[cimbal]

I think cravings are mostly an expression of a finely tuned feedback mechanism of the body to tell you what kinds of nutrients and minerals are currently lacking the most. The better you train this system by eating very varied, trying out all kinds of non processed foods, the better it works. Search for 'magnesium deficiency and cravings' for a start. There should be other papers on the topic but i can't find anything right now.

But i'm not saying that there is no such thing as the microbiome directly influencing your brain, bacteria produce a wide array of by-products. In which way these by-products affect our bodies is exactly the question. I just want to point out that there are types of dysbioses that can reduce the ability to absord certain nutrients and by that could exacerbate the problem of cravings.