Episode 51: What Causes Food Cravings? with Megan Chemma
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Episode Transcription
Participant #1:
Hello everybody. Welcome back to a brand new episode of The Upbeat Dietitians Podcast. In today's episode, we are joined by Megan. Megan is a registered dietitian and a certified personal trainer who graduated from Purdue University. Just like Emily and I, she works currently as an online dietitian and personal trainer with Revolution Health and Fitness, which you can find on social media at Revolution Health and Fitness to help empower women to stop dieting and start living again by focusing less on restriction and more on finding what healthy looks like for them. As an individual, Megan loves her peanut butter and red wine not together of course, and in her free time you can find her walking her dog, Lucy, spending time in the Sunshine and baking usually banana bread. So we are so excited to share this episode with you and tune in to hear what we chat about. It'll be great. Enjoy everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Epidemicians podcast. Hello everybody. Today we are joined by a very special guest, Megan Chema. Megan, welcome to the podcast. Thank you guys for having me. I'm excited to be here. We are so happy to have you. So today we are going to have Megan tell us all about cravings, what they are, where they come from. But before we get into that good juicy stuff, Megan, walk us through kind of like a day in the life, what you do for work, your education, sell a boiler maker here. I kind of will spoil that for you. Boiler up, but kind of walk us through all those great things for us. Yeah. So I am an online dietitian and personal trainer full time. So fun fact, personal training is actually how Hannah and I met and connected down at Purdue. So that's where I did my undergrad and then I went straight into their coordinated program for my Dietetic internship. I went into a clinical role right after I graduated just wasn't my thing. So I ended up found myself as kind of an entrepreneur online and connected with somebody who I'm currently working with as a dietitian and trainer there. So I get to kind of have the best of both worlds being both the dietitian and personal trainer online. I think it's just super cool to see the evolution of just like online coaches and just everything that we're able to do remotely now as well. It definitely has been a change of pace for me versus working clinically in the hospital as far as what my day to day looks like. So it really changes based off of the day and client load and kind of what I'm doing there. Obviously it's filtering in some social media content and fun stuff there, which I really like and enjoy doing that stuff as more of like my creative and fun side, but obviously still getting to work one on one with my clients and clients that are actually invested in working with me, which makes a world of difference, I will say. So as far as that goes, my day to day just really kind of depends on, like I said, what's going on with work that week, what other projects I might have going on kind of behind the scenes, but working full time from home and yeah, that's kind of the gist of me as far as other things. I've been a personal trainer since 2015, which is crazy to say it's been that long as far as Hobbies, I don't really have time for them lately. Just kidding. But I love being outside when I can be. So whether it's taking my puppy for a walk, Lucy, which you'll probably hear at some point on this podcast, going on hikes, being up at my parents Lake house, needless to say, I'm definitely ready for some warmer weather to be coming soon. But yeah, that's a little about me. It is so cool to see you in the online space because I think I know it produced typically they were like, oh, that's not really a thing. Some people do that, but no one does that. So it's so cool to see that actually coming to life and you being able to do that. It's pretty awesome. Yeah. And it's something that we're not educated on how to run a private practice or do anything in business. So it's basically just like you have to kind of go dive into it head first. And obviously if you need to get some further education in doing what you need to there. But yeah, it's crazy. That could be like a whole episode, honestly. Just like how we don't want any of that. Yeah. Cool. So Megan, our first question for you is to kind of spoil a little bit about what this episode is going to be about. But we want here first and foremost from you kind of give me an intro into this episode. What are food cravings and essentially how do they differ from hunger? So as far as cravings go, I actually just Typed in Google, what is a food craving to see what would come up there as far as what the true definition is because we obviously know what they are. They're just like an intense want or need for a certain food. And that's literally what came up when I Typed it into Google. It's an intense desire for certain foods or flavors. As far as that goes and how they differ from hunger, you're not necessarily going to die from starvation if you don't fulfill that craving, essentially. So as far as that goes, you can be hungry and have a craving for something. But it's different from hunger in the sense that, again, you're not going to physically be starved if you don't fulfill that craving. It's more of a want and a desire. So they can really be brought on by a variety of factors as far as that goes. And I know we'll talk a lot about that. But for instance, if you're most commonly what we do see is if you're restricting certain foods from your diet, you're likely going to crave those foods that you aren't necessarily allowing yourself to have or you're having some form of restriction from those foods. And then, I mean, obviously, you also have cravings. Sometimes you're just really in the mood for some ice cream on a hot summer day, and that's a completely normal craving to have. I think that there are certain cases where certain cravings might be an underlying condition going on that should not necessarily be ignored. So, for example, just to throw it out there, ice chewing. I know