What does craving for salty foods mean?
Cravings for salty foods can have many causes: a lack of minerals, stress or dehydration, to name just a few.[$1] Anyone who has an increased craving for salt should interpret this as a warning sign from their body. The disproportionate hunger for salt can indicate a mineral deficiency.
So if you constantly have cravings for chips, fries or even meat, you should reflect on your diet and activity and consider that the mineral supply in your body could be out of balance. We explain what cravings for salty foods can mean, how much salt you actually need and what you can do about cravings.
Craving for salty foods – what is missing from your body?
Our bodies are pretty smart and can react to certain nutrients with certain cravings. So if you have a big appetite for salty foods, it's possible that you have an acutely increased need for electrolytes - in contrast to cravings for sweets, which are caused by falling blood sugar levels. A salt deficiency, for example, usually manifests itself in tiredness and problems with muscle contraction, and in extreme cases also in dizziness, confusion and even disorientation.
Salt and salty foods are not bad per se, on the contrary: without salt, humans would not survive. Salt helps maintain numerous functions in the body. It regulates water balance and blood pressure, supplies the body with nutrients and transmits important neuron impulses to muscles, heart, brain cells and bones. But just as with the question "How much sugar is recommended per day?", the same applies to salt: the dose makes the poison.
The WHO recommends a salt intake of less than 5 g per day. However, the majority of society exceeds this recommendation, as the average salt consumption of most Europeans is around 8 to 11 g per day.[$2] If you eat a lot of salt, your body gets used to this appetite for salty foods, which then always wants more. And since there is a particularly high amount of salt in processed foods such as sausage or dairy products, which are consumed in large quantities, it is not uncommon for people to develop a real craving for cheese or meat.
This can lead to health problems: Scientists have found in recent studies that too much salt can increase blood pressure and have a negative effect on important intestinal bacteria and intestinal flora.[$3],[$4],[$5] Nevertheless, the recommendation is not to pay attention to the exact amount of salt in foods, but rather to listen to your own body and its warning signals, as the need for minerals in particular can be very individual. In summer and during sporting activities, the need for salt can be significantly higher due to increased sweating, for example. However, cravings for salty or fatty foods can also indicate deficiencies or even serious health problems.
Craving for salty foods: indication of an imbalance in the salt balance
Are you suddenly craving salt? The cause could be an imbalance in your electrolyte balance. The electrolytes in human blood are a group of trace elements, salts and minerals. These include calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, which occurs as sodium chloride in table salt. They perform very important functions in the body's cells. Sodium is mainly found in the extracellular space, i.e. outside the body's cells, and together with potassium, which is found inside the cell, plays an important role in transport processes through the cell membrane. Since our body cannot produce these electrolytes itself, it absorbs them through our food. Lack of sleep, heavy sweating or an unbalanced diet can lead to an imbalance in the electrolyte balance. If the salt content in the body has dropped significantly, it must be replaced as quickly as possible - which explains the sudden craving for salty foods.
By the way: Pregnancy cravings can also be a deficiency symptom. Sudden cravings during pregnancy , e.g. cravings for meat, can be an indication of protein or iron deficiency and should not be ignored.
Dehydration makes you hungry for salt
If you feel a craving for salty foods, the first thing you should do is check your water levels. The reason for the increased appetite for salt can be the first warning sign of impending dehydration with electrolyte loss. When your body lacks fluids, it uses a kind of trick: eating salt stimulates the feeling of thirst, which makes you want to drink more.
Speaking of drinking: Do you find it difficult to drink a lot? Then we have a tip for you: With our sugar-free drink syrup in delicious fruity varieties, you can easily mix delicious drinks that make drinking much easier.
PMS promotes cravings for salty foods
It doesn't always have to be a desire for chocolate: women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can also develop cravings for salt. After all, cravings for salty foods are a typical symptom caused by hormonal fluctuations, along with the more common cramps, headaches and mood swings.[$6] However, we do not recommend giving in to cravings before your period, as salt promotes bloating, water retention and painful pulling in the breasts. As already mentioned, when cravings arise, you should question your past diet and consider whether a lack of nutrients or PMS could be the cause.
Stress increases cravings for salty foods
Not only physical exertion affects the electrolyte balance and can cause cravings and hunger for salty foods: a great deal of psychological stress, such as long-term stress, can also affect the electrolytes and increase your appetite for salt, because stress is a real electrolyte thief.[$7 ] In such a case, you should supply your body with the necessary salts – especially magnesium, the proverbial salt of inner peace – but also make sure to reduce your stress – for example, light workouts such as yoga or relaxation exercises in the form of of meditation.
High salt consumption as a cause of craving for salty foods
Humans are creatures of habit. If you give your body a lot of salt over a long period of time, it gets used to it and remembers that it needs this increased amount of salt. Such excessive consumption is not only evident in the increased amount of salt added to food, but also in an increased desire for industrially processed foods or fast food - these contain a high amount of salt, which can quickly exceed your daily requirement. If you consciously reduce your salt consumption in small steps, the cravings for salty foods should quickly become a thing of the past.
Craving for salt as a symptom of illness
If you constantly have a craving for salty foods, you should get checked out by your doctor. This is because an increased appetite for salty foods could indicate a serious illness. In addition to diseases of the adrenal glands, liver, high blood pressure or diabetes, an increased craving for salty foods can indicate a malfunction of the thyroid gland. A thorough medical examination can show whether the cause of your craving for salty foods is a serious illness.
Craving for salty foods: What you can do
If the reason for your appetite for salt is not due to an illness, you can avoid or satisfy the cravings. To do this, you should make sure you eat a regular and balanced diet with foods that contain electrolytes and get to know and monitor your hunger. Whole grain products, pulses, fruit and vegetables are examples of foods that help with cravings. If you sweat a lot, it also makes sense to drink a mineral water that is particularly rich in electrolytes.
You should also take your time with your meals: enjoy your food, because you usually only feel full after 10 to 15 minutes.
You can also stop cravings by not letting your blood sugar level go up and down with lots of (wrong) snacks.
For all women: Do you already know our Female Bloodsugar Support? It supports your metabolism and blood sugar levels. And uncontrolled blood sugar levels are associated with hormonal problems in women.
Snacks with a higher nutrient content, fiber and as little industrial sugar as possible, on the other hand, ensure that blood sugar levels are maintained. If you want to satisfy your craving for snacks between meals, you should always choose the healthier alternative, such as nuts and fruit. Or how about our protein tortilla chips? In addition to the crunchy experience, they provide you with valuable protein and fiber. You should eliminate unhealthy snacks such as chocolate or potato chips from your diet.
If you also make sure you get enough sleep, relaxation and enough exercise, you should soon no longer have problems with cravings for salty foods. This way, your body stays balanced and you can perform at your best - whether you're working out, at work or in your private life. Do you have trouble falling asleep and therefore don't get enough sleep? Then we have the ideal solution for you: with our More Sleep Melatonin Spray and our More Sleep Melatonin Tablets.
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