If you have food cravings, you may think you’re craving that particular food. It tastes good, it makes you feel good, it’s so yummy, right? Who doesn’t want that?

I’m here to tell you, that what you crave is SO much bigger, so much deeper, and so much more important than that piece of chocolate or that bowl of ice cream or that doughy buttery french bread. What you crave craves you because you are wired to desire. We want more, we want fulfillment, we want to feel joy and connection.

The problem is, when our desires aren’t met with what we TRULY desire, we crave food as a surrogate. It’s like the game of telephone I talked about in the last blog post. We naturally have desire and passions and want to follow our passion. But we come up with a million reasons why it’s not practical, we can’t have what we want and we give up on our dreams. Because we’re wired for desire, when our desires aren’t met, they call to us. It sounds and feels like a craving for food, but it’s our desire calling us. And when we don’t listen, it gets louder. Desire is a good thing, don’t squelch it!

Food has comforted us, nurtured us, boosted our mood, our energy, and made us feel loved so many times, that it really feels like food is what we desire. But it’s not, it’s a substitute for what is truly craved.

What you crave are things like meaning, purpose, passion, and connection. Peace too, but that sounds boring. You could call it connection to yourself, or the divine, or spirit, or whatever you want, but it’s the bigger picture of life, that has no words. That is what you crave.

It’s hard to see when you’re in the thick of a craving pattern. It can feel like you’re broken, but you’re not. Believe me, I’ve been there! But, when you step away from it, you’ll see this clearly. When you’re right up against it, you can’t see it. If you could, you would have shifted it by now, right?

I want you to know, that when you tap into this bigger meaning, whatever it is for you, you won’t want for food. Yes, you’ll eat food, enjoy it, celebrate it even, be nourished by it, but it won’t be a big deal. It will just be food, pleasurable, nourishing, delicious food.

Your desire is natural, it will make sure you don’t get too far from what’s important. What you crave, craves you, and that’s a good thing. Please don’t be ashamed of your cravings, celebrate that it’s a sign there’s more awaiting for you, and don’t give up, you can heal.

Thank you for being a part of this community. Together, I truly believe that we can find peace with food and live in a world where women feel comfortable in their own skin, enjoy food without guilt and love their lives.

Joyfully,