that's not necessarily a food, but if you're craving kind of that feeling and chewing ice, if that's something that you crave a lot and you do, it can be a sign of anemia. So I think that to a certain degree that there are more underlying causes of why cravings might be happening. But as far as the craving itself, it's just really a desire or a watch or a need to have a certain food. Yeah. I feel like cravings get a bad wrap. We should never have them. If we do, we're failing at whatever diet. Like they're a bad thing, but they're so normal. We eat for so much more than just like our physical satisfaction or physical needs. We also have to eat for that taste hunger and culture and celebration and that kind of thing. I think it's a really good discrepancy there, too. Yeah, for sure. Sorry. Go ahead. Go ahead. I'm just going to say I like how you brought up the specific example, because I feel like that's something that not a lot of people think about but is very real. And most people, I think they think either like sweet or salty, and those are the only types of cravings or like, sometimes carbs gets thrown in there, but there are kind of other reasons behind different creams and whatnot. Yeah. Especially if you're having non food related cravings, like dirt or weird things like that, then there's definitely probably an underlying issue or something medically that you need to get checked out there. So as far as that goes, if it's a craving for something like that, then definitely seek some medical advice and expertise there. But as far as that goes. Yeah. Definitely pull different realms of what cravings can look like for an individual. Well, it's actually a great segue into our next question. So for those of you who can't see our outline, of course, we shared with Megan like a little picture of the singing violence Pinterest that you've heard before. Like if you're craving salty foods, it means that you are deficient in this nutrient and you should eat this food instead of the chips or whatever. So Megan, my question for you is do you think that having these certain food cravings like chocolate, salty, oily, Carbi, does this indicate that we are in need of a certain nutrient or what does it mean if we have those kinds of cravings, do you think? I think to a certain degree those things can be evaluated based off of the situation and based off of the circumstance that the person is dealing with those cravings. But to be honest, I don't really think that there's enough evidence when it comes down to it to support the idea that cravings are directly caused by an insufficient intake of a certain nutrient. So as far as that goes, I know in this little chart it's like if you're craving sweets, that means you're possibly deficient in phosphorus and a healthy option for you to choose is chicken or egg. As far as that goes, that's not going to be satisfying to you if that's what you're filling that craving with. If you're craving something sweet, if you go eat chicken, sure, you're going to be eating protein, so you might be a little bit less hungry. But at the end of the day, I don't think that deficiencies can be solely tied to cravings. Sure, it might be kind of something underlying or like if again, I think more so it comes down to the variety of your overall food intake as well. So again, it comes down to if you're restricting certain foods, then you're more likely to crave those things because you're not having a wide variety of what you're eating or if you're kind of that person who has these five foods that you pretty much stick to day in and day out and you don't really have much variety with your intake, I'm sure there might be a deficiency. There is something underlying going on. But at the end of the day, I don't think that charts like that are very helpful and they're not going to help you feel better with what you're eating. As far as that goes with having a healthier option or swap for what you're truly craving. Yes. Back in the day, Emily and I talked about this before on an episode. We were kind of like Pinterest junkies before we knew any better and we would eat graphics like this and be like oh my gosh, okay, I'm craving chocolate. I just need some nuts and that will get rid of it. But like you said, if you're craving chocolate and you just eat nuts or like the classic one of like oh, you're craving sweet at night, just eat some fruit and that'll do it. That's not usually going to actually get rid of that craving and you're going to end up just eating more than if you just have the darn chocolate or whatever it is that you're craving. Exactly. Yeah. And nutrition isn't as black and white as you have this nutrient deficiency. This craving is going to occur. This is what you should do to combat it. There's a lot more that kind of goes on with that. I really like how you delve into the different kind of aspects of what could be feeding into words or hard today, but feeding into that craving and whatnot. So I think that's really good explanation of it. Yeah. Cool. I like our next question. Good job, Hannah. Megan so going along kind of with cravings and people like often perceive cravings as bad, can we prevent food cravings? I thought that this was a great question and hard to answer. I think that we can put our focus into making well balanced and nourishing meals that help keep that satisfaction factor into our meals, of course, which is super important. But I don't think we even necessarily need to air quotes. If you can't see me prevent cravings or try to kind of like Ward them off, they aren't a bad thing. Just like Hannah said too. I think they get a bad rep and a bad reputation. But when it comes down to it, it's just something that you want and that you're having a desire for. What's the harm in eating it at the end of the day? I mean, sure, if it's like a severely intense food craving and you're having it non stop throughout the day and day in and day out, that might be one thing to say. Like, okay, maybe I need to be more moderate with this food that I'm consuming or that I'm craving or have something have it looked into a little bit more as far as that goes, but I don't think we can prevent them and I don't think that