I Dont Want to Continue Talking This Cheese

Back in high school my doctor warned me about having too much cholesterol in my blood.

He said I needed to cut back on the fatty foods, but the only problem was that I wasn't having 'fatty' foods! Or so I thought ….

But turns out, I was eating tons of cheese back in highschool!

• A huge hunk of Jack cheese when I came home
• Melted cheddar for quesadillas

I had this insatiable desire for cheese.

But now years later I've learned a few things about cheese cravings and have come to the following balance:

• I don't buy cheese at the grocery store
• I can have cheese easily at social events
• My cholesterol is normal

So learn from my experience! This blog post will detail reasons for cheese cravings and how you can go about ending those cravings.

Here's why you're craving cheese and what to do about it!

1 – You're Not Getting Enough To Eat

Cheese is very filling. Cheese contains:

• Fat, which digests slowly and will keep you full for longer periods of time
• Protein (for muscles), which also digests slowly

I know back in high school I would come home absolutely ravenous.

I didn't eat enough during the day so when I came home I would wolf down a block of cheese.

Literally, I would eat a huge hunk of cheese plain!!

But this had nothing to do with cheese, per se. I was just really hungry and my body was craving food sources that would give me lots of calories!

This reason – malnutrition and not eating enough – is also a primary factor in sweet cravings at night too!

2 – You're Not Getting Enough Fat

Cheese, for many vegetarians, is their main source of fat.

My friend in college was a proud vegetarian. She primarily ate:

• vegetables and beans
• fruits

However, my friend wasn't getting fat through other dietary sources.

Just like me, she would start to have cravings and then eat a ton of cheese in ridiculous ways!

• Cheese sandwiches
• Whole hunks of cheese
• Picking the cheese off pizza

Now you may not be vegetarian …

But you too may not be eating enough fat through other dietary sources, and you can be craving cheese as a result.

These two reasons – not eating enough and not getting enough fat — are what almost all food cravings mean. If you are eating food but not getting full this can help explain why.

Your Body Needs Fat

• Fat helps protect the vital organs of your body
• Fat digests slowly and keeps you full for longer

Generally speaking, the healthy range of fat for men is around 10-20% of body weight whereas for women the healthy range is 20-35%.

Even under optimal conditions, you can see that a healthy human still has 10% body fat or more.

You need fat!

Cheese in particular is very dense and contains high amounts of fat and calories, which helps give your body the energy it needs.

Not getting enough fat and not getting enough food to eat are, as I said above, the primary reasons why you crave cheese, and foods like cheese such as ice cream.

Basically you want some healthy sources of fat in your diet. Whether that fat comes from cheese, fish, nuts, olive oil … whatever … you need some fat!

Best idea is to try mixing things up!

Why Do I Crave Dairy Products And Eggs?

While this article's focus is cheese …

The same reasoning can easily be applied to dairy products and eggs too!

Cheese, dairy products and eggs are all very similar:

• Come from animals
• Have high proportions of fat and protein
• Rich, creamy texture

Dairy products include:

• ice cream
• butter
• yogurts

You may be craving dairy products like ice cream and eggs because these foods are like cheese.

They contain a high amount of fat and calories which your body needs to function.

Of course too much of these foods can result in high blood pressure and could mean your body will experience bloating. But overall, foods high in healthy fats can help with cholesterol and overall health.

If you aren't getting enough calories and fat from, for example, cheese or these other sources, you will get food cravings no matter what.

What Do Cravings Mean? Two Main Meanings

There is one more main reason that explains cravings.

To recap, the two reasons behind cravings simply relate to your body's need for fuel and energy:

• When you don't eat enough, you run low on energy and your body naturally craves foods like cheese to replenish
• If you are low on fat, your body naturally craves food to get more fat

Again, if you're looking for a craving meaning, these two reasons explain at least 50% of all food cravings!

The reason so many food cravings are explained by these two reasons is simple.

These types of cravings are known as homeostatic hunger, or physical hunger.

These craving sensations are simply your body's natural desire to eat food in order to get fuel and energy.

For example, you may be genuinely physically hungry for salty food after a sweaty workout:

• During the workout you burned a lot of calories and sweated a lot.
• So then you experience salt cravings naturally because you need to replenish your body's fuel and salt supply .

In this situation, it's perfectly normal to feel food craving for a big, salty burger to replenish your body's stores of fat, calories and salt.

However, there is a THIRD reason that also can drive cravings: emotions.

This type of hunger, according to Amy Gorin, RDN, is called hedonic hunger.

Hedonic hunger is when you are 'hungry' for a food but not physically hungry.

3 – Emotional Eating

Acting on hedonic hunger is known as emotional eating!  That is, you're not eating because you are truly physically hungry, but instead because you are reacting to your emotions.

There are several ways this can happen. For example, it's well known that foods high in fat and sugar can evoke chemical reactions in the human body.

Just anticipating the thought of having sugary or fatty food can make your brain emit the neurotransmitter dopamine. And dopamine is known as the 'feel good' chemical.

Here are some other ways foods may make you 'feel good' and hence eat in response to your emotions:

• Excitement and novelty when you're feeling bored
• Distraction from thinking when you're worried and stressed out
• Feeling full (and bloated) instead of feeling difficult emotions
• Giving you a variety of sensations and flavors that shifts your attention away from the difficulties of life

Cheese Can Be An Emotional Eating Magnet!

