Your body knows what nutrient deficiencies you have and craves foods with those nutrients

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Replies

  • Posts: 724 Member
    I don't know. I used to like ketchup with everything but for the past couple of years I've been craving yellow mustard which isn't nutritious at all.

    Other than that I just crave burgers, but my body gets plenty of protein and fat. I also take 2 different kinds of multivitamins .
  • Posts: 14,121 Member
    When I'm protein deficient I definitely crave meat. :wink:
  • Posts: 26 Member
    I crave citrus, and often tuna, after I've had a bad day with my seizures (basically, carbs, protein, Vitamin C, B vitamins - all things that would aid recovery.) So yeah, I've always felt there was something to it...
  • Posts: 329 Member
    Here, I did the heavy lifting for you: http://bit.ly/ZVL21O
  • Posts: 2,297 Member
    My body must be lacking whatever makes me want to eat butterfingers...?
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    No idea on that one. The only thing I'm low on (badly) is vitamin D. I was taking 50000 IU's *prescribed* twice a week on top of D3 5000 IU's twice a day. I never crave fish, eggs etc. It's always something like honey buns and pizza LOL!
    "me wrote:
    I've been known to offer vitamin d to certain lucky people.

    Legen....

    wait for it.


    ..... DARY!
  • Posts: 1,007 Member
    I had pica (specifically, ice) when I was seriously anemic and it went away when my hemoglobin levels finally went back to normal. Apparently ice cravings are not uncommon with anemia. So I tend to think that there's something to it, but that our bodies aren't good at having the correct craving to match the deficiency. Because usually my body is saying "carbs pls" and I eat plenty of those.
  • Posts: 5,575 Member

    Interesting theory then, but are women actually eating more fat? That is surprising to me.

    That seems to be what they suggest, it sounds like a social biology theory so it may be a little stretched.
  • Posts: 259 Member
    edited October 2014

    So that's one order for a peer review and one order for a meta-analysis... Cars getting full. Oddly enough, there is evidence for pica in certain cultures for iron deficiencies but not for corresponding food cravings in any population. Curious....

    ETA I have heard of a recent study on women craving fat for DHA but I haven't been able to locate it yet.

    I had pica for crunching ice when I was anemic, but never once craved a rare steak or a big pile of broccoli. And I was severely iron deficient (like almost needing a transfusion deficient).

    ETA: eating ice doesn't actually provide any iron, btw. So if the body is picking things to eat based on an iron deficiency, it isn't do a very good job.
  • Posts: 167 Member

    Tainted meat?

    +1

  • Posts: 1,537 Member
    crisb2 wrote: »
    Here, I did the heavy lifting for you: http://bit.ly/ZVL21O


    just a bunch of articles that reference the articles that they plagiarized as their source.
  • Posts: 85 Member
    In my personal experience with cravings I can tell you something, a craving is something that we shouldn't have but when I switched my diet to fix some health issues, deficiencies and so, my body started to "crave" more some foods that I was consuming which were giving me those nutrients.

    Anyways, there are so many things that cause cravings, if you do not consume enough food you will crave sweet after a meal, if you have bacterial overgrowth or yeast infections you will crave sugars so badly, sugar, also, is more addictive than cocaine, so once you cut it you will crave it. Another strange cravings like salty foods relate with minerals deficiencies.

    I am not going to post a list of sites, do your own research on cravings and then comment.
  • Posts: 2,777 Member
    My body has a huge deficiency of vitamin Pizza, which must explain why I am always craving it.
  • Posts: 1,537 Member
    sugar, also, is more addictive than cocaine,

    soooo true.... same goes for heroin
  • Posts: 5,575 Member

    soooo true.... same goes for heroin

    Do you have a study on that because I'm undecided on which I should take ;)...
  • Posts: 15,267 Member
    No studies to contribute just my own personal experience.

    When I was pregnant all I wanted to eat was sour cream and chicken...lots of it...later it was just white creamy sauces...(you all just never mind) ie ranch dressing, sour cream.....ice cream...which meant potatoes (ranch dressing/sour cream), deep fried veggies dipped in ranch, mexican food (sour cream)

    Since my husband started lifting with me he has gone from a total carb junkie (seriously) to a total protien consuming machine....3 burgers with cheese and avocadoes no buns...I am like where the heck is my husband.

    I am not saying all cravings are like that...for example my craving for a dairy milk bar and a diet coke around 8pm every night but hey...who knows.
  • Posts: 85 Member
    I do not remember where did I see the link for that study but I will give you similars:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23719144
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17668074
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/

    And of course just Google about articles about sugar addiction and cocaine, you will find more info.
  • Posts: 5,575 Member
    I do not remember where did I see the link for that study but I will give you similars:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23719144
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17668074
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/

    And of course just Google about articles about sugar addiction and cocaine, you will find more info.

