Are you constantly craving fruit?

Or do you find yourself eating a lot of strawberries or apples for no reason at all? If so, why are you experiencing these cravings and what can you do to stop them?

Fruit is often associated with healthy food. But there are several reasons why people crave fruits, and it’s not always because they want to be healthy.

These reasons are obvious once you think about them …

But sometimes we get caught up in the smell of fruits at the store, or in fruit drinks and desserts …

And we forget what’s really going on, even when reality is staring us right in the face!

In this blog post we will give four solid explanations to the reasons behind fruit cravings!

Please realize a combination of these explanations are what’s behind your sugar cravings. It’s not that you crave fruit only for emotional reasons…

It’s that you crave fruit for emotional reasons, AND you’re dehydrated, low blood sugar, etc …

Let’s start with the obvious reasons first …

1) Dehydration

Dehydration is caused by not drinking enough water.

This dehydration is a common cause for fruit cravings, because fruit is full of water.

The easiest way to prevent this kind of craving is to drink more water.

Often when you are dehydrated you will start to crave sweet foods too. This is your body’s way of trying to get the minerals it needs to function!

So why does being dehydrated cause you to want to eat fruit or drink fruit smoothies?

When you are dehydrated, your mouth becomes dry and so do other parts of your body. So when you start feeling those cravings, even sometimes ice cravings, it’s because your mouth has become too dry! You just need more moisture which you can get from the fruit you are craving!

Of course you can also drink more water when you have fruit cravings. 

But what happens if I eat too much fruit?

Unfortunately, fruit can also be harmful for people with high blood sugar levels.

For example, my uncle with type two diabetes can only eat certain fruits like berries which have low sugar content.

It’s because eating too much fruit for him would be dangerous, given his diagnosis.

In general, some fruits are fine. But eating tons of fruit when struggling with blood sugar levels is NOT advised.

When you are eating too many fruits in wild abandon, it’s important you realize your real problem is ‘binge eating’.

For more info on binge eating, read this introductory article here.

Now besides dehydration, you can also crave fruit for another straightforward, non-subtle reason.

2) Low Blood Sugar

When your blood sugar level falls below normal, cravings for a quick fix food like fruit start to happen.

Your body’s craving the sugar and natural energy from fruits – aka glucose!

This is why people who are following a restrictive diet, or eat very little sugar, can experience cravings for fruit.

It’s because the body needs glucose to function and it can get that from fruit.

You can also start craving more traditional ‘binge’ foods like potato chips, cake, ice cream and pizza if your blood sugar gets low too. Carb cravings highly relate to low blood sugar.

See, blood sugar is like the gasoline your body vehicle runs on.

If you skip meals, or only eat skimpy salads then your body will become famished. And a famished body is most definitely going to get a sweet tooth for any glucose source, including fruits.

3) Emotional Hunger

People often find themselves eating more sweets when they are feeling sad. This in turn causes them to want even MORE sweets!

This phenomenon is called ’emotional hunger’. 

We’ll start with why people might crave fruit because their low blood sugar levels are causing them to feel hungry for any glucose source, including fruits.

Low blood sugar levels mean you probably dieting, or restrictive eating. You are trying to lose weight and are restricting your daily food intake.

This leaves you depleted and craving junk food or fruit for more energy.

When depleted you experience brain fog, emotional fatigue and sadness…

When someone is feeling sad and eating more sweets, they might experience an even stronger craving for fruit. Because the connection between why you crave fruit (sugar) and emotions.

If your parents taught you to manage your emotions with comfort foods, then fruit could be one of your comfort foods today.

The food craving link between why you crave fruit and emotions is very common.

Especially in children who have a lot of meltdowns that involve comfort foods like ice cream or cake!

It’s no secret that stress has the ability to shake up our appetite routine too. This usually means more sweet food cravings in general. And our crazy social media culture these days is incredibly stressful!!

But why do we specifically get the urge for fruits? It might be due to how it can help with ’emotional hunger’.

See, fruit contains Vitamin C, yes, but fruit also contains ‘fructose‘ sugar. So this type of sweetness may seem like a healthier alternative to a more ‘unhealthy’ choice like, say, pastries made from refined flour and high amounts of butter.

It could be that fruit is the sugar that you ‘allow’ to help quench your emotional hunger. This is one reason behind sugar cravings.

We see fruit sugar as a ‘healthier’ and more ‘natural’. At least when compared to alternatives like soda or junk food!

4) Restrictive Diet

People on restrictive diets can also experience cravings for fruits.

So people who are following restricted eating plans may crave fruit. Simply due to the fact that their bodies need glucose and fructose from natural sugars found in fruit!

This is why you might find that people who are on a vegan or vegetarian diet may crave fruit.

The reason for this craving can be due to the fact that their bodies need carbs and protein, hence why they turn to fruits which have these nutrients!

And those cravings could include wanting even MORE sweets because fruits contain fructose sugar too, as well as glucose!

So with both restricted eating AND low blood sugar levels combined, the craving for fruit can be intense.

But why do I crave fruit?

It could be because your body needs carbohydrates to function. It gets that from fruits which are a medium-chain sugar (aka ‘sugar’).

To be honest, I’m not sure why some people get cravings for junk food and others for fruit, but I do know the underlying reasons are the same.

Your liver converts carbs into glucose in order to produce energy – so if you’re not getting enough your brain will start demanding more anyway! And we all know how much our brains rely on constant blood flow, don’t we??

When people eat too many fruits they get an even higher spike of fructose than before as their bodies have been depleted.

What should I eat if I crave fruit?

• Fruit along with some protein (such as nuts, peanut butter)
• Whole grain toast with fruit
• Drink water!

For another list of fruit alternatives, read this blog post about ‘Fruit to Vegetable Substitutes’ here.

Drink lots of it to help prevent dehydration.   And remember that water is the main component of a drink like lemonade.  

So you could, for example: try a tall glass of lemonade which also has the benefits of potassium and vitamin C.

I personally love fruit in a smoothie with spinach and yogurt. The fruit (usually bananas, apples AND strawberries) makes my smoothie sweet enough to be delicious.

And then I get my green veggies too!

Fruit Food Cravings – Final Thoughts

So, fruit food cravings are a real thing.

But don’t worry – you’re not going to die from them!

The truth is that often our bodies just need something different to feel satisfied. We can combat these craving feelings with some of the tips I’ve shared today.

And a balanced diet is the best bang for your buck.

If any of this resonates for you or if you have questions about your own food habits, please reach out via email or phone. Then we can help answer your questions and problem-solve together on how to best address your issues!

It’s never too late to start toward a healthier lifestyle! Let us know what you think about today’s article by leaving a comment below!