What the cravings are trying to tell you.

You planned to eat clean.
You stocked your fridge.
You told yourself “This week, I’m staying on track.”

But then…
It hits.
That mid-afternoon snack attack.
That late-night urge to raid the pantry.
That sudden need for something salty, sweet, crunchy, or all of the above.

You give in—and immediately feel like a failure.

Let’s stop that cycle right here.

First, you are not broken.

Cravings are not a sign of weak willpower or lack of discipline.
They are messages from your body, asking for attention, not judgment.

Cravings don’t mean something’s wrong with you.
They often mean something’s missing.

3 Common Types of Cravings—and What They Actually Mean

Let’s decode them:

1. Mid-Afternoon Sugar Cravings

If you’re reaching for sweets or energy drinks in the middle of the day, your blood sugar might be crashing.
Why? Often, it’s because you:

• Skipped breakfast (or had a low-protein one)

• Didn’t eat enough earlier in the day

• Had a super carb-heavy lunch with little fat or protein

Try this instead:
Front-load your day with protein + complex carbs. Add snacks like a protein smoothie or boiled eggs + fruit to stabilize blood sugar between meals.

2. Salty/Crunchy Late-Night Cravings

Your body may be low on electrolytes, carbs, or simply energy—especially if you’ve been under-eating all day.

This often shows up after intense training days or high-output weeks.

Try this instead:
Have a balanced dinner with carbs + protein, then a satisfying bedtime snack. Think popcorn and beef jerky, Greek yogurt and granola, or toast with nut butter and banana.

3. Craving Alcohol or Sugar to “Unwind”

Sometimes, what you’re craving isn’t food—it’s a nervous system reset.

You might be:

• Emotionally overstimulated
• Operating in constant fight-or-flight
• Using food or drinks to signal “safe” and “off duty”

Try this instead:
Before grabbing something, pause for 2–3 minutes.
Stretch. Breathe. Go outside. Lay down with your eyes closed. Then reassess. Often, the craving softens when the stress does.

What If You Responded Instead of Reacted?

Most of us have been taught to fight cravings, suppress them, or white-knuckle our way past them.

But if you get curious instead of critical, you’ll often find that your cravings are incredibly intelligent.

• They highlight where you’re not fueling enough.
• They point to emotional or physical stress.
• They reveal when your nervous system is tapped out.

Your Body Doesn’t Want to Work Against You.

It wants to help you survive and thrive—even when that looks like peanut butter pretzels at 10 PM.

The solution isn’t to restrict harder.
It’s to understand the message underneath.

Want help decoding your body’s cues, building a better relationship with food, and fueling in a way that works with your lifestyle? Fill out the form below.