Why am I craving so much salt? Is it bad that I gave in (ate a jar of pickles)?

Options
VividVegan
VividVegan Posts: 200 Member
in Food and Nutrition
And now I'm tempted to drink the pickle juice. For the past 3 days I've been having intense salt cravings and so I go after the pickles. I've been snacking on them throughout the past couple days but today I went through an entire new jar. When I was done, I placed the jar back in the fridge because of potentially wanting to drink the pickle juice later. Why are my salt cravings this bad? What's causing them? And is it ok to drink the pickle juice?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    Eating the pickles is fine, presumably they fit your calories and macros?

    Do you have a particularly low sodium diet? Has anything else changed in the last 3 days?
  • VividVegan
    VividVegan Posts: 200 Member
    Options
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Eating the pickles is fine, presumably they fit your calories and macros?

    Do you have a particularly low sodium diet? Has anything else changed in the last 3 days?
    The only thing that's changed in the past 3 days is extreme lack of sleep. It's getting close to the end of summer semester.

  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Options
    As long as you don't have high blood pressure, you should be fine.
  • louann_jude
    louann_jude Posts: 307 Member
    Options
    I was doing that and turns out my blood pressure was low. Just go get it checked.
  • KimEDaly
    KimEDaly Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    If you're coming closer to end of semester exams, it might be stress-related. I always crave salt when I'm sitting exams. Seems it's actually a gland thing: http://www.livestrong.com/article/459071-adrenal-glands-fatigue-salt-cravings/
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    Sodium is an essential electrolyte...perhaps you have been deficient.

    I eat pickles and drink pickle juice after long rides or other more intensive exercise to combat cramps and muscle spasms and to help replenish those electrolytes.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    Have you been exercising outside? When I exercise in high humidity, I often crave salt afterwards.
  • kishstl
    kishstl Posts: 40 Member
    Options
    do you crave ice cream too? maybe..........
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
    Options
    Try the pickle juice in shaved ice. I ate that like crazy as a kid.
  • williammuney
    williammuney Posts: 2,895 Member
    Options
    You probably need other minerals
  • williammuney
    williammuney Posts: 2,895 Member
    Options
    Like magnesium
  • VividVegan
    VividVegan Posts: 200 Member
    Options
    kishstl wrote: »
    do you crave ice cream too? maybe..........

    Nope no sweet cravings lol. And not pregnant.
  • VividVegan
    VividVegan Posts: 200 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    dancingonstarz wrote: »
    If you've been hydrating more, or have been sweating less than normal, you could have more water in your bloodstream than normal and are craving salt to return the salt/water balance in your blood.

    I didn't even know that. I've always wondered why I barely break a sweat during my intense exercises, despite hydrating a lot and having an elevated heart rate.
  • sudmom
    sudmom Posts: 202 Member
    Options
    Could you be pregnant??
  • VividVegan
    VividVegan Posts: 200 Member
    Options
    sudmom wrote: »
    Could you be pregnant??

    No

Categories