Healthy Living
Monday, December 14, 2009
Can you influence what you crave?
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Growing up, there was a clear distinction between my parents and what they craved. Dad was the obvious chocolate and sweet lover. Any reason to go to Friendly's for ice cream sundaes was a happy occasion for him. On the other hand, Mom had huge hankerings for potato chips and when the craving was really strong; she would buy a big bag of Lays and would put a good dent in them in a heartbeat.
As a kid, I was much more my Father's daughter when it came to cravings. My favorite treat was Chips Ahoy or Double Stuff cookies with a big glass of milk. I would submerge the cookie in the milk long enough so that it would be supersaturated with milk and would barely stay together long enough for me to get it into my mouth. It was heaven.
Although I still appreciate sweets and rarely pass up dessert when we go out to a nice dinner, when it comes to real cravings, I have seen a definite shift over the last fifteen years. I am now a salt and protein hound. My theory is that it is mostly due to exercise. When I was a kid, I was active, but I wouldn't necessarily say I was athletic. When I went to college, this changed and I started to exercise regularly and have done so ever since. Here is the logic:
- Obviously, when you exercise , you sweat...and sweating results in a substantial loss of sodium in the body. This loss creates a biological need for replenishment. Hence, my cravings have now become more oriented towards salty foods.
- I believe that I now crave lean meats and proteins as a result of my strength training regimen which has increased my need to rebuild and repair the muscles I work.
I think that exercise has had a tremendous impact on what I eat and what I want to eat. Have you experienced a change in what you crave? What do you think it is a result of?
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Related: wellness, sweet, savory, nutrition, junk food, healthy diet, fitness, exercise and nutrition, diet nutrition, diet, dessert, cravings
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Posted by MochaMama42 Wed Sep 24, 2008 8:33am PDT
Really good advice, and makes total sense.
Does drinking alot of water help with the cravings?
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Posted by carvergirl616 Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:59pm PDT
It's really amazing to see how dependent we've become on those salty foods. I don't really get those cravings after working out, I tend to have more the sweet tooth. And you figure what's the harm since you just burned a bunch of calories, but over time these foods really build up - and not for the better. I watched a TV show on how much salt actaully goes into our bodies over the course of a year, and it's made me think twice! For a great article on eating healthy and staying away from those salty foods, check out this prevention blog at http://buzz.prevention.com/community/bcronin/you-are-what-you-eat-a-healthy-diet-keeps-chronic-disease-away.
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Posted by MeghanF Thu Sep 25, 2008 1:07pm PDT
I recently (well 5 months ago) started working out, watching my diet and while I occasionally crave something salty, I'm happy with fat free pretzels or something that fits in my diet. What I am having trouble giving up is a life long craving for sweets. No matter how strict I am I constantly crave them. Its possible that exercise was the cause of the change in cravings for you, but I don' think its like that for everyone.
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Posted by Kaira Sturdivant Rouda Thu Sep 25, 2008 1:42pm PDT
Exercise does play a role in what we crave because our bodies are working over time. Also, imagery ,like the picture you posted, and smells influence our cravings even more. www.RealYouIncorporated.com
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Posted by Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:30pm PDT
If you crave chocolate often, try taking a multivitamin with Magnesium. Maybe this only worked for me, but I was told this by a nutritionist, that sometimes craving chocolate means your body needs magnesium. It's been about 6 weeks, including a cycle, ladies (I hope that is not too much info.) and my cravings for chocolate are fewer, which is helping me in my weight loss goals. Taking a vitamin wouldn't hurt anyway would it? www.cashpass4u.com
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