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Day two of the most inexplicable cravings set me about prowling the interweb in search of answers. Read this elsewhere just now: health experts believe that as your body (and gut) heals itself…even your cravings become healthier.
Interesting.
Yesterday I was crazy hungry all morning until I fulfilled the most ironic craving for mustard. While I attributed it to simply a mental reaction to journaling about it on Sunday I was intriqued to find: Since mustard is such a great benefit for digestion, it is possible your body actually knows that. Mustard has incredible properties. Mustard helps with digestion, and can also speed up metabolism. This is wonderful news for anyone who is looking for natural ways to help with weight loss. Of course, it is important to use the mustard as close to nature as possible, so look for healthy mustard in your health food store.
But I just found 'that' little info today. All I knew yesterday was that a bundle of celery and a half a cup of mustard later I was finally satisfied.
The sounds of square dancing in my abdomen warned me not to wander too far from a bathroom but I was otherwise okay. Obviously the mustard was doing it's business so I could do mine.
Today the craving was for, of all things: sauerkraut. I have not wanted this particular little dish for at least 35 years. How do I know 35 years? Because I practially lived on it for two weeks when I was a teenager.
So while munching down on the 'kraut today I did a search for the answer to these two weird cravings, hence the opening paragraph of this journal.
Regarding sauerkraut: Instead of paying a lot of money for a bottle of quality probiotics you can choose to consume foods that have been fermented. And, just to give you fair warning, they can become addicting. Our bodies often crave what we need. They also crave chocolate, beer, and hot dogs, but if given the opportunity, your gut will take over your brain and whisper sweet nothings (with a charming Southern accent) like “How about a little Kimchee?” or “Kefir, sounds mighty fine right about now.” And pretty soon, your kids will be looking at you like you’ve got four eyeballs because you’re eating sauerkraut for breakfast.
I especially liked thinking about that last part (kraut for breakfast) because after my feeding frenzy yesterday I was actually considering tuna for breakfast today. Tuna is my number one 'go-to' for fulfilling hunger and keeping the munch monster at bay for hours.
I toyed with the whole 'really, Bella... Tuna for breakfast?' to the point that I just ate the oatmeal but found myself, again, hungry w/in three hours and said 'that's it!' and had an ounce of tuna & an ounce of smoked salmon. The munch monster went back to sleep and I was able to concentrate on my morning.
When the 'kraut craving kicked in around noon ((haha, a lot of alliteration there, no?)) I decided to search as I munched. Two small bowls later and I'm no longer craving nor hungry. I feel satisfied.
Hmm... tuna and sauerkraut for breakfast anyone?
Now, before you all go out & buy stock in cabbage futures, I can't guarantee this will last. I'm just intrigued by the 'healthy' cravings and how when I shut up and listen my body will tell me what it wants.
Thank you for reading.
Bella
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1512 kcal
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Fat: 59.47g | Prot: 107.26g | Carbs: 135.64g.
Breakfast: Blueberry Schwan, Nostimo, Spectrum Flax, Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal, Whipped butter. Lunch: Celery, Sauerkraut Libby, Swiss Cheese, Claussen Pickle, Tonnino Tuna, Smoked Salmon. Snacks/Other: Golden Blend Schwans, Dark Chocolate Almond Spread, Peanut Butter. more...
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1 to 20 of 26
 Comments
That is very interesting..I too have craved things like a salad or just a plain old Kosher dill pickle..love those but boy are they salty..Thnaks for the info...:O)
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I have always felt that if a craving doesn't pass after a short period of time I am better off having some of whatever it is rather than eating everything else in the house while trying to avoid it. Glad to know it may be happening for a good reason. Thanks for the info Bells. :)
05 Mar 13 by member: teskandar
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Interesting read. Thanks for sharing.
05 Mar 13 by member: Josie Ann
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OMG - One of our buddies just told me recently that she read that celery was hard on digestion. Hope it isn't true but if it is we are damned if we do and damned if we don't. I do miss my oatmeal still but now that I eat eggs and bacon instead for breakfast I stay fuller longer (I think). I haven't figured out hunger yet because it is all a blur to me. Tuna. I keep forgetting about that. I have a nice can of "friendly caught" tuna that I need to put on the counter to go with my bread & butter pickle craving.
05 Mar 13 by member: Neptunebch
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@Bren - yeah, I'm constantly researching the 'why' behind cravings now as the things I crave are NOT the usual 'chocolate, sweets,' etc., so it feels odd. I remember when I was craving 'cheese' all the time I read somewhere that the 'cheese causes the same reaction as morphine' and I thought 'wow, that explains it... lol'
05 Mar 13 by member: FullaBella
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And I need to remember to eat my dill pickles so my legs don't cramp up at night. Go figure!
05 Mar 13 by member: Neptunebch
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@Teri - I agree - I'd read a while back that the brain can only take 'no' for so long before it rebels - and after the big mayo binge in Nov ((I'll never forget that)) I no longer deny a craving. I'm just intrigued to find out the 'what is the body needing' answer when it has the craving. Thanks for stopping by!
05 Mar 13 by member: FullaBella
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@Neptune - that celery hard on digestion battling out w/the mustard helping digestion would certainly explain the square dance in my stomach yesterday afternoon LOL. You know, I did have eggs & bacon for breakfast yesterday and that's why I felt so dismayed at feeling so 'hungry' so early in the morning. I often drink pickle juice (or olive juice, etc) and no longer have leg / foot cramps. I've read that a craving for pickles though is an indication of high blood sugar. I guess we all have to figure out what applies to ourselves though.
