Carbohydrate cravings can be a sign of food intolerance

Are there some foods like bread and pasta that you just can't give up, even though eating them doesn't make you feel great? Symptoms can often be digestive problems, including wind, bloating, cramps and heartburn but can also include issues such as headaches, tiredness and irritability.

Image

Craving for a particular food may be a sign of food intolerance. This is where some food molecules are not properly digested and penetrate the wall of the gut, this causes an immune response as you produce antibodies to a substance that is in the wrong place. The surface of the gut also becomes inflamed and you don’t feel so great.

But why do you crave food that causes this reaction? Your body has become used to a regular supply of these foods and if you haven’t eaten any for a while, there will be withdrawal symptoms. These can lead to binge eating, weight gain and all of the previous, horrid symptoms reappear.

So cravings can be due to an underlying health problem in the digestive tract.

It may be that you are lacking in stomach acid, good gut bacteria, digestive enzymes or your liver is not as healthy as it could be. If you have difficulty in giving up foods like bread, it can help to find the cause. This can mean healing the gut, improving your gut bacteria, supporting your liver and improving stomach acid.

Get support from a registered nutritional therapist to find the cause and help address the issues. Once any gut issues have been dealt with and your eating habits regulated, this should reduce the symptoms and can also help with weight loss as well as curbing those cravings.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Nutritionist Resource are reviewed by our editorial team.

Share this article with a friend
Show comments
Image

Find a nutritionist dealing with Gut health

All nutrition professionals are verified

All nutrition professionals are verified