We all get major food fancies from time to time - but if you're getting the same urge every day, it could be much more than just being greedy...

You'd be unusual if you never felt the odd urge for fish and chips or chocolate, and there's nothing wrong with indulging yourself sometimes.

While most cravings are emotional, sometimes what you're desperate for could be a sign of a hidden health problem or a lack of nutrients.

Cravings are only a worry if they're continuous and always for the same sort of food each time, says Liz Tucker, health and wellbeing consultant and author. Below are some common cravings - and advice on what to do if you get them continuously.

Bread
If you crave bread, you could have a wheat intolerance. When a wheat-intolerant person eats bread, it triggers a stress response, making them feel better for a short time, so they end up craving the food that's making them ill, says Liz Tucker.
What to do: Have an intolerance test (such as ELISA) and see a dietician.

Chocolate
Chocolate cravings might be linked with a low blood sugar condition that can affect diabetics when their glucose levels plummet, or a blood sugar imbalance brought on by eating too much sugar.
What to do: See your GP about how to control your diabetes. Reduce your sugar intake and eat little and often.

Junk Food
We fall back on our favourite food fix when we're under stress - and this is rarely a crunchy apple, says Susannah Olivier, lecturer at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and author of The Stress Protection Plan.
What to do: Choose fast foods that will keep you going longer, like pasta.

Coffee
Caffeine is addictive and you start to feel shaky if you haven't had your fix. Caffeine stops your body absorbing nutrients like iron, so you'll feel tired if you drink lots of it, says Liz Tucker.
What to do: Cut down gradually and switch to decaf, then herbal teas.

Cakes and Biscuits
Many women with PMS have low zinc, magnesium and vitamin B levels (important for hormone balance). This can cause those cake cravings - as can polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), where high testosterone levels interfere with your appetite.
What to do: For PMS, take a magnesium supplement. Eat foods rich in B vitamins, like brown bread and fortified breakfast cereals. If you suspect PCOS, see your GP.

Pickled Onion Sandwiches
About 80 per cent of pregnant women have a food craving. Salty foods like pickled onions are common, because you need more salt in pregnancy.
What to do: If it's pickled onions you want, go ahead, but take it easy if you crave fatty or sugary foods.

Meat
If you crave meat and feel tired all the time, you may be anaemic.
What to do: Have a blood test. If your iron levels are low, take iron tablets and eat iron-rich foods like red meat and leafy green veg.

First published in Essentials magazine: See the latest

- Food & drink recipes and advice
- Shop for everything you need
- Search: Food & drink