Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: neilep on 24/04/2007 14:40:52
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Why are cravings so specific ?
Preggy girlies will crave pickled onions and dirt !
Choccy seems to be a popular one.
What is a craving and why does it target specific tastes ?
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I know what you mean, especially pregnant cravings as they are sometimes weird.
My wifeys favourite was pickled beetroot!
I wonder if it is anything to do with self medication, although its not a craving some animals will seek out a particular food to eat.
Bee
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I remember seeing a program a few years ago about girlies (who may or may nor have been preggy at the time..I can't recall)....anyway..these girlies would seek out the mineral I think that was in this patch of dirt !!.....it might have coincided with their ' yukky bit time of month '..
Still..cravings are quite extraordinary in their selectivity aren't they ?
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My doctor says cravings are from your bodies need to pick a food it knows to coorespond with the vitamin or mineral you ar lacking at that moment to keep your body in balance. That doesn't mean go nuts, but allow the craving satisfaction and time to adjust to the feeding.. the craving should go away if you have fulfilled the need your body requested.. LOL Now this is assuming My obgyn was not a quack! LOL
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So how does the body know which foods contains the goodies it wants ?
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Well.. I'm not sure about being pregnant, and crave for weird things.. I heard that someone craved brocollis with cream on it! Or something ridiculous like that..
But the addiction to chocolate, is probably because of the high level of sugar. Addiction for coffee - caffeine. All sweet foods, such as chocolate, sweets, cakes, etc, probably have some sort of addictive substances.
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I personally rarely crave a specific food, but my cravings are usually broad spectrum for sweet, salty, fizzy...
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I personally rarely crave a specific food, but my cravings are usually broad spectrum for sweet, salty, fizzy...
Alcohol ?....LOL !
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ha ha ha... that was st patricks day, I was expected to get drunk!
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But the addiction to chocolate, is probably because of the high level of sugar. Addiction for coffee - caffeine. All sweet foods, such as chocolate, sweets, cakes, etc, probably have some sort of addictive substances.
The "addiction" to chocolate is normally ascribed to theobromine, a molecule that is very similar to caffeine (see below). Theobromine is a mild stimulant and is responsible for the mood-elevation abilities of chocolate. Theobromine is mostly harmless to humans, but is toxic (sometimes fatally) to smaller animals that don't metabolize it quickly (like small dogs).
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Dick
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Well.. I'm not sure about being pregnant, and crave for weird things.. I heard that someone craved brocollis with cream on it! Or something ridiculous like that..
But the addiction to chocolate, is probably because of the high level of sugar. Addiction for coffee - caffeine. All sweet foods, such as chocolate, sweets, cakes, etc, probably have some sort of addictive substances.
That I was guilty of, It was broccoli smothered in margerine and served over Choclate Ice cream!!!!!! Yummmy! I still like it! LOL Sounds so gross! LOL, I am sure the margerine was salty and the icecream is salty, and the broccoli was the iron.. I went and had blood tests because of the cravings and this is what the doc said.. The blood test were write I was low in salts and my Iron was really bad!!! Had to go on suppliments and increase certain foods. LOL I never use salt per say, very little anyway a couple dishes yes, but never really salt anything on my plate.. After he fixed me up withth eiron I was good to go and the cravings stopped. LOL
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Chocolate almost killed me little Boston terrier Years ago before he died!!