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Cravings.. do they really mean anything?

Blog Forums Nutrition Cravings.. do they really mean anything?

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  • #8367
    BauerPower
    Participant

    So I typically have one or two foods that I can never live without and I am always in the mood for. Dry cereal and peanut butter. What the heck? Does this mean anything?

    My fianc? craves dairy all of the time.. which is so gross to me. I haven’t had a glass of real milk in like 10 years.

    My dad craves chocolate.. can eat it at anytime. Loves it.

    Mom craves red meat…

    Why such consistent life-long cravings? Any science to this?

    #8904
    Michael
    Participant

    Lifelong cravings might be related to the emotional investment the food has for people. Early experiences and associations make certain foods have aprticular resonance even when one is older, and certain foods are just plain rewarding.

    Also dairy can be addictive, I’m not sure but people can crave foods they;re sensitive to as well. Craving may also depend on the time of day one has it/one’s metabolic status – cereal will raise blood sugar.

    Then there’s the oft mentioned thing about cravings relating to nutrient status. I tend to think there can be something to this sometimes – if I don’t a macronutrient in large enough amounts for a few days I will start feeling like it after. Anyway, maybe your Mother is anaemic and or the craving is iron related?

    #8925
    AnnaB
    Participant

    I’ve been wondering the same thing. I was always told that if you’re really craving something, you might be allergic to it. Anyone know the mechanism behind that concept or if it’s legit?

    I’m trying to re-feed and the only thing I really crave is dairy- milkshakes, yogurt, etc. However, I definitely have allergic reactions to it. What gives?

    #9199
    Ashley
    Participant

    Here’s a theory. What if your allergy is really an inability to digest the food.. Perhaps from a low metabolism, you’re not making the enzymes to process it well etc. So when you eat this food, you don’t digest it well and you don’t get the full benefit from it. So your body wants it all the more to try to get those nutrients? Keeps hitting the “we need dairy” button because it’s not working well? Kind of like how our remote control here has not been working well lately and everyone’s mashing the crap out of the buttons to change the channel.

    And perhaps eating said food will eventually help you process it. I know Wheat used to make me hurt, after I had been off it for a while. Like hurt really bad, like miserable. I started eating it and kept eating it and actually in about a week I was fine eating it and I eat it every day now. I don’t get sore near as easily as I used to in general either. Like I hauled off and started riding by bike over 10 miles and didn’t get much soreness at all. I used to get sore at any increase in physical activity.

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Ashley.
    • This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Ashley.
    #9314
    AnnaB
    Participant

    Hey Ashley,
    I hope you’re right- a very optimistic view on allergies =)
    I’ve been pounding dairy for a month, and not getting any better with it.
    I could see that my body might have trouble digesting it, so it craves it to get more nutrients out of it. But would this theory also account for the acne and rashes I get from dairy? Is it some sort of detox from the added nutrients in the dairy that I’m not getting elsewhere?

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