Hello everyone,

I am posting this as a theory and to see what other people's experience is.

I often wonder over the reason people have cravings and in some cases so strongly. I suspect that the reasons are many and varied according to the individual.

I follow the 80/10/10 way broadly speaking and it really suits me. I generally eat fruit all day and salads in the evening. I find that by not eating any 'drying foods' I usually don't need huge quantities of water. Generally my fruit is a mixture but always includes juicy items as well as bananas.

BUT yesterday I had only bananas for breakfast and lunch. I realised as the day went on and by say 5pm that I was dehydrated but stupidly I ddn't do anything about it (I was out - children swimming etc). I DIDN'T FEEL THIRSTY but I began to have cravings for things like crisps (chips for you I think!).

It wasn't untill quite late last night that I put 2 and 2 together and realised that the cravings were my body telling me that it was dehydrated and I was interpretating it as a craving for all sorts of other things.

So, next time I have a craving (which I have to say I usually don't) I shall do a check to see if what I really need is water.

I wonder if this chimes with any one?

Definitely!

Totally!

I do think cravings can have varying roots, dehydration being just one of them. Hormonal cravings being another.
What helps me with those the most is green juice. Spinach takes the lead. Most likely because it is moist, but also because of the minerals, I'd think.


Detox cravings are yet another kind, which I have observed to indeed be relieved by water intake as well.

I think that, in addition to the dehydration that happens when a person isn't eating plenty of high water content raw foods, pure water cleans the taste buds and KO's cravings. I keep a cup of pure water on my desk on my cup warmer so that whenever I want a sip of refreshing water I can have one. I find there is nothing quite as refreshing as some pure, clean water.

Yes! It certainly does for me too. Thirst and hunger(in some cases cravings) can often be confused. I have to sip water when I'm cooking for my family to keep the hunger/cravings at bay.

i've actually knocked down on my water intake and finally sleep all the way through the night. Well, i tried a theory that said you should drink water an hour after eating anything and eat atleast 15 minutes after drinking water. It seems to give me a good balance, and i don't get overhydrated or dehydrated. I agree that fruit is very hydrating in itself, but bananas and dates are one thing that dehydrate to the max for me haha (probably the high sugar content). Still, there's nothing better then gulping down water when you're thirsty...aaahhhh

Most nutritionist and personal trainers do say that hunger is often confused with thirst and dehydration; same with tiredness and hunger (also, everything tastes better at night - that's no joke, true fact; thankyou anatomy class.)
so this is no new theory, but one that is very recognized.
salt is also a craving you will get if you're mineral deficient, i think; atleast that's what I've heard
and if you crave sugar, it's something to do with too little calories or something

but it could just be you remember the taste, think it tastes good and now you want something you've told yourself you "cant" have; common brain procedure. Just ask anyone on the atkins diet if they crave a banana, i'm sure they'll tell you they would die for a peach or an orange.