what your cravings mean? Do you often feel hungry for a particular food, even though it doesn’t sound good to you? If so, it may be time to take a closer look at your cravings and see if they are more than just physical hunger.
Food cravings are often thought of as just a physical urge, but there’s much more to them than that. They can also be a sign that something is going on inside of us. For example, if you’re craving something sweet after dinner each night around 8 p.m., this could be because you’re feeling lonely or unsatisfied with your life. Or maybe you crave something salty when someone has upset you—it could mean that you’re hurt and angry with them.
In addition to the emotional reasons behind food cravings, there are also spiritual ones. If you’ve been experiencing strong cravings for fruits or vegetables recently, it could be a sign that your body needs more vitamins and minerals than usual in order to stay healthy and energized. This may mean that you should start eating more whole foods like nuts and seeds rather than just fruit juices or smoothies
Craving Spicy Food Spiritual Meaning
Food cravings are something that most of us experience at some point in our lives.
Many of us attribute these cravings to poor self-control. This is when guilt, anger and disappointment with ourselves creep up.
Having said that, I want to offer you a reframe (a different way of looking at the same situation) about cravings.
Cravings are not about you being weak or lacking discipline; they are just your body’s way of telling you that it needs something from you.
The human body is very complex, with an intricate system of balances and signals that help it function properly. Food cravings are just another way for the body to signal what it needs from us. And we have the chance to give it what it needs.
My Sudden Cravings for Pasta and Fiery-Hot Food
What’s up with that?
It has since become clear that there are two likely causes: elevated levels of a heavy metal called thallium found in the cruciferous vegetables in California (like kale, cabbage, collard greens) and a nasty parasite I failed to clear with the strongest of herbs.
For the first time in 10 years, I gave in to a 10-day antibiotic treatment. And a strong one too.
Gosh, how that messed me up! I stepped into a world of extreme fatigue, complete apathy, and a dark mood. I had to push myself to respond to the most critical emails just to manage my business but anything beyond that was simply impossible. I watched more movies on Netflix in those 10 days than I did in two years.
That antibiotic was, of course, no joke (I was forewarned), and it’s probably the parasitic die-off combined with the changes in the microbiome (the gut bacteria) that caused some unusual food cravings.
For the first time in, I don’t know, how many years, a craving for rich Bolognese pasta hit me hard. Resisting it was out of the question.
Then, I developed a craving for some fiery curry, which would take me on a 40-minute one-way ride to my favorite South Indian thali (they are much spicier and lighter than North Indian food). I would ask them to add more chili to the already “extra hot” option. The waiter was worried that I would hurt myself.
One of the things I’ve learned during times like this is: do not resist the cravings. Instead, listen to my body.
What does it need?
Why does it need it?
What can I do to support it?
Hot and fiery food is well known to be antiparasitic and highly stimulating for the digestive system. If that’s what my body was calling for, my job was to just support it. The next day it was a Vietnamese pho, the super-spicy option (and I would still add the sesame chili oil). And so it continued for four days of food fire, and then it stopped.
Cravings.
They are there for a reason.
And what a reminder it was that a compromised microbiome (and especially the lack of good bacteria) can create these cravings as well.
A quick side note: I am currently undergoing a natural chelation protocol for heavy metals and in spite of not having started the candida protocol yet (that’s coming next after the heavy metal protocol), I’m glad to report that 80% of my candida symptoms have already subsided. I’m so excited and what a reminder it is how parasites and heavy metals can mess up our immune system (which has the innate ability to fight candida).
I’ve compiled a list of cravings for you today, which will help you understand what each could mean and what you can do to support your body.
And remember: no judgment, just listening.
Common Causes of Cravings
- Water – Being dehydrated can cause you to feel hungry. If you are craving something, try drinking a large glass of water first. Often, this will curb the feeling of hunger and save you from eating unnecessary food your body doesn’t need.
- Seasonal – People often crave food that coincides with the current season. The temperature may play a role here: do you often find yourself craving warming foods in the winter (soups, meat, oil) and cooling foods (fruit, raw food, ice cream) in the summer? That is no coincidence. Fall is a time people crave “grounding” foods (squash, onions, nuts) and spring is the time for detoxification (fruits and vegetables).
- Life deficiencies – Having a physical, emotional and spiritual practice in our lives is just as important as the food we eat. It consists of having satisfaction in these areas of your life: career, relationship, financial, fitness, sleep, recreation, etc. If you are unhappy in any of these areas or feel stressed out, you may start to crave certain foods to keep you fulfilled emotionally (see about craving dairy below).
- Yin/Yang imbalance – All foods are considered to have either expansive qualities (yin) or contractive qualities (yang). Everything in life has a balance and our bodies are no different. Often, when we eat foods that are one extreme of yin (e.g. sweet food), we will crave foods at the other extreme of yang (salty food) to balance us out.