we should prevent them is the thing too, as far as that goes. Yeah, I agree. I think that having that as a goal, like working with clients. But you guys but I often really focus on goal setting two to four goals every session and try to figure out how to work towards those. I would never set a goal of like let's prevent food cravings. I think we can try to eliminate cravings by eating consistently, allowing for that satisfaction factor at each meal, incorporating sweets here and there. So we don't have those cravings. But trying to deliberately prevent cravings I think would likely just end up backfiring. So yes, I totally agree with what you said on that one. Yeah. So right along here. So since we've kind of already determined that cravings are going to happen, they're fine, they're normal. How do we respond to them then? Because I often fear or feel like I hear patients and clients say, okay, I get these cravings and I just end up going crazy on them and overeating and feeling kind of blessed. So what is the best way to respond to a craving if we do have it? And we've already kind of answered this, but should we just eat what we're craving or go for something healthier? What's the best way to approach that? So again, I guess it depends case here with all things nutrition. Of course, you guys know that, but I typically will recommend for my clients to eat what they are craving. It's literally the only thing that is likely going to make you feel fulfilled and feel satisfied with what you're choosing to eat. And to that point, if you are choosing this healthier alternative and you try to avoid the craving that you're having or choose that healthier alternative by being good or whatever that might look like for you, you're likely only going to keep going back to food until you find something that is going to actually fulfill that craving or fulfill that satisfaction that you would get from just eating a piece of chocolate or just having the ice cream when you initially wanted it. And I feel like I personally, I don't know about you guys, but I went through that a lot. Like, I would be craving ice cream and have an Apple to try to curb that craving or try to still have something sweet but less calories, less fat, all of that. And at the end of the day, I would just find myself staring at the pantry like, okay, what else can I have? Because that clearly didn't fulfill my needs for the ice cream. So what else can I try to have or even healthier alternatives at that for ice cream, whether it be a low fat yogurt or like a frozen yogurt, sometimes you just need the full fat ice cream and that's what's actually going to make you satisfied. And you can have smaller quantities and portions of that food to be satisfied versus maybe two or three times that if you're choosing this healthier alternative. So when it comes down to it, my first and foremost recommendation is to respond to your craving and to fulfill it. Not try to again, Ward it off or try to push it off until tomorrow or something like that. Or if you're going out to dinner with friends or family and you're just like, I really am craving a burger and fries, choosing the salad is not going to be the healthier option there as far as I'm concerned. How you said that choosing the style would not be the healthier option, because I just know that would if you posted that on social media anywhere right now, I feel like people would be up in arms over it. Like, what? Yeah. Because healthy looks different to so many people. And in this specific case, you would just be kind of trying to subside your craving with something else. And then at the end of the meal, you'd probably be sad and that you just eat a salad, but you're like probably feeling some type of Guild. They're like, oh, no, I should feel good. I ate a salad, right? I was good. Air Quotes Sometimes the salad is the best option for you. Like if you had a burger and fries every single time you went out to eat, maybe you wouldn't feel the best if you eat out all the time. So that's I think the part people don't understand about being anti diet, if you will, is we think that we're only ever choosing the burger and the fries and the chocolate and whatever other quotes unhealthy food that we are giving into. Sometimes you do kind of crave a salad, believe it or not. And if you don't have our food in these two buckets of good or bad, we kind of have this neutral mindset around them. Again, you actually will find that you do sometimes crave things Besides just the things that you've placed off limits currently in your brain. Right. And that comes, I mean, kind of full circle to the concept of gentle nutrition as well. So I mean, even when it comes down to it, maybe you're craving a cookie for a snack, but you know that that cookie isn't going to be something that will hold you over until your dinner. So you could pair that with something and still have your cookie, get that fixed for what it is, and have it with a yogurt or something that's going to be a little bit higher in protein to make sure that you're honoring your health and honoring your choice there, but still having what you're craving. So at the end of the day, I feel like it's just all about that balance and finding what that's going to look like for you. Exactly. Add not subtract. I love that that is really the big questions we had for you. Megan, is there anything else you like to say about this topic or if you could kind of like sum it up for our listeners, that would be just lovely. Yeah. So I think I kind of alluded back to this. But if you were having excessive and intense cravings for things like air quotes, less nutrient dense foods or bad foods, what you will call those, obviously there might need to be kind of some sort of line that you draw when it comes to, oh, just honor your cravings and give in to your cravings and eat those foods because you don't want to completely disregard your health by honoring your cravings. So when it comes down to it, if you have those intense cravings all the time, that might be a point to kind of go and have a second opinion on these things from a dietitian or from a professional that you trust. So at the end of the day, kind of