    All foods can be addictive, there is plenty of evidence for similar addictions in fat as well.
  • Posts: 2,839 Member

    All foods can be addictive, there is plenty of evidence for similar addictions in fat as well.

    Agreed; food is totally addictive. Every time I try to quit, after a few days, I get massive withdrawal symptoms - shaking, weakness, obsession about food, inability to concentrate, headaches, etc.
  • Posts: 85 Member
    I am agree, but the health issues caused by sugar compared to other things are like a joke. That is why is important to rotate foods and do not abuse of anything. But be careful, eating whole foods is hard to have addictions to any group of foods, you probably have them since when you ate wrong. Food additives create insane addictions like the MSG or similars.
  • Posts: 5,575 Member
    sullus wrote: »

    Agreed; food is totally addictive. Every time I try to quit, after a few days, I get massive withdrawal symptoms - shaking, weakness, obsession about food, inability to concentrate, headaches, etc.

    Funny how that work. Food isn't just addictive it creates a physical dependancy which is even worse. I think we need to regulate this dangerous substance! Think of the children!
  • Posts: 2,839 Member
    I am agree, but the health issues caused by sugar compared to other things are like a joke. That is why is important to rotate foods and do not abuse of anything. But be careful, eating whole foods is hard to have addictions to any group of foods, you probably have them since when you ate wrong. Food additives create insane addictions like the MSG or similars.

    Your poor wording has made you more right than you know ...
  • Posts: 12,950 Member
    I am agree, but the health issues caused by sugar compared to other things are like a joke.
    Agreed.

    Fully overblown.
  • Posts: 17,121 Member
    I must be nicotine deficient.
  • Posts: 30,886 Member

    Do you have a study on that because I'm undecided on which I should take ;)...

    Also, what does it even mean?

    Usually the reference is to a study that shows that rats get as much pleasure from sugar as heroin, but that's hardly the same thing. I've never quit heroin or cocaine (did quit drinking, though), but I know from experience that dropping added sugar and even fruit for a while did not cause any painful withdrawal symptoms or really anything negative. So I'm, shall we say, skeptical.

    More significantly, whether something is like cocaine or heroin would seem to me to have less to do with whether it is difficult to stop eating, for whatever reason that might be the case (i.e., coffee IS addictive, and lots of people might have trouble giving up their favorite foods without being addicted, and clearly none of us can give up water), and more to do with the effect of being an addict on your life. I was fat (without being addicted to food, IMO) and think it's quite perverse to compare that to the harm caused by drug addiction.
  • Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited October 2014

    Interesting theory then, but are women actually eating more fat? That is surprising to me.

    Seems quite unlikely. The population as a whole is eating less fat, and my guess--without stats, though--is that women are likely to have cut back fat more than men, for the obvious reasons.

    However, I would be interested in more information if Wheelhouse can remember the source. I'm open to being wrong.
  • Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited October 2014
    lemurcat12 wrote: »

    Also, what does it even mean?

    Usually the reference is to a study that shows that rats get as much pleasure from sugar as heroin, but that's hardly the same thing. I've never quit heroin or cocaine (did quit drinking, though), but I know from experience that dropping added sugar and even fruit for a while did not cause any painful withdrawal symptoms or really anything negative. So I'm, shall we say, skeptical.

    More significantly, whether something is like cocaine or heroin would seem to me to have less to do with whether it is difficult to stop eating, for whatever reason that might be the case (i.e., coffee IS addictive, and lots of people might have trouble giving up their favorite foods without being addicted, and clearly none of us can give up water), and more to do with the effect of being an addict on your life. I was fat (without being addicted to food, IMO) and think it's quite perverse to compare that to the harm caused by drug addiction.

    You do reslize that was sarcasm or did you miss it in your need to go on a diatribe? Of course I dont buy the comparison.
  • Posts: 5,575 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »

    Seems quite unlikely. The population as a whole is eating less fat, and my guess--without stats, though--is that women are likely to have cut back fat more than men, for the obvious reasons.

    However, I would be interested in more information if Wheelhouse can remember the source. I'm open to being wrong.

    Sorry, it was an interview so nothing I can trace but I will continue to search.
  • Posts: 5,575 Member
    I found this link that might be of interest and seem to be somewhst related http://www.ascentahealth.com/omega-3-and-you/wellness/omega-3-body-composition-fat-fighting-fat/

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