If you want sweet, salty and soda, what is missing in the body?

We envy people who don’t have the habit of having a weekly cheat meal with endless amounts of chips, desserts and soda. With the arrival of autumn in the The Fashion Vibes editorial office, such days began to occur much more often. Of course, we did not blame ourselves for this, but we still decided to find out what this could be connected with.

According to experts, sudden changes in diet may be associated with a deficiency of some vitamins and microelements in the body. Therefore, in the cold season, when the sun is almost invisible, we begin to diligently indulge in sweets in order to improve our mood without vitamin D (you must admit, this is especially important for a woman when choosing to update her autumn wardrobe). And this is the most banal example.

We decided to talk to nutritionist and food geneticist Ksenia Chernaya about why you may still need sweet, salty and fizzy foods after eating.

Ksenia Chernaya, nutritionist and co-founder of PRO Health Academy

Why might taste preferences change?

Food preferences in general may change with age due to the transformation of taste buds. Therefore, over the years, you begin to love olives, grains and other foods and dishes that seemed tasteless in your childhood. Receptors can also be trained. The more tastes a person tries, especially at an early age, the more tastes he distinguishes during maturity, and later taste preferences are generally more stable.

However, we can talk about deficiencies if at some moments there is a strong and acute desire to eat a particular product.

If you want sweets, what vitamins are missing?

Here we can talk about addiction in general because sugar triggers the release of large amounts of dopamine and stimulates the pleasure center. The brain quickly becomes tolerant to sugar and the person may constantly need sugar.

By the way, Russians are among the leaders in sugar consumption, and the problem of addiction is also quite common. The reasons for this are completely different. It often occurs in childhood, especially among those who are comforted and rewarded with tasty bonuses. In this case, a persistent attitude is developed to “sweeten” even the smallest troubles. Then sweets and cakes act as a way to support yourself and quickly get rid of problems: anxiety, loneliness, need for love, etc. If it has a psychological aspect, it is better to solve the problem with an appropriate specialist (a psychologist or psychotherapist).

If a person does not usually consume sugar but suddenly develops a craving for sweets, this may indicate a deficiency of chromium, phosphorus, sulfur and tryptophan. Then it is worth adding foods rich in these substances to your diet. Chromium is found in shrimp, broccoli, green beans; Fish and seafood contain a lot of phosphorus; sulfur – in the liver, kidneys, fish and eggs; and tryptophan – in fish, meat, mushrooms, peanuts, sesame seeds, pine nuts and soybeans.

Sugar cravings can also be a sign of insulin resistance. Therefore, if a person observes an unusual craving for sweets, it is better to control blood sugar, insulin and glycated hemoglobin.

Additionally, you can also test for vitamin D. If its level decreases, as a rule, the person is tired, lacks energy or may simply be craving sweets.

Why do you want something salty?

In the normal version, this may be due to the fact that taste buds are tuned to respond best to salty foods. If you have not been in the habit of eating these types of foods before, a sudden craving may be a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome. When a person is under prolonged stress, the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones and remove sodium, that is, salt, from the body too quickly. For this reason, people experiencing chronic stress often need additional salt.

A craving for salty foods may also indicate a deficiency of another mineral, magnesium. If you suspect deficiency, you can check these indicators by donating blood.

Why do you want soda?

This primarily indicates that the person is not getting enough water and minerals. Many people become especially thirsty after eating because the salt and sugar entering the blood from food also draws water from the body cells. Typically, carbonated mineral water quenches thirst faster because it contains electrolytes and the same concentration of minerals as in our blood. To check whether the indicators are normal, you can take a blood test for potassium, sodium, magnesium.

Additionally, excessive thirst can be a symptom of diabetes or pre-existing conditions (insulin resistance and prediabetes). Often in this condition there is also dry mouth and excessive urination.

If a person wants to drink sweet carbonated drinks, you should pay attention to possible sugar addiction.

In any case, when you notice a strong desire to consume large amounts of sweet, salty or fizzy foods, the best solution is to consult a medical professional. They will refer you to tests and only then will they tell you what this may be connected with. No one forbade you from cheating, but it’s still worth controlling their duration in your life.