Let's Talk Food Cravings

According to a WebMD article I briefly read through, “almost 100% of young women and nearly 70% of young men had food cravings during the past year.” Besides the fact that I find that to be the most moronic statistic in the world, it brings me to my topic this month: food cravings! Yes, those blessed beasts, which come out of nowhere or they show up right on time.

I think like most people, my cravings usually occur after I do a specific activity. For example, I love cramming a ton of chips into my mouth immediately after taking a nap. I don’t care what kind they are, but chips are the best snack after a midday sleep. I crave them so bad when I wake up that I will stand over the sink, still half asleep and shove them in my mouth. I’m lucky my boyfriend hasn’t set up a Nanny Cam for a hilarious YouTube channel.

Here are some other cravings I have:

After a hike, I want french fries.

When it’s cold out, I want whiskey and carbs.

After an intense workout, I crave pizza.

After a long day of work, I want alcohol.

When I’m hungover, I want a cheeseburger and a Coca-Cola Classic.

After a breakup, I want nothing. (I love a good break up. I lose so much weight. Eek!)

When it’s a day of the week, I crave chocolate.

Food cravings can be caused for a variety of reasons. One of the big ones is pregnancy! Some women have cravings like pickles or ice cream or anything sour. Since I haven’t been pregnant, below is a list of cravings I wish I had.

After a fight with my mother, I wish I craved an all-veggie salad with a light vinaigrette.

After I confirm my attendance of my high school reunion, I wish I craved a handful of almonds and some fresh blueberries.

After going on Facebook and stalking random people, I wish I craved a 2-3 oz portion of grilled salmon with steamed broccoli.

After an especially long staff meeting, I wish I craved iced water with lemon.

Wouldn’t it be great if we had cravings that were healthy and good for us? I guess it seems silly to expect our bodies and brains to be strong during our weaker moments. There are lots of suggestions and tricks on how to curb the cravings, such as choosing smaller portions or lower-calorie options. All of it sounds boring to me, unlike a delicious slice of pizza and a Slurpee. That’s not boring at all! But maybe a good way to kick those cravings is by having a mantra to repeat throughout the day. For example, here’s an acronym I came up with. Feel free to use it!

C – Completely

R – Remove

A – Awesome

V – Victuals

E – Everyday

What are some of your unique or weird cravings?