You know the feeling. 

That intense craving for carbohydrates when all you are trying to do is eat clean and healthy.

What do you do when this craving hits?  Do you avoid it completely?  Do you cave in? 

Or, do you try your best to find a healthier substitute that satisfies the craving without derailing your nutrition plan?

If you’re not quite the latter, you might just be short of ideas for foods that can help meet your need of a carbohydrate fix.  I've got some insight on why this type of craving is so common along with some of my go-to foods when they strike.

Table Of ContentsWhere Do Cravings Come From?Why are Carbohydrate Cravings so Hard to Ignore?What You Should EatIf You’re Craving a Salty Carb:If You’re Craving a Sweet Carb:If You’re Craving a Starchy Carb?When Can I Have the Real Thing?

Where Do Cravings Come From?

First thing's first — why do so many of us crave carbohydrates?

Most people believe that these cravings are strictly psychological. They blame their lack of willpower for their lack of success. Yet most cravings are actually derived from some sort of physiological imbalance going on inside. 

One example of this is what happens inside of your body when it’s stressed out.  Your levels of cortisol (stress hormone) levels elevate, which causes your blood sugar levels to elevate as well. 

When your body has high levels of blood sugar, it releases insulin (a fat storing hormone) to help bring that blood sugar down (storing the sugar as fat). Insulin often overcompensates, leaving you with a lower blood sugar and confusing your body into thinking it needs more energy and causing some serious carbohydrate cravings. 

Have you ever found yourself super stressed out at work and instantly craving something naughty out of the vending machine? 

This is the exact process of why that feeling happens. 

Even worse, having a poor night of sleep or simply a diet “too high” in processed carbohydrates creates the same impact on blood sugar levels and insulin. Do you know anyone that doesn’t get enough sleep and maybe has too much stress?  Try majority of the adult population in America. 

All of these imbalances really put you at a disadvantage when it comes to cravings and trying to eat healthy which is why it’s so important to realize why you have them to begin with but also what you can do to help dampen them. 

Why are Carbohydrate Cravings so Hard to Ignore?

Truth be told, food manufacturers are really good at their job. 

If you made money off of people buying certain food products, wouldn’t you do anything in your power to make them want more? 

Processed food today is chock full of artificial ingredients, sugar and salt, which influence your taste buds to want more.  And unfortunately, these foods are not typically filling, making it easy to overeat and not support a healthy waistline. 

Not to mention, many of us get a good feeling after consuming them. 

What You Should Eat

When trying to lose weight, cravings for carbs can completely derail you of your nutrition plan. 

But if you have them, you can set forth some strategies to have in your back pocket when cravings arrive. 

It’s also important to consider long-term strategies in the event that your body is going through chronic periods of stress or lack of sleep. In those cases, supportive supplements or even meditation would be advantages when it...