A Chinese Medicine take on Cravings
BY vanessa m. ho, L.Ac., Dipl.O.M., MSOM
THE SWEET, THE SALTY, AND THE UNSTOPPABLE URGE
Chinese Medicine is rooted in a holistic view of not just the body, but of the entire world. As such, it artfully correlates major organs with their respective seasons, colors, emotions, and even taste. Here’s a basic breakdown.
SOUR = LIVER
BITTER = HEART
SWEET = SPLEEN/STOMACH
PUNGENT = LUNGS
SALTY = KIDNEYS
When you’re craving a certain taste or food, it is one indication that the correlating organ is weak in function and needs to be tonified or strengthened in function.
This is most often seen in the case of the Spleen/Stomach and the Kidneys. Cravings aren’t meant to negatively impact your eating habits. They are your body’s natural means to tell you what it needs. The negative impact comes from the specific foods that are consumed as well as the lack of moderation.
SUGAR CRAVINGS
For example, eating too many donuts as a response to a craving for sweets will harm the rest of the body as the excess, processed sugar encourages an increase of “dampness” in the body.
Dampness in Chinese Medicine means the feeling of sluggishness in the body which can be shown physically as bloating and loose stools. Sluggishness also means that things are not circulating as they should which correlates to inflammation such as cystic acne and infection such as yeast infections just to name a few.
SALTY CRAVINGS
Salty food correlates to the Kidneys. A small amount of naturally sourced food containing salt is a fine addition to your nutrition when you have a craving for salty food. The issue, again, comes with moderation. Overly processed chips can have an excess amount of salt that can cause bloating. Salty cravings usually happen at night. A poetic correlation is that the Kidneys work strongly during the nighttime as it is replenishing your body’s energy that was depleted throughout the day.
Acupuncturists help you get back on track through acupuncture, herbs, and nutrition targeted specifically towards strengthening the areas where function is weak.
WHAT FOODS TO ADD FOR EACH CRAVING
Here are some suggestions for food additions that can serve as healthy alternatives to be eaten alone or added to other dishes in the eve of food cravings!