Craving chocolate?
Have you ever been through periods of intense chocolate craving? Possibly you are there now, puzzled as to why your sweet tooth can’t be tamed and wondering how to get out of the cycle. We’ve got some good news, it could be your body is trying to tell you something. When Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” he was for sure on the money! When our body craves something it is usually because that food has a mineral we need and in the case of chocolate, that mineral is Magnesium!
There was a time when one of our friends craved chocolate and I mean CRAVED! She would have tablespoons of raw cacao with her healthy smoothies in the morning and then be needing to snack on chocolate squares later on in the day. This was all later followed by hot chocolates made with more tablespoons of raw cacao. The thing is though, this wasn’t the real her, she had never been a chocolate craver.. like never! However she had been through some intense health issues that had smashed her hormones and nervous system and it was after that time that her chocolate obsession developed. The light bulb moment came when she heard about Magnesium.
Do you know how important Magnesium is for your body? Magnesium is involved in supporting and regulating over 300 reactions in the body, it is essential for our good health! It is used in almost every tissue in the body and especially our nerves. Unfortunately it is estimated that 80% of people in Australia are low in Magnesium and many are unaware. Signs that you could be low in Magnesium and symptoms can include:
- Headaches
- Muscle cramps
- Low moods
- Personality changes
- Fatigue
- Pins and needles
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
Magnesium deficiency can be caused by a number of things. Generally, processed foods and degrading soil quality are thought to be the leading culprits by experts worldwide. Other causes can be stress, some medications, co-morbid health conditions and over consumption of caffeine and alcohol. The silver lining however, is that when you are able to decode what your body is saying, you can turn things around by giving it what it needs!
If this is resonating with you and like our friend, you are having a light bulb moment – here are some foods that will boost your Magnesium intake:
- Dark Chocolate
- Organic Cacao Powder
- Avocado
- Nuts
- Legumes
- Tofu
- Seeds
- Whole Grains
- Salmon
- Bananas
- Leafy Greens
When we look at the list of foods above it reads like her everyday diet – although nowadays there is significantly less dark chocolate and cacao powder. Dark choc is choc-a-block of magnesium and unbeknown to her she wasn’t so much craving the choc as she was the magnesium. However, despite her eating a truck load of Magnesium rich foods, without even knowing it, that still wasn’t enough! Supplementation was recommended and that is what changed everything for her.
A very effective way to supplement and absorb magnesium directly to your cells is absorption through the skin, also known as transdermal absorption. Both, a relaxing soak in a Magnesium rich Salt bath or Magnesium oil sprayed over the body will replenish cells with welcomed magnesium. After she had been supplementing Magnesium for approximately a month she noticed that she wasn’t reaching for the tablespoons of cacao anymore and slowly but surely, her cravings for all things dark chocolate finally subsided. She stated that her mind and body felt better than they had done in a long time!
Have you found yourself reaching for the chocolate more than usual, do you need it to get through the day? If yes, then perhaps you too are experiencing some of the symptoms of Magnesium deficiency listed above. It could just be it that your body is asking you for Magnesium as well.
