vinegar cravings.........any suggestions about why? and how to prevent? any fellow-sufferers?
Cerizez
Posts: 155 Member
Hi All,
I usually don't eat any junk (just don't want it), but every couple of weeks I go out of my mind for salt & vinegar potato chips. And it's like a huge NEON sign in my mind that won't shut off until I get my S&V fix.
It's the combination of salt AND vinegar, and nothing else hits the spot. I've tried other things to avoid falling down that rabbit-hole, eg pink grapefruit to try to hit the sharp/sweet notes.
But nothing works.
Does anyone know why someone would crave vinegar?
I'll go back over my food-diary and see if I've missed anything out of my usual diet the days before this craziness hits.
And maybe I'll make up a huge pot of guacamole with extra lime juice for next time to try to curb the craving.........at least that's healthy fats.
I usually don't eat any junk (just don't want it), but every couple of weeks I go out of my mind for salt & vinegar potato chips. And it's like a huge NEON sign in my mind that won't shut off until I get my S&V fix.
It's the combination of salt AND vinegar, and nothing else hits the spot. I've tried other things to avoid falling down that rabbit-hole, eg pink grapefruit to try to hit the sharp/sweet notes.
But nothing works.
Does anyone know why someone would crave vinegar?
I'll go back over my food-diary and see if I've missed anything out of my usual diet the days before this craziness hits.
And maybe I'll make up a huge pot of guacamole with extra lime juice for next time to try to curb the craving.........at least that's healthy fats.
1
Replies
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If it's the combination of salt and vinegar that you want, have you tried replicating that with salt and vinegar potatoes (or another vegetable like brussels sprouts or carrots) or a really vinegary dressing over greens? I also really enjoy a quick pickled cucumber with apple cider or white wine vinegar, sometimes with some thinly sliced onion.
This will work if it's not the chips themselves you're craving.
If it's the chips themselves that you're craving it's probably just because . . . salt and vinegar chips are delicious. Most of our cravings don't have physical causes underpinning them (at least there is no good evidence that there is a physical underpinning for it), we just crave things because we like them.6 -
I've tried vinegary things elsewhere. I have pickle and blue cheese on a turkey-burger most mornings for breakfast, and pickled beetroot most days also.
I guess you're right: I just like vinegar. : )
I'll keep the chips out of the house: I'm gonna have to ban my roommate from having them. It's only since she's moved in that I'm giving in to temptation, she's the one who stocks them, I don't normally keep them in the house because I know how hard I find it to resist them.
Thanks for your post. : )0 -
Ok... not a popular thought here, but here is my thoughts. The vinegar part is just a byproduct of the chips. Chips are full of fat, starch, and salt. The mix of these things is something the brain likes. The fact that putting vinegar on other things and getting the same effects is the red flag imho...4
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Pickles!!!1
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How about sauerkraut? I looooove sauerkraut.
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I crave *most* acidic foods - tomato, vinegar, citrus, honey, kraut... I ADORE flavored vinegars in my water.
I have achlorhydria, which means I don't produce stomach acid. I now take a stomach acid supplement with all my higher protein meals, and I've found that when I've been compliant with my supplement dosing for a month straight, I crave protein and fiber instead of acidic foods and carbs.
It's cool AND sad and... really more complicated than eating should be, but there we are.4 -
^^ Mostly, try putting a shot of raspberry vinegar in a large glass of cold water sometime. It's a real treat after a workout! I love it.2
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If it's only every couple of week, why not indulge and enjoy it? It's not going to set you off any path you're on. You can go buy a single serving snacked sized bag. 150 calories. No reason why you can't fit that in.
While it is good to have a nutritious diet overall, there's no bonus points for eating completely "clean" or anything.10 -
You could try buying salt&vinegar powder and sprinkling it on air popped popcorn. Thats about as close to salt and vinegar chips as your going to get while being healthy, proving you use a hot air popcorn maker (they cost like $20) and dont add any butter or oil (i find the salt&vinegar powder has more then enough flavor)3
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If it's only every couple of week, why not indulge and enjoy it? It's not going to set you off any path you're on. You can go buy a single serving snacked sized bag. 150 calories. No reason why you can't fit that in.
