When I decided to start the carnivore journey, I knew I would have cravings for those first 30 days. It made sense that my body had become accustomed to certain foods, and I would want them. As those days changed to weeks. Weeks to Months. And Months to years I find I still get cravings for certain foods.
Research shows that there are physical cravings and there are emotional cravings. Having changed my gut biome by going carnivore and being a stress eater, I was curious why I crave certain foods, what the craving could mean, and what I could try eating instead. I want to listen to what my body is asking for while staying in the carnivore way of eating. Here’s what I have found.
Putting this together I was surprised how many times water, butter, and beef liver were the answer to adjust cravings. In the United States we have been told fat is bad for us. Much of the food has gone to lite or low fat where they remove the fat and replace it with sugar. I have moved completely away from sugar and sugar alternatives. Be cautious when eating butter. There are so many alternatives out there that you may be eating margarine and not real butter. My favorite is Kerry Gold!
I have been trying these alternatives and have found them all to work to address my physical cravings. Beef liver is a tough one for many. It’s a smell and texture issue. In one of the Carnivore Supports Groups I found people were cubing raw beef liver and then freezing it. They would then pull out one cube of beef liver each morning and cook it in butter. This is on my grocery list for the week.
All of these will help with physical cravings. For emotional cravings I suggest journaling and sitting in the emotions that are sending you to the pantry for comfort food. Sit in the feelings and allow yourself to get curious about your emotions. Working through it with pen and paper can be a way of providing a record to reflect on when these feelings occur. And trust this emotional eater – the feelings will reoccur.
If you are serious about the carnivore WOE or already fully identify as carnivore, I suggest making sure that your kitchen is stocked with these food items that can help you with your physical cravings. Have a pen and journal handy for the emotional moments. Having these items at your fingertips will ensure your reaching for the better alternative to keep you on track. While this may look like junk food to some, this is a treasure for you.