5 Cravings That Are A Sign You Have A Health Problem

We've all been there: that moment when you just need to have a burger (or a milkshake or a bag of potato chips), and nothing else on Earth will do. But why exactly do we have food cravings? And what do they mean?

It's a popular belief that cravings are the result of nutritional shortfalls. "There is very little science-based evidence on food cravings linked to nutritional deficiencies," says Sharon Palmer, RDN, author of The Plant-Powered Life. "And if food cravings were related to something you need, then wouldn't you be craving kale or apples, not ice cream and French fries? Instead, people tend to crave foods that are rich in fats, carbs, and sugar." (Especially sugar, according to a new study.)

MORE: 10 Ridiculously Healthy Foods For Your Heart

This doesn't mean that food cravings aren't real. It's just that your hankering for pizza is probably linked to emotional needs—seeking a comfort food that releases feel-good chemicals in the brain during a time of stress, for example—not nutritional ones. (Here are 5 weird tricks to make your food more satisfying.) Other studies show that cravings can crop up simply because you're on a restrictive or monotonous diet and want what you can't have.

That said, there are some cravings that really do signal health problems. Here are 5 cravings to look out for.

Water

Could be: Diabetes
Excessive thirst is an early symptom of diabetes—but this isn't just the craving for water that hits when you finish a workout. This is far more pronounced thirst that's also typically coupled with excessive urination. If you have diabetes, extra sugar builds up in the blood, and your kidneys have to work extra hard to filter and absorb that sugar. But sometimes they can't keep up, so the extra sweet stuff is diverted into the urine. This means frequent pee breaks, which in turn leave you thirsty for more water. 

Salt

Could be: Addison's disease
We don't crave salt because we need more of it—in fact, most Americans are getting more than enough salt from their diets. (The only exception? Endurance athletes who can lose too much salt by sweating profusely.) For the rest of us, intense salt cravings could point to Addison's disease, in which the adrenal glands (the ones that sit on top of the kidneys) don't produce enough hormones. And these hormones are important: They include cortisol, which helps the body respond to stress, and aldosterone, which keeps blood pressure balanced. Left untreated, Addison's disease can make your blood pressure drop dangerously low—so see a doctor if you have a new, persistent, excessive craving for salty foods, especially if you're experiencing any of the other Addison's disease symptoms.

Ice

Could be: Iron deficiency
Craving things with no nutritional value—ice, paper, clay, dirt—is a phenomenon known as pica. (Here are 8 things you definitely didn't know about what your food cravings mean.) And although these cravings aren't totally well understood by scientists, some studies have linked the desires with an insufficient supply of iron. One recent paper in Medical Hypotheses suggests that compulsive ice chewing increases blood flow to the brain, combatting the sluggishness caused by an iron deficiency. 

Chocolate

Could be: Magnesium or B vitamin deficiency
There are lots of reasons we have a hankering for chocolate (um, because it's delicious?) but one might be that you're short on magnesium, a mineral responsible for pretty much every tissue and physical function in your body. Of course, chocolate isn't the only good source of magnesium. Dark leafy greens as well as nuts, seeds, fish, soybeans, and avocados also are rich in the mineral. "But we don't typically crave these items because they lack sugar and caffeine," says Taylor Newhouse, a registered dietitian at the Texas A&M School Of Public Health. 

Your chocolate obsession might also be due to a lack of B vitamins, since the sugary stuff provides a quick brain and mood boost. "B vitamins play a large role in all cellular processes in our bodies, including energy production," says Newhouse. "When we consume chocolate we get sugar and caffeine, and the dopamine levels in our brains start firing and we feel good and get a boost in our glucose levels, which makes us feel like we have more energy."

Fries

Could be: Omega-3 deficiency
Your hankering for fats might mean that your body is low on Omega-3s, and fries certainly deliver on that front. A better bet? "Healthy sources of fat, like salmon, avocados, nuts and seeds, and olive oil," says Newhouse. 

The bottom line: If you've got out of control cravings, talk to your doc. "There is never just one symptom for a deficiency," says Newhouse. "You know your body best. If you think something unusual is going on, make an appointment."

By: prevention