Food cravings are different from straight-up hunger. Different people crave different types of food. However, there might be some clinical conditions that lead to an increased desire for certain foods.
So, what does it mean when you crave lemons and salt?
Cravings for salty and citrus food maybe because of a boring or restricted diet. In some cases, such cravings might indicate that you need more of a particular nutrient present in lemons and salt. It means when you’re deficient in something, your body will cause the craving for that specific nutrient.
Let us dive deep to find the reasons why some people crave more and more salt and lime in their diet.
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What Does it Mean When You Crave Salt? 5 Possible Reasons!
Cravings are a big topic of discussion and many people wonder what is causing them. Sometimes, the salt cravings are symptoms of pregnancy and in rare cases, they can be symptoms of a medical condition.
Salt cravings can be because of a variety of different reasons. The following can be the possible causes of salt cravings:
Stress
The more stressed you are, the more you find yourself drawn toward salty foods. Such foods reduce the effects of physical, mental, and emotional stress.
Stress eating is also referred to as emotional eating and people mostly eat salty foods for a sense of comfort. They usually do so to fill the void in an attempt to relieve stress.
Sodium Deficiency
Many people crave salt but very few are salt deficient. You might find yourself craving salty food when you try to cut back sodium in your diet. That is because you’re accustomed to the taste.
Salt is sodium and chloride. So, deficiency of any of these two minerals can lead to salt cravings.
Exercise
Sometimes, salt cravings might be because of dehydration associated with strenuous exercise. Loss of electrolytes decreases sodium and potassium levels in a person’s body.
Dehydration leads to concentrated body fluids and hence the low solute concentration causes you to crave more and more salt.
Lack of Sleep
The less we sleep, the more we crave salt. Sleep disturbance leads to hormonal imbalance. It mainly disturbs the cortisol hormone level in the brain.
Lack of sleep can cause your cravings for junk food and especially salty food to increase.
You feel an urge to eat more potato chips and pretzels.
Addison’s Disease
Addison’s disease is an endocrine disorder when the adrenal gland can not make enough of the hormone, cortisol.
Adrenal glands are the small structures located above the kidney that produce adrenal hormones.
Damage to these glands can lead to an imbalance of adrenal hormones, hence you crave salty food as a result of chemical imbalance in your body.
What Does it Mean When You Crave Lemons? 5 Possible Reasons!
Lemons are a good source of vitamin C and have a lot of antioxidants.
But some people feel a constant urge to drink lemon juice or to add lemon to their diet.
There can be thousands of different reasons for craving lemons. Following are the common ones:
Iron Deficiency Anemia
Iron deficiency anemia commonly happens in women during pregnancy. It can also occur during menstruation or blood loss.
Its common symptoms are headache, dizziness, general body weakness, and extreme fatigue.
Our body absorbs iron from different foods with the help of vitamin C. If Vitamin C is not present in enough amounts, the required amount of iron can not be absorbed by the body.
As citrus fruits like lemons are rich in vitamin C, your body craves more lemons to fulfill the requirements of Vitamin C.
Vitamin C Deficiency
Lemons contain ascorbic acid which is a source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important for collagen synthesis and many essential functions of the human body.
Common symptoms of Vitamin C deficiency are a diseased condition called scurvy. This is because of the reduced dietary intake of vitamin C.
So, if you are suffering from Vitamin C deficiency, it is most likely that you will crave more lemons in your diet.
Low Serotonin Levels
Disturbances in the sleep-wake cycle can cause serotonin deficiency in your body.
Serotonin is a relaxing hormone that makes you feel peaceful and improves your mood.
Low levels of serotonin can increase stress and can cause lemon cravings. It means that serotonin deficiency can badly affect mood.
So, you crave certain things including lemon.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a phase during which women are deficient in most of the essential nutrients.
Also, during pregnancy, women experience a fall in hemoglobin levels.
Most women crave citrus including lemon in pregnancy to fulfill the nutrient deficiencies in their body. Their body signals them to add more essential nutrients to their diet to maintain the health of the mother and developing fetus.
Stomach Problems
Lemon is rich in a natural acid called ascorbic acid. Our stomach needs acid to digest food. If you’re having digestion issues, your stomach doesn’t produce enough acid and hence you crave lemon.
If you’re taking more alkaline food, it can change the PH level of your body. Then also you start craving acidic food like lemons.
How to Curb Lemon and Salt Cravings? Some Effective Tips!
Although it is essential to add enough lemon and salt to your diet, the cravings can still be dangerous. This is because they compel you to add a lot of salt to your diet which can lead to hypertension.
Similarly, a large quantity of lemon in your diet can affect your teeth as well as the acid in lemon can damage your gums.
They can cause many other complications. To curb these cravings, here are some effective tips:
- Avoid stress and indulge yourself in healthier activities to avoid cravings for salty food.
- Do not exercise beyond your body’s energy level and keep on refilling your body’s electrolyte requirements.
- Sleep properly to avoid unhealthy food cravings. Take a sound sleep of at least 8 hours.
- Add a good amount of fruits and vegetables to your diet to fulfill the nutrient deficiencies in your body.
- If you’re a pregnant woman, add iron supplements to your diet after consulting your doctor.
By following these important tips, you can not only curb your cravings for lemon and salt, but it can also help you maintain weight. You can make your lifestyle healthier this way.
FAQs
Question: Is eating Lemon with salt good for you?
Answer: Eating salt and lemon can be good for you if you are consuming both of these in moderation. Consuming salt and lemon according to the daily recommended amount of sodium and vitamin C is not harmful.
Question: What hormones make you crave salt?
Answer: An imbalance in the functioning and secretion of adrenal hormones can make you crave more salt. Cortisol hormone imbalance is mainly responsible for salt cravings.
Question: Why do I keep craving Lemons?
Answer: If you’re pregnant, it might be because of iron deficiency. Other reasons for craving lemons can be deficiency of any Vitamin or minerals, mainly vitamin C. It may be because of a boring diet plan.
Bottom Line
What does it mean when you crave lemons and salt?
It means that your body is in a dire need of certain sources of nutrition.
Sometimes, there might be some pathological conditions leading to lemon and salt cravings.
Whatever might be the reasons, following a healthier lifestyle with healthy eating habits can help you get rid of constant cravings for salt and lemon.