05 Mar 13 by member: FullaBella
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My great g-ma used to say "a body craves what it needs" I just always thought mine "NEEDED" that jelly donut. lol Bella don't tell anyone but I have eaten tuna for breakfast. On a serious note, I think your body is craving foods to replace the supplements you quit taking, and you don't need to juice them.
05 Mar 13 by member: 2toofat
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@Josie - thank you. I find the whole concept of my body saying 'give me a vegetable' instead of 'give me chips' a new concept. Kind of cool.
05 Mar 13 by member: FullaBella
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OMG!! Someone else has these weird cravings! I am totally not a sugar person. I hardly ever crave sweets. I have, in fact, had tuna for breakfast because I just felt like having tuna. I could easily have a kraut craving, I do love the stuff. I like the bitter veg in the organic mixed stuff, I CRAVE it. I'm glad it's not just me. Most of my friends on weight loss plans are trying to figure out how much chocolate they can have and I'm kinda "meh".
I too think it's better to just have a bit of what you're craving and have done with it, particularly if the thing is so distinctive in taste that truly nothing else will do. I do often try to find other similar less fatty items to substitute for salty/crunchy cravings, and there are so many to choose from that it's not terribly hard. But when you're wanting tuna, that's pretty distinctive. It's got a particular mouth feel/texture/taste.
05 Mar 13 by member: CollyMP
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POsting at the same time again-seriously? PIckles can help with leg cramps? Oh I'm on that!
05 Mar 13 by member: CollyMP
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@Sandi, my SIL - you know, I was thinking the same thing. If I just listen when the body talks, and get out of my own way, it will tell me the food it needs in it's natural form. I know we don't always have to think of certain foods on a time schedule - heck, why would tuna for breakfast be any more odd than pizza...and I've had THAT for breakfast MANY times. Pizza and bloody Mary's ~ one of my favs. I haven't quit the supplements totally but I had decreased them so that must be kicking my body into action. I think it's kind of neat. As long as it doesn't start craving Jelly donuts though, LOL. That starts and I'll refill the Vitamin dispenser!
05 Mar 13 by member: FullaBella
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@Colly - it may be one of those mental placebo's but yeah, whenever I'm having leg/body cramps I'll go have some pickle juice and they go away. I've googled it too and read that some football players drink pickle juice to keep their sodium up and it reacts faster than gatorade. Go figure. Now, tuna - I like tuna but have never 'craved' it. I just considered it because it definitely satisfies hunger and all other cravings and I didn't want a repeat of yesterday. I haven't found 'tuna' as the answer to any 'craving' yet but I think it would stand to reason if you actually 'crave' it your body could be saying 'give me protein'? What do you think?
05 Mar 13 by member: FullaBella
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@Neptune (again) you had me curious so I went to livestrong - a site I trust for information and they post: Celery is undoubtedly one of the healthiest vegetables that can be incorporated into a regular diet. In particular, celery is low in calories, contains little fat and is a significant source of vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, celery can be enjoyed with a low-fat dip as a healthy snack. In addition to its nutritional value, celery has healthy effects on your digestive system.
Fiber - Celery is a rich source of insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is a type of fiber that speeds the passage of food through the digestive tract and adds bulk to your stool Specifically, 1 cup of chopped celery contains 1.6 g of fiber, which is slightly less than 10 percent of the recommended daily value for fiber intake. Therefore, incorporating a cup of celery into a well-balanced diet will help your reach your recommended daily intake of fiber for optimum health. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/467082-the-effects-of-celery-on-your-digestive-system/#ixzz2MhZP4sLO So maybe you can share this with your friend and not feel so 'damned', LOL
05 Mar 13 by member: FullaBella
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I found that mushrooms help with the hollow, I must eat everything in the kitchen feeling. I cook up a big bunch in a little butter or just poach them some chicken stock.
05 Mar 13 by member: fatoldlady
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@Lady - love mushrooms - so much so that I often substitute them for the meat or chicken in a dish. I just want to come live with you, can I? You write of cooking the most amazing things! I tried to make chicken stock once ~ the instructions read to let it simmer 24 hours! I DID and 24 hours later .. it .. wasn't that great. I'm gonna go pack - will you pick me up at the airport LOL
05 Mar 13 by member: FullaBella
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Bella I think I just have weird food preferences, really! LOL! Though needing more protein could be a factor, I could easily eat vegetarian and prefer not to eat very much meat at a time, and am often anemic, so it may be just that I do need more protein. I've been trying to add more of it in my diet by eating Greek yogurt, beans and grains, etc. Meat very quickly loses it's appeal for me once I'm eating it so I only eat tiny portions of it. The food percentage pie chart has been a great help in that!
05 Mar 13 by member: CollyMP
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Those are strange cravings, indeed! But as long as they satisfied the urge, who are we to judge? They were healthy things and you didn't eat them as an excuse to have something with them (like hotdogs and mustard or corned beef and cabbage). You ate them in their basic form and they didn't add up to much in calories. But kind of cool how you felt your body asking for those things. I don't know that I keep my ears open to what my body has to say - at least not the healthy requests! And it's kind of cool how you found that info on the net about those foods. Interesting things, these bodies of ours! Great detective work :)
05 Mar 13 by member: evelyn64
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I m so encouraged that you are learning to listen to your body. I have had definite cravings for certain foods and in trying to ignore them I eat twice as much of something I really find t want. Your journey is so inspirational ....thanks for sharing bella.
05 Mar 13 by member: sharonfriz
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