I had a thought this morning. It has been unofficially stated by people that often when your body craves something, it is sending you a signal that it wants whatever that thing contains.

I think this may be true - especially in the case of very strange cravings, such as the ones sometimes attributed to pregnant women, who probably have a very hightened attunement to their bodies(plural).

Yet some people "crave" a big mac and fries, a beer, etc. Is their body really telling them this, or is it just an errant food fantasy? Just like "I'd like to go on vacation," or "I'd like to win the lottery." I think the craving theory can be used as a reason to eat just about anything you want.

I noticed I was having fantasies like this when I was on my master cleanse. I wasn't the least bit hungry, but I was missing the things that I wasn't eating. Most of the things I was craving were not healthy.

Is there scientific validity to the "cravings theory?" If so, how do we tell the difference between that and just wanting something becuase you like it?

ooh I can't wait for all you smartie people to chime in on this one. :-D

-DaveK

Interesting topic.
My input would be that I crave certain things like pizza and chips strictly for how they taste and the joy of eating.Then there are other things I have craved like coffee and beer for the "effect" they give,and not for the taste or joy of eating them at all.Lets face it.Coffee tastes like ashes from the fireplace,and beer like something you scooped up from a urinal.
What distinguishes the two? ...I dont know.
It is all very interesting.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2008 01:12PM by Raw1228.

Cravings are sometimes from physical addictions--same as happens with cigarettes. Sometimes it is just the memory associated with it, though, especially if the addiction is gone. Like cheese, I used to crave it because I was addicted. Now I only think about it because I used to enjoy certain foods with it--but I wouldn't *actually* enjoy it at all because a) it is unnatural and b) I am no longer addicted.

I think cravings can surface when your body is deleting bad tissue/stored fat/toxins/whatever that was built with the unhealthy building blocks. As a child, I was raised on fast food, specifically a lot of Pizza Hut, but haven't had any since I was fifteen (I moved out of my mom's house and in with my dad)--during my master cleanse, on the second and third day, I had the most INTENSE cravings for Pizza Hut and KFC. The desire was so poignant, it was like I could smell and taste it.

Occasionally, now, when I'm going through some cleansing, every so often I'll have a sharp "flashback craving" of foods I used to eat all the time, deep into my past. The most recent has been these mozzarella cheese balls with red pepper and basil leaves marinated in olive oil that my dad used to buy. I used to eat that cheese like candy.

But I can't even IMAGINE how ill those things would make me if I touched them!

I do experience significant seaweed cravings the day before I get my period. This has gone on for months, and considering the nutritional content of seaweed--that I believe to be a real message from my body, not old things being flushed out.

I've also noticed that real body message craving foods feel FANTASTIC when you eat them... during AND after. If you're craving junk and give in, it may or may not taste awesome, but the aftereffects are NEVER good. So, hopefully, you can gauge the reality of the craving through the food's nutritional content, rather than through hindsight, but either way, you'll learn.

The olives I went crazy with when I started my olive craze were probably not completely raw, but still high-quality organic and full of something my body needed.

Do people who are completely finished with detox/long time raw foodists still get the "bad" cravings?

Flashback cravings! Pardon me for being wierd but this is what came into my mind:

{goes into trance}

"Hey Dave, what's wrong"

"Sorry, was just having a flashback."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You were in the service?"

"No, had a bacon cheesburger once in '87."

"ohhhhh kay."

"I did things I regret. Saw things...Ate things..."

"right."

-DaveK

Haha! That's basically what happens. They are very acute, brief, and come out of nowhere.

I remember one day I was leaving Staples to walk to my car, being only a few weeks into the raw, and was like, "OHMYGOD FRENCH FRIES DIPPED IN CREAM CHEESE."

And I never thought twice about eating cheese again after being vegan for years. I never once had that feeling, that craving. It wasn't until I started the cleanses and going raw that these things surfaced, so I really think it has something to do with detox.

I suppose this could be likened to the Buddhist and yogic idea of "sankharas" or "samskaras."

I've never heard it applied to food so much as chronic muscular tensions, which, when resolved, can lead to a kind of flashback of the episode or idea that caused the tension to manifest.

Sounds pretty much like the same thing as far as I can tell.

I think the "what you crave is what you need to eat" idea only applies if what you crave is a fresh raw food.

I think some cravings for bad things can still be nutritionally based, just your body is still confused by all the years of bad eating it doesn't quite know which food to get particular nutrients from.

There is a good chart here [www.naturopathyworks.com] although it is not vegetarian it could still be useful to work out what you are craving.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Here are some things that I found helped me clear the static and get more readable signals from my body to help me in determining what and when to feed my body:

+) eating an all raw, vegan, high fiber diet
+) drinking plenty of clean pure water
+) getting as pure raw as possible (exception: B12 supplement)
+) eating fresh raw food with minimum oxidation
+) eating organic when possible
+) eating simply, not eating recipes
+) eating more mono meals
+) waiting on hunger signals
+) eating smaller meals throughout the day
+) yearly clean water only fast (medium length)
+) maintaining a Natural Hygiene lifestyle.
+) as my body gets cleaner my body signals continue to get clearer

I think one might substitute the word 'craving' and plug in 'answers' instead. What I mean is...when you ASK yourself what I truly need to be healthy....I think you might find that you receive 'answers' that could be called 'cravings'....but are more like guides. On the other hand, if one does not ask the question....then the word 'cravings'....you could substitute the word 'compulsion'.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I have had weird things as well while detoxing... thinking about something I don't truly desire or want, and that I haven't wanted in years. Like bacon or something. I also think it can have to do with detox. Interesting.