While it is good to have a nutritious diet overall, there's no bonus points for eating completely "clean" or anything.
I agree with this completely! If this is what you're craving, have it and be done with it. Otherwise you're going to try to combat your craving by having other things that won't satisfy you and you'll end up having this as well.2 -
You can make an oil free version of potato chips.
Finely slice potato with a mandolin or food processor. Season with vinegar salt. Line a large plate with either silicon baking paper or re-usable silicon mesh. Place potato in a single layer on the plate and microwave on high about 6 minutes. Remove any that are golden brown and continue to zap the stragglers on 1 minute intervals, being careful because the margin of error between golden brown and burnt is pretty narrow. These harden to a crisp as they cool.3 -
Total agreement with @MikePTY! I don't believe in denying myself something that I really REALLY want, I just limit the portion size and fit it into my allotment for the day! It's a quality of life thing... 2
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I love vinegar, but not so much salt and vinegar chips (I prefer sour cream and onion or plain with salt). I love vinegar on salads, and also adore pickles and other pickled foods. If it's vinegar, I'd suggest focusing on other vinegary foods. If s&v chips are just something you currently lack control over, I'd keep them out of the house or, if that's an issue with the roommate, try having "mine and yours" foods. If something was purchased as a special treat for someone else in the house, I'd feel bad about eating it, since it's not mine, and that would preclude me. I know often if that's a change in the food culture that might require a rethinking at first, but I find it effective.1
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I eat potato chips once per month - when I'm premenstrual - that's the only time I want them
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I love vinegar, but not so much salt and vinegar chips (I prefer sour cream and onion or plain with salt). I love vinegar on salads, and also adore pickles and other pickled foods. If it's vinegar, I'd suggest focusing on other vinegary foods. If s&v chips are just something you currently lack control over, I'd keep them out of the house or, if that's an issue with the roommate, try having "mine and yours" foods. If something was purchased as a special treat for someone else in the house, I'd feel bad about eating it, since it's not mine, and that would preclude me. I know often if that's a change in the food culture that might require a rethinking at first, but I find it effective.
OMG, I totally love Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips. I only occasionally bring them in the house because I will sit and devour the whole bag! No self control at all!! Cape Cod brand are the worst.2 -
You can buy salt & vinegar brown rice cakes over hear that are wonderful. I don't like brown rice and I don't like rice cakes so it's odd I love these better than chips now, I find them too oily.2
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Have you tried flavored gourmet balsamic vinegars? I love the Oli+Ve brand however they seem to be repackaged from some company called Veronica Foods out of Oakland CA. They do ship, btw.
They are only 10 calories a tablespoon. I use them in lieu of salad dressings, on cottage cheese, yogurt, in sparkling water. I have a bowl of cottage cheese, strawberries, frozen blueberries, and a few pinches of grape nuts topped with a dark or coconut vinegar every day.
They have rich dark vinegars: strawberry, fig, blueberry, pomegranate, apple and about a dozen other flavors. Their white vinegars include ginger (great for stir fries), honey, citrus etc. The coconut vinegar is amazing.
They have the tang of vinegar but are unbelievably sweet so they satisfy the sugary cravings, too.
I’ve tried some of the off the shelf flavored vinegars at Whole Foods. Yuck. Absolutely not in the same category, and about 2-3x the calories. And teensy bottles cost as much as a big one.
I love this stuff so much I buy it in wine bottle size bottles now and decant to smaller ones. It really has been a secret weapon for me just because it’s so low cal and sooooo satisfying taste-wise.
Sorry don’t know how to short code the link on the MFP app: http://www.oliandve.com/3 -
I love love love kc masterpiece bbq chips. My rule for myself is I can have them. I just can not buy them at the store. I can only buy the small snack size bag and only if when i want them i get up, walk to the 7 11 about half a mile and eat them. I can not prebuy and i can not buy more then the one smallest snack size .
These rules help me keep them to once or twice a month1
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