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does your body crave what is good for it or what is bad for it?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/9/2013 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
Obviously, our bodies send us stupid messages all the time. See e.g. drug addiction.

Sometimes, though, our cravings are healthful, such as a craving for beets I developed at age 10, having never before eaten them.

Now I find myself in the midst of so many issues and symptoms and I can't decide whether this craving for white rice is healthful (it binds, it has no gluten, it is filling and gentle) or harmful (it has few nutrients and high carbs -- also, I'm still unclear whether binding is a good or bad thing for me right now) .

How to parse this one?
Posted 6/9/2013 8:46 PM (GMT 0)
I get confused sometimes too, I used to crave pickles really bad and then it went to pretzels really bad. Now I have celiac I don't touch pretzels no more but I still get the pickles once in a while, I mean I have to have them! Even open the jar at the grocery store
Posted 6/9/2013 8:56 PM (GMT 0)
i crave icing all the time but i don't think it's good for me. i think we crave things for various reasons but i'm not so sure it's healthful.

for example, even though i am low in iron, i don't crave meat all the time- ever really. i eat it because that's the diet i'm on, but would i rather eat a cookie covered in icing? heck yes!
Posted 6/9/2013 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
I pretty much eat what I crave...I probably don't fit into this question thread because I don't eliminate food groups.

I do make decisions on emotional cravings such as ice cream, chocolate, cake and cookies and not have them in the house.

I love beets, I'm ready for borscht season! I'm working on perfecting my recipe. I feel good when I have them. They're also good steamed with butter/Becel/salt&pepper.

When I crave a steak I have it.

q
Posted 6/9/2013 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
I think its a question of routine - in the first year or so after diagnosis I made very few changes to my diet. I craved and ate lots of bad foods including coke, red meat, processed sugars, processed dairy etc.

Over time time, I have worked out what foods are best for me and eliminated a number of foods - either on the grounds they agitate my colitis or that they are generally unhealthy.

Now I crave healthy foods like fruit and veg, fresh fish and nuts and seeds! I also love green smoothies - don't think I could go without them! Much better!
Posted 6/9/2013 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
I get cravings for fast food a lot and coke. I've tried to eliminate bad foods from my diet but when I do that I start to binge so I try to eat in small portions instead or homemade.

Though a lot of times I crave foods I can't have. Like a few weeks ago my GI told me not to eat vegetables two weeks and the whole two weeks I was craving broccoli badly.
Posted 6/9/2013 9:55 PM (GMT 0)
Why would your doctor tell you to not eat vegetables? Unless you ate them all raw, having them cooked well is fine.

Eating lots of junk food seems just bad decision-making, not because a body is craving it.

q
Posted 6/9/2013 10:06 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, he told me not to eat raw or steamed vegetables but it still gave me a bad craving.

No, I don't eat lots of junk food, I just can't completely eliminate it because then I binge really fast so I try to eat it only once in a while.
Posted 6/9/2013 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
I don't see that as a problem.

Why not the steamed veggies? you can cook them till they're soft. I always ask for broccoli to be really well done...like pretend I have no teeth well done,

q
Posted 6/9/2013 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
Oh bad...always bad! devil
Posted 6/9/2013 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
We see a homeotoxicologist for our son (who is on Autism Spectrum) and she claims that if your body is craving for something, it is usually for not good reason. Although she does not offer much scientific evidence for the statement.
Posted 6/9/2013 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
I believe your body does have ways of telling you what it needs, but I also think these can be fooled/ hijacked. For example, high-fructose corn syrup switches off your satiation reflex so you keep eating/ drinking soda. Food companies know this.

The single biggest impact on my UC in the last 7 years was cutting out sugar. Giving up sugar is exactly like giving up smoking. Same sorts of cravings, you're never an "ex sugar eater", you start being able to taste food better, gets easier after a couple of tough first two weeks etc. You also drop a load of body fat. But there's sugar in everything, so it's an enormous pain in an area where we already have enough to contend with.

Sorry, pet thing of mine. I'm convinced sugar, and HFCS in particular, will be the new tobacco within a few years. Anyhow....

At the same time, I think your body can let you know if it needs more good fat, or more carbs, or whatever. I feel like mine does.

I also think most of us have some intuition of the foods that don't agree with us (forget UC for a moment - most people have foods that they aren't so good with).

If you're craving rice, it may be because you're having intolerance issues. Rice is just about the least allergy/ intolerance triggering food.
Posted 6/10/2013 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
Deltaforce, I suspect there isn't a lot of hard evidence to back up a blanket statement like that but intuitively, I feel like anything that the body craves in immoderate amounts should be viewed with a jaundiced eye. Actually, putting it in words like that helps me sort through my concerns, thanks!

MilkyChocox -- I agree with Quincy that broccoli is a food with great nutrients & is not a high FODMAP veg, so I would be disinclined to withhold it, esp if cooked well. My boss got the idea he should not eat any fiber, and I was like, "Man, do you, but I would be in a world of hurt if I did that." Now he's abandoned that tactic, wisely, imo.
Posted 6/10/2013 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
I've never had problems eating broccoli before, though I've heard it's bad because it causes gas with leads to a bloated stomach. My doctor just recommended I not eat any vegetables that weren't cooked well for a few weeks since I suddenly started bleeding again.
Posted 6/10/2013 5:12 AM (GMT 0)
Carbs will act on opiate receptors in the body and brain, they act similarly to an opiate addiction. There are several theories indicating carbs as the "original drug" hence the craving. However, train your body to eat well and the cravings will adjust. Doesn't mean you wont crave sweets once in a while, but it just gets easier. I am anti-carb however I don't have a problem with white rice or gluten free grains in small amount from time to time. And if your craving beets, maybe you should try Beet Kvass, its a great source of natural probiotic!

And cruciferous veggies.. I stay away from.. my primary source of green veggies right now is Naked Green Machine.. highly recommend it.
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