Cheese may be your emotional eating magnet for many reasons:

• Cheese is cheap
• Cheese comes in many different varieties
• Cheese can help keep you full and provide fat sources
• Cheese is convenient
• Cheese is paired well with other foods that can make you prone to food craving, such as bread

4 – Lack Of Vitamin D

Now if you read on the internet, some health blogs will say that cheese cravings are due to lack of vitamin D.

Vitamin D is from the sun normally, but it can be added to various products.

For example, there is some truth to the matter because cheese does contain vitamin D.

Other dairy products like milk also contain vitamin D. For many people the added vitamin D to milk is how they get their vitamin D!

However, the temptation is to think you may just need Vitamin D, and then your cheese cravings will go away.

After all, it's easy to just get a vitamin D supplement and then all your problems would go away!

You wouldn't have to look at your eating habits or do critical analysis about what the underlying factors behind your food cravings are, or what these cravings mean.

Nonetheless, vitamin D deficiency can significantly increase cheese cravings so a vitamin D supplement may help you to improve your overall health.

Read my 'best vitamin D supplements' review article here.

Craving cheese vitamin deficiency

But, please remember the three main reasons behind cheese cravings:

• Not enough food
• Not enough fat
• Emotional eating

While you may indeed be craving dairy products, like cravings for milk and cheese because you may lack Vitamin D ….

The odds are greater that your cheese cravings are because you are not eating sufficiently or are eating emotionally.

Nutritional deficiencies can lead to all sorts of other odd cravings too – like ice cravings – so it's likely if your cheese cravings are constantly out of control there is some underlying deficiency.

5 – Creamy

Cheese also has a creamy texture that is hard to replicate!

What other foods out there are like cheese and dairy?

The simple truth is that animal products are hard to replicate. Just think about how much money and technology is needed to replicate the taste of meat!

There is something about animal products like cheese with the soft, creamy texture that awakens the 'primordial instinct' within all of us.

This unique texture is sometimes what's driving your food cravings!

But keep in mind, the creamy texture and lack of vitamin D, are less likely causes of cheese cravings.

You're still most likely not eating enough, not getting enough fat from other sources, or emotionally eating.

Other random cheese cravings

If you are having strange cheese cravings, their unique flavor and texture combinations can possibly explain why.

Just think about all the different flavors and textures of cheese!

• Nachos – hot liquid cheese, spicy often with a cooling sour cream
• Macaroni and Cheese – smooth, creamy, cheesy sauce with al dente pasta
• Cheese on Toast – gooey, stringy cheese melted on top of crispy toast
• Fondue – gooey, gooey melted cheese often spiked with alcohol served with bread or vegetables for dipping
• There's even lactose free cheese!

These are only a few of the thousands of different types of cheese out there!

How Do I Stop Craving Cheese?

The most straightforward way to stop craving cheese has two parts:

• Get more healthy food during the day
• Get a variety of healthy food during the day

Eat More Healthy Food During The Day

Your body is like a car. Without fuel, the car stops running.

Your body needs fuel to breathe, think, and talk.

That's why we need some calories for blood sugar. Sugar in your blood is the fuel.

In a car, the car will make a few shudders and stop when it runs out of gasoline.

In your body, the signals of low or no fuel are your cravings.

Cravings are a sign that you need more fuel!

Literally just eat more food.

• Have a bigger breakfast
• Have a bigger lunch
• Have a snack before dinner

Get A Variety Of Healthy Food During The Day

Of course, you can't just eat carbs all day either!

Sure, you can have 'more' food …

But you need to get a variety of 'more' food as well, and it should be a balanced variety.

Just eating more carbs like pasta, pizza and other empty carbs doesn't count!

• A bigger bowl of cereal doesn't count
• More french fries doesn't count!
• More muffins and rolls don't count

Of course you can have cereal, french fries, muffins and rolls.

But a major key to ridding yourself of cravings (and not just cheese cravings but all cravings for comfort foods) …

Is to combine 'more' with 'variety' and to make sure that the variety is wholesome.

When you eat a variety of more wholesome foods you entire life changes!

Benefits Of Eating More Wholesome Foods

• More energy
• More mental clarity
• Less mood swings
• Just feel better!
• Weight loss too (but that's not the point)

Of course you already know these things …

Ideas For Wholesome Foods:

I'll stick with my previous examples of cereal, french fries, and muffins and rolls 🙂

Using these admittedly silly (but realistic for many of us) examples you can get the idea behind what I mean by 'more' and 'variety':

• Cereal + nuts + berries + yogurt
• Chicken + whole wheat bread + veggies + water
• Muffins and rolls + fruit + nuts

The key is to eat 'more' in terms of amount and variety!\

What does it mean when you crave cheese?

Cheese cravings can mean a lot of different things, depending on the person.

Sometimes it could be as simple as needing more fat in their diet, while other times it might be an indicator of an emotional eating disorder.

If you find yourself constantly craving cheese, it might be worth reading our food craving chart article to learn more about what could be causing your cheese cravings and how to address them.

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Source: https://www.eatingenlightenment.com/2020/08/06/why-am-i-craving-cheese/

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