Food Cravings And Cures

[travelthomas]

A few years ago I kept having cravings for mint tea. During that time I had terrible pains in the upper right side of my abdomen. After drinking mint tea for two years the pain went away. It turns out that mint tea dissolves gallstones.

I keep having cravings for apples. On reading up on asthma, I found out that apples are one of the best foods for helping to control it. Apples are also good for getting rid of joint pain.

It seems every time I do research on my cravings, I find that the food I am eating is curing a problem with my body.

Has anyone else noticed this?

[kalo]

I wish that were true. I'd eat ALL the chocolate chip ice cream I could find. LOL That is interesting though. Sounds like your body knows what it needs. I keep noticing your signature. BOY have you traveled the world. Is this because of your job? Hugs, Carol B (still waiting on test results from enterolab)

[j9n]

People make sun of me at work because I get intense cravings for spinach! It happens alot. When my diarrhea was severe I could not have raw veggies and I hated it. I buy big bags of baby spinach and arugula, any dark green leafy veggie.

[burdee]

Thomas: I ALSO discovered that my body often craves the exact nutrient I'm missing in certain foods. I often drink peppermint tea to soothe celiac intestinal cramping pain, after I read that it helps relax abdominal muscles. I'm not sure how true that is, but it works for me, when the pain isn't too intense. Whenever, I feel a cold coming on, I am usually craving oranges, tomatoes and those green leafy vegies with lots of vitamins C and A. Otherwise I don't crave oranges. I think you're wise to obey body 'cravings'.

I actually try to listen to my body and obey the cravings as well as my hunger and satisfaction cues to tell me what, when and how much to eat, rather than letting my eyes (what looks good), my mouth (what tastes good, but doesn't satisfy my body for long) or my head (what sounds good, is convenient or quick) choose what I eat. Accordingly, I choose foods that satisfy my hunger for a while, feel good in my body and thereby nourish me, rather than just appease a 'head hunger'.

Carol: Are you sure chocolate chip mint ice cream is a body craving and not a 'head hunger' (looks good, sounds good) craving?? Maybe that food for you is a 'teaser' (tastes good but watch out for the aftereffects of consuming dairy ) rather than a 'pleaser' food (feels good in your body and satisfies hunger for a while).

[kalo]

Firs of all LEAVE the mint out. I can't stand anything with mint in it. You are probably right about the craving. but I've loved chocolate chip ice cream since the day I was born. Sterling (DH) thinks that when I was born and the doctor slapped me on the bottom instead of crying I hollored "Hey Doc! Where's the chocolate chip?". LOl I really don't eat much of it and for years after giving up refined sugar I didn't eat any at all. I do love it though. What can I say. :-) Hugs, Carol B (who still hasn't learned how to use the smileys)

[celiac3270]

Hi ,

Okay...slightly off-topic, but to use the smilies, get to the point where you want the smiley and then click on the one on the side that you want. You won't see smilies appear as yellow things but, for example, the regular smile would appear as a colon and then a right paren. Then, when you submit, they change (like a code). Knowing that a smile is a colon and a right paren., if you want to make one, you don't even need to click it, but rather, can type a colon and a right paren .

By the way, if you click, show all, you have more smiley options and you can see the "code" for each smiley, as well.

-celiac3270

[plantime]

When I was having liver problems, I craved teas. Horrible, bitter teas, that just satisfied the whatever perfectly. When I have a cold, tomato juice with black pepper in it, or fresh oranges. I just thought it was "conditioning", as in daddy always fixed me tomato juice with black pepper in it when I was sick, Mom always gave me an orange to eat, and stuff like that. If that were true, though, then I would crave buttermilk and ginger ale every time I got a tummy ache, but I don't. I guess maybe I should keep listening to my body!

[kalo]

Thanks celiac3270. My husband told me click and drag. I tried that but it didn't come out as a smiley like you said. I didn't know it did that. Thanks, Carol B

[Guest Libbyk]

I don't have any idea why, but for YEARS before I was diagnosed with celiac, I was a salt fiend. Salt in the morning, salt all day long. I craved that bad, MSG laced mall-chinese food, I snacked on cold saurkraut from the can. (To much ridicule, I'll add.) Pickles for breakfast, etc.

Without my even noticing it, it seams to have gone away in 6 gluten-free months. Except I do have kind of a dorito problem... Really my only weakness for process/ junk foods

Lib