It’s actually pretty healthy and normal to crave food, especially as the days get colder and our bodies have to work a little harder to maintain a nice, comfy temperature.  Digesting and processing food stokes the body’s furnace, so winter can actually trigger an increase in appetite.  OK, so it’s partly the cold and partly just the fact that we get to wear sweaters and Uggs for 6 months before we have to face the music when tank top & miniskirt season hits again.  Whatever your reason, chances are you eat a bit more in the winter.  The average person gains 1-2 pounds over the holiday season and the surrounding chilly months, and overweight people tend to gain even more than that. Yikes!

By all means, eat. But if you’re craving a particular comfort food, night after night (mac & cheese, anyone?), maybe there is something missing in your diet.  Maybe your body is trying to send you a message and it’s getting all muddled up in sweaters, Uggs, and visions of sugarplums.

Check out this fantastic list from Naturopathy Works to decode what it is your body is actually craving!