just like you said, Hannah, to focusing on what you can add to your diet rather than restricting or eliminating is ultimately going to be the key and what I would recommend there as far as when it comes to your cravings, again, there are going to be so many reasons why you're having cravings and things as far as that goes that you're going to have to just really focus on tuning into your body and listening to your body. I think that that's something that people struggle with a lot is they just have these cravings or they're maybe not eating at consistent times or eating satisfying meals, and then they find themselves with these intense cravings when it's not necessarily the craving itself. That is the root cause of the issue of what's going on. There's a big picture and there's kind of bigger things that you need to take a look at as far as what is going to be kind of the solution for you in those circumstances. Now, I agree more. All good things. So I think that wraps up the main bulk of what we're going to talk about today. So that leads us to our less serious, more casual, fun segment of the episode. So, Megan, every episode, we always have a bonus question at the end. And this is kind of a debate. It's more so it's just sharing our opinions. So today's bonus question is our Pop Tarts actually ravioli? And we always let our guest star first. Okay, so when I read this, I was like, what in the world? How is that even a comparison? And then I thought about it and I was like, okay, I see the resemblance here as far as Poptarts ravioli. Like almost little pastry, like pushed together or whatever the case might be. I don't know the exact process of I know I've made ravioli, but I don't think we did that in our food science class to learn the steps of that. But anyways, I get the resemblance between the two. But when it comes down to it, obviously one is sweet, one is majority of it is going to be savory, I would say with ravioli, right? So I would say yes, but no, because also, I don't know. This is a tough one, literally. I keep going back and forth in my head, but when it comes down to Pop Tarts, those are going to be like baked, which I know you can have baked ravioli. So then I'm like, well, gather the same. I don't know. I feel like I keep talking myself out of saying that they're not the same, but they kind of are. This one's really hard. It's really hard. Okay. What I often do when we have these questions, we had others before. Like, is a hot dog, a sandwich? Is the ocean with soup, that kind of thing. Often Google is the first place I turned. So I just Googled ravioli to kind of see what the definition of ravioli is. And it says, I think this is the key word here. Ravioli is a type of pasta, whereas Pop Tarts are a pastry, like you had said, Megan. So I think that's the big discrepancy is pasta versus pastry. But from like a food science or a chef's perspective, I don't know the difference in ingredients between pasta and pastry. Maybe they're super similar. I don't really know. I think that the pastry would have more fat just from like making like pies and like crusts and things like that. That would be my guess as far as the difference between the pasta and more of the pastry. True. I feel like pastries are more flaky because of the fat and however that processes they put it in there. So I also have a hard time with these. I'm like always yes and no, and I can be persuaded either way. But I'm going to have to go with no, but I could easily be talked out of it. Emily, if you have a different opinion, if you think maybe it's a yes, let's hear what you think. I was thinking the same thing where it was just like a sweet ravioli that was in my mind. I was like pop talks or just sweet ravioli. But then I also looked up the definition because Google knows all you guys were ahead of me on that. I should have turned Google. But the word that convinces me is pasta. Yeah. I feel like it would be if I told anyone who was a lover a positive was a ravioli. I feel like I would not see the next day anyone from Italy listening to this is like punching the air right now. Literally. What are these girls talking about? They don't know any. Yeah. But I also like the argument about the fat content because I feel like that's really important from differentiating a pastry from a pasta. Yeah, I feel like that's also from not only the definition but also the food time standpoint. I feel like they're just not the same. Yeah, they're both great. And I would eat a sweet ravioli or a savory Pop Tart if I was given the chance to do so. I agree, too. Okay, well, I think glad we figured that out. Yes. Anyone's wondering pop charts are not actually ravioli. Yeah. Well, Megan, this is your chance to kind of plug whatever you want, to let our listeners know where they can find you, what you're working on, your different services. They want to work with you. This is your time to share those wonderful things. Awesome. Yeah. I am over on social media, on Instagram, I am on TikTok, but not as frequently, but at Balanced by Nutrition for both of those accounts. If you want to come over and say Hello, I always like to engage with my audience and who is kind of connecting with me over there. But yeah, I'm on social media for that. And then as far as working, I work with clients one on one for both fitness and or nutrition or a combination of the two. So if you are looking to have kind of more direct guidance in a one on one setting with a dietitian and a personal trainer, hit me up. I'd love to work with you. So awesome. We will share the links to all of those in the description so you guys can find them. Megan, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. This will be a good episode for us to share. When someone says I have cravings, what do I do? We'll do that right here. Yeah. Awesome. Well thank you guys for having me. Yeah, of course. So thank you everyone for tuning in today's episode and we hope you learn something new about cravings, hunger and all that fun stuff. Definitely be sure to check out all of Megan's links that we're going to attach in the description below otherwise we will see you next week. Yeah, thank you guys. Have a good one. Bye bye.
