What these 6 food cravings tell you about your health

If only our cravings consisted of just fruits and veggies!

If only our cravings consisted of just fruits and veggies!

What these 6 food cravings tell you about your health

If only our cravings consisted of just fruits and veggies!

French fries craving french fries may mean you're craving salt. Salt cravings can occur if you're falling short on minerals, specifically calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Also the more salt we eat, the more our taste buds get used to it. You can retrain your taste buds to crave salt less by reducing the amount of sodium you eat.Candy if you're overdoing it on simple carbohydrates, like pasta, bread, bagels, and pastries you may find that you end up craving more candy and other sweets. Simple carbohydrates, especially in the absence of protein and fat, spike your blood sugar, which leads to a big release of insulin, followed by a blood sugar crash. When this crash happens, your appetite can spike and you can crave more sugar. Red meat cravings for red meat can indicate an iron deficiency. Low iron levels can be an issue especially in menstruating women with heavy periods. Cheese cheese cravings may mean you're not eating enough fat, especially if you're falling short in omega-3 fatty acids. The best source of these fats is fatty fish like salmon, flaxseeds, and walnuts. Pasta (similar to the candy explanation above). If you're eating too many simple carbs and not enough protein and fat, your blood sugar levels will fluctuate and low levels can cause you to crave more carbs. It's similar to a sugar or candy craving because simple carbs are treated the same way as sugar once they are digested.

Sometimes it's easy to fall down the Google search rabbit-hole and convince yourself your weeks-long onion ring craving actually means you're suffering from liver dysfunction. How can you tell what's real? We've enlisted Alissa Rumsey MS, RD, and creator of the free guide "," to set the record straight.

Getty Images

Red Meat

Although Rumsey cautions that cravings, for the most part, are not evidence of a deficiency — "if that was the case, we'd all be craving fruits and vegetables!" — red meat can indicate a want for iron, an issue especially for women with heavy periods.

Getty Images

French Fries

Always. "Salt cravings can occur if you're falling short on minerals, specifically calcium, magnesium and zinc," Rumsey says. But at the same time, a hankering for potatoes bathed in boiling oil, twice, as the best ones are, could mean that you're one of . Rumsey says you can retrain your taste buds to crave salt by reducing the amount of sodium you eat.

Getty Images

Cheese

This may indicate that you're not eating enough fat (yay) — as in omega-3 fatty acids (less enthusiastic yay). Rumsey says the best sources are fatty fish like salmon, flaxseeds and walnuts.

Getty Images

Candy

Remember what we just said about salt, as in "the more you have, the more you want it?" Same goes for sugar. "If you're overdoing it on simple carbohydrates, such as pasta, bread, bagels and pastries, you may find that you end up craving more candy and other sweets. Simple carbohydrates spike your blood sugar, which leads to a big release of insulin, followed by a blood sugar crash. When this crash happens, your appetite can spike and you can crave more sugar." Maybe they weren't kidding when they .

Getty Images

Pasta

"[Pasta] is similar to a sugar or candy craving because simple carbs are treated the same way as sugar once they are digested. If you're eating too many simple carbs and not enough protein and fat, your blood sugar levels will fluctuate causing you to crave more carbs."

Getty Images

Onion Rings

Rumsey chalked this random craving up to the carb conundrum (with the breading), as explained in the previous slide.

��vlog