- Mineral deficiencies – The body will crave certain foods that contain the minerals it lacks. Below, you will find specific mineral deficiencies, their cravings and what foods you can eat instead to have a healthier alternative.
- Hormonal imbalance– Cravings occur during certain times for women, such as menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause. This is due to certain fluctuations in the hormones, like a drop in estrogen and progesterone. Imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA can also be big contributors.
7 Common Cravings
1. Salty Food
Potential reasons: Adrenal fatigue. Since the adrenals are also responsible for keeping our blood pressure up, when they are overworked, our body calls for support (here: salt) to bring up the blood pressure so the adrenals are released from this task.
Solution: Start the day with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt like the pink Himalayan salt in a glass of water or lemon water. Don’t be afraid of salt, sea salt won’t give you hypertension.
2. Chocolate
Potential reason: Magnesium deficiency.
Solution: Add legumes, raw nuts and seeds, 85% cocoa dark chocolate, leafy greens and whole grains to your diet. Take good-quality magnesium supplements (not in oxide form) in glycinate or citrate form. Topically, apply magnesium oil (I recommend our Quick Magnesium here) at the bottom of your feet before bed.
3. Sugar and Processed Foods (Pasta, Bread, Etc.)
Potential Reasons:
- Candida yeast overgrowth in the gut, skin or respiratory system
- Low estrogen and progesterone before our period
Solutions:
- Start an anti-candida diet and add plenty of top-notch probiotics.
- Learn to regulate your estrogen and progesterone levels throughout the cycle so the dips don’t effect you as much. You can learn how to rebalance these hormones naturally in our estrogen reset program here.
4. Caffeine (Coffee and Tea)
Potential reasons:
- Adrenal fatigue. You need coffee to get you started and get you going through the day as your adrenals are too pooped.
- Lack of quality sleep. You need caffeine to compensate for the lack of energy from insufficient sleep.
- Stress and habit.
Solutions:
- For adrenal fatigue, adopt an adrenal recovery protocol of de-stressing, diet change and herbal/hormonal support.
- For better sleep, try these 11 sleep strategies outlined in our article here.
- For stress and habit, switch to herbal teas or green tea (lower caffeine), especially matcha tea. Try the roasted chicory root “coffee” (recipe here) if it’s the taste you are after.
5. Dairy
Potential reasons:
- Stress, loneliness, and a need for an emotional connection.
- Calcium/Magnesium deficiency.
Solutions:
- If tolerated, add unpasteurized, raw dairy (amino acids in milk act like opiates to relax us). If you don’t tolerate dairy, add nut- or coconut-based products and creamy foods like guacamole, hummus, etc.
- If it’s an emotional issue, go deeper—are you feeling lonely or unloved? What do you need to change in your life to help address this?
6. More food in spite of being full
Potential reasons: insulin resistance or food intolerances.
Solution: Learn to regulate your sugar levels with a diet and supplements. Address food intolerances by doing the Elimination Diet (by cutting the big 5 and small 5) or deeper protocols like low FODMAPs, paleo, etc.
7. Meat
Potential reason: Amino acid, iron, and/or B12 deficiency
Solution: Consider eating meat. If you are on a vegetarian diet and you crave or dream about meat, re-think your choices as a temporary solution to fix your health. Some people need meat for their bodies to function well. The best way to start is with bone broth or collagen powder added to drinks, smoothies or soups. If you really can’t, look into iron and B12 supplementation.
Craving Spicy Food Spiritual Meaning
The spiritual meaning of food cravings is that we are really craving something deeper. Whether it’s a sense of connection to others, to our own bodies, or even just to ourselves, if we’re craving something, it’s because we’re missing something.
But don’t worry! It’s not your fault. There are so many factors that contribute to the way we feel and think about food, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.
We can simplify things by asking ourselves what the actual problem is: is it that you’re lonely? Are you trying to numb yourself from stress? Do you feel like you have no control over your life? Or do you just want some delicious food?
These questions are all valid. And once you’ve asked them and answered them honestly, then you can start taking steps towards solving them—whether through therapy, meditation, exercise or anything else that works for YOU!
Which Cravings to Give in To?
It’s important to differentiate between the foods we really need to get well and cravings that will drag us down. Here is a simple rule:
Cravings not to give in to are sugar, processed dairy, and starches (unless you’ve been on a grain-free diet and you feel like your body calls for grains in a “healthy” way) and processed food.
Cravings to give in to are fats (good quality fats only), meat, oils, fresh, raw, or cooked vegetables, whole foods, salty foods containing sea salt, and good quality dairy (if tolerated).