Deficiencies in certain minerals such as zinc, chromium, iron, calcium, and magnesium may lead to sugar cravings as well, Elia says. Magnesium deficiency is specifically worth paying attention to.
Meet your magnesium needs.
What deficiency causes sugar cravings? Lacking magnesium affects the body's ability to regulate blood sugar levels and deliver energy into the cells which can instigate sugar cravings. Eat more magnesium rich foods like raw nuts, seeds, avocados, cacao, leafy greens, and bananas.
Deficiency of Vitamin B12 is also a reason for increased sugar cravings. Eating a bowl of fresh homemade curd can help you with this.
Supplements of magnesium can reduce sugar craving and help stabilise blood sugar levels[1]. If you have Type 2 diabetes or Pre-diabetes you are more likely to have low magnesium levels[2, 3].
An iron deficiency will leave you with very low energy and may be a reason for your sugar cravings because the body will crave quick energy to boost itself up. Iron supplements may help fight fatigue and other symptoms of iron deficiency.
Sugar cravings are often caused by imbalances in blood glucose levels. Low blood sugar levels might cause you to crave something sweet in order to bring up these levels. Other factors that can play a role include psychological stress, medications, hormone imbalances, and health conditions.
Magnesium deficiency can cause: loss of appetite. nausea and vomiting. fatigue and weakness.
Another study showed that zinc deficiency may play a role in sugar cravings. They found that when people who were deficient in zinc supplemented with it, their sugar cravings decreased significantly! Zinc is found naturally in foods, however often we don't eat enough of these foods to sustain our levels.
Seniors may crave sweets if they don't consume enough carbohydrates to meet the body's energy needs. Prevent this type of craving by not allowing seniors to skip meals, encouraging them to eat a snack even if they don't feel hungry, and including complex carbs such as whole grains, protein, and fats in meals.
Max out your magnesium
Many doctors believe sugar cravings could actually be a magnesium deficiency, especially if the person craves chocolate. Men should get between 400-420mg per day, with women up to 320mg of magnesium.
Refining or processing of food may deplete magnesium content by nearly 85%. Furthermore, cooking, especially boiling of magnesium-rich foods, will result in significant loss of magnesium. The processing and cooking of food may therefore explain the apparently high prevalence of low magnesium intake in many populations.
Your body needs sufficient magnesium for it to function properly. If you're magnesium deficient it could be contributing to your weight gain or preventing you from losing weight.
Nassar says that taking a magnesium supplement every day likely isn't unsafe for most people. Just be sure you're not taking too much magnesium. The maximum dietary allowance for most adults is around 400 mg or less.
Eye symptoms of low iron can include a pale coloring of the inside of the lower eyelids. In moderate or severe cases of iron deficiency anemia, the inside layer of the lower eyelid is very pale pink or yellow instead of red.
In many cases, mild iron deficiency anemia comes on so gradually that you may not even know you're anemic. Symptoms of mild anemia are subtle and include feeling grumpy, weak or tired more often than usual and getting headaches or perhaps having problems concentrating.
Extreme fatigue. Weakness. Pale skin. Chest pain, fast heartbeat or shortness of breath.