Salty or Sweet?

Everyone loves a good snack. Snacking in moderation can be a great way to keep your mind focused, maintain energy levels and supply our bodies with the necessary nutrients we need carry out daily activities. But majority of our snacking habits are subpar to say the least. As much as we all want to admit that we prefer to eat healthy snacking alternatives. We are really in denial to ourselves when we say we enjoy eating carrots, celery and cucumbers with hummus, when all we want is to indulge in junk food heaven. Traditionally, our snacking habits are fairly poor, although, we want to eat healthy majority of us cannot deny our junk tooth. So, when you go to store and cravings creep up what is your go to junk food; salty or sweet? There is different explanation as to why we prefer one snack over the other.

           

            If you are someone that likes to reach for those salty snacks like chips, pretzels or crackers it could be your body indicating certain deficiencies. Salty craving can indicate deficiencies in minerals such as calcium, sodium, magnesium or zinc, and commonly demonstrates how dehydrated the body is. Salty cravings also appear when individuals are placed in more stressful situations. When people are stressed the nervous system and adrenal glands work overtime to meet demands and consequently deplete electrolyte concentrations. This depletion process is the same as when people are dehydrated. Electrolytes are salts and minerals like sodium, calcium and magnesium that work to regulate fluid balance and allow cells to carry out normal functions (1). Losing these minerals triggers an adrenal reaction to let the brain know more salt is needed. However, we often mistake the type of salt needed. Majority of us will crave salt in the form of chips and crackers, when our bodies are actually in need of sodium rich foods like tuna, salmon, dairy, or bananas (3).

           

            Or are you someone with a compelling ‘sweet tooth’ that cannot resist the chocolate bars in the checkout line. Someone that always needs something sweet after consuming a meal.Well like salt it could be your body indicating particular deficiencies. When snacks like candy, chocolate, and cakes are craved it can usually be associated with low blood sugar and serotonin levels or associated with increased emotional stress (3). You probably know what it feels like to have low blood sugar: after going too long between meals or snacks, you might have a headache, be irritable, or feel weak or shaky. It’s quite likely that in response to that state of hypoglycemia you wanted to eat something high in sugar or calories, fast. Usually these items are chocolate bars or candies. Research shows that when our blood sugar levels drop, we lose our ability to control our desire to eat. Therefore we crave ‘empty calories’ such as sweets and snacks. What happens when you eat junk food, or “empty” snacks, though, is that blood sugar levels spike then drop dramatically. Once you hit another low, the craving for even more high-calorie food kicks in again (2).

References:

1.     Berry, J. (2017, October 30). Craving salt: Eight causes and outlook. Retrieved December 3, 2019, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319866.php.

2.     Cravings and Low Blood Sugar. (2015, April 24). Retrieved December 3, 2019, from https://www.alive.com/health/cravings-and-low-blood-sugar/.

3.     Salty VS. Sweet The Snack Showdown. (2017, February 28). Retrieved December 3, 2019, from https://www.tropicalfoods.com/blog/salty-vs-sweet-the-snack-showdown/.