Situation-dependent ravenous appetite
Diets restrict the diet to reduce body weight. Different diets give different concentrations of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats). In order for a diet to be successful and lead to weight loss, the energy supply is severely restricted.
This means that for most diets, less calories are absorbed with food than before the diet. The energy balance of the body is unbalanced, it consumes more energy than it is supplied. This effect is used in diets to get the body to break down the body’s own fatty tissue and use it as an energy supplier.
The body often lacks nutrients during a diet. The lack of nutrients causes attacks of ravenous hunger.The body would like to signal with it that it is missing vital nutrients. Many diets are accompanied by a low-carbohydrate and low-fat diet.
This is why a ravenous appetite for sweet or fatty foods often arises. Sweet cravings are particularly common and are often associated with blood sugar levels. If the blood sugar level drops, we become hungry.
The faster the blood sugar level drops, the more intense the ravenous hunger becomes. The consequence is that the body wants to raise the blood sugar level again. When the blood sugar level is low, our body particularly prefers sugar (glucose).
A ravenous hunger for sugar is a simple solution for our body to raise the blood sugar level quickly. This is due to the fact that many carbohydrates in the body are broken down particularly quickly and get into the blood, where they normalize the blood sugar level again. Especially during longer breaks between meals and diets, the blood sugar level drops quickly and a ravenous appetite for sweets develops.
Cravings attacks occur in about 85% of pregnant women. It is known that some women during pregnancy have new cravings and aversions to foods that they would not normally know about themselves. During pregnancy, an absurd craving for nut nougat cream with gherkin or rollmop can occur.
The reason for the ravenous hunger during pregnancy is hormonal changes and fluctuations in the blood sugar level. Similar to the sense of taste and smell, the hormone balance changes during pregnancy, which also affects the metabolism. In addition to changes in physiological hormones, pregnancy hormones are released.
The hormone beta-hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is said to be responsible for absurd cravings during pregnancy. As a result of these changes, ravenous appetite attacks occur frequently in pregnant women and usually disappear again. During menstruation, many women complain of severe cravings.
This is due to the fact that hormone changes occur. The levels of estrogen and progesterone in the blood fall, but the happiness hormone serotonin also decreases before the days begin. This condition sets in days before menstruation.
The body tries to compensate for this deficiency with attacks of ravenous hunger. Sweets such as chocolate favour the absorption of tryptophane in the brain. Tryptophane finally forms the happiness hormone serotonin, which is why it is also said that chocolate makes you happy.
During the menopause there are fluctuations and changes in the hormone balance of the woman. The oestrogen level decreases and the hormone fluctuations have an influence on fat distribution and blood values. From mid-30s onwards, our metabolism already begins to burn less energy and during the menopause the basal metabolic rate continues to fall.
Less calories are burned. This is why many women suffer from ravenous appetite attacks and weight fluctuations during the menopause. To prevent ravenous appetite, it is important to eat healthy food and exercise regularly.
In the so-called “night-eating syndrome” (NES), a sudden, agonizing ravenous hunger appears at night. This can be so strong that it wakes you up from sleep. Most people with nocturnal ravenous appetite attacks have a disturbed eating rhythm.
Those affected often eat too little during the day and try to control their food intake. This can easily lead to a deficit of nutrients, which manifests itself in the form of ravenous hunger attacks. Anyone who wakes up at night and has too much ravenous appetite to fall asleep without snacks should urgently change their eating habits.
You should eat about 5 balanced meals a day and not skip any meal. Each meal should contain some fruit or vegetables, some protein and not too many carbohydrates and in the evening carbohydrates should be avoided. It can help to avoid fatty, high-calorie foods at home, such as chocolate or chips.
So that you don’t get the idea to get and consume them quickly at night. Those who wake up at night plagued by hunger and get up should learn to reduce stress in the evening. Arguments in the evening should be avoided as well as brutal movies and work stress.
It can help to try out relaxation techniques such as yoga or autogenic training. If you eat a balanced diet and do not go hungry, you can prevent ravenous appetite. A stress-free environment in the evening also helps you fall asleep deeply.
Cravings are a signal that the body is lacking nutrients. Often there is a lack of macronutrients such as bald hydrates or fats and the blood sugar level drops.Micro nutrients such as vitamins can also be responsible for ravenous appetite. A ravenous appetite for liver, butter, sardines, chips or potato chips can indicate a micronutrient deficiency.
There may be a deficiency of sodium, vitamin D, vitamin B1 or vitamin B6. If such a deficiency is present, ravenous hunger attacks and other deficiency symptoms such as muscle cramps or headaches can occur. If you have a ravenous appetite for nuts, wholemeal products and tomatoes, it can be helpful to take the trace elements zinc, vitamin C and vitamin B6.
Cravings for bananas or berries can be a deficiency symptom of a lack of magnesium, potassium, vitamin C and other vitamins. Ravenous appetite can therefore definitely be an indication of a deficiency symptom. This symptom is often accompanied by other complaints (typical deficiency symptoms such as tiredness, headaches, etc.). You can find out more about nutrient deficiency here:
- Iron Deficiency
- Zinc deficiency
- Potassium deficiency
- Vitamin deficiency
