[Taedareth]

During my pregnancy I read that cravings are often the body's way of telling you what nutrients it needs. Of course, this doesn't apply to cravings for potato chips or ice cream, so perhaps this idea should be taken with a grain of salt <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"><br><br>
But in the last couple months our family has been eating mostly meat-and-veggie stews (with bone broth). Very nutritious, but nothing fresh or raw about it. I have been eating some lacto-fermented condiments but even so, last week every evening for hours after dinner I would have bloating and gassy buildup in my intestines. No matter what I ate, even if it was something that had never given me problems before.<br><br>
For the last several weeks I've actually been feeling like I really wanted to eat lots of fresh salads, but just hadn't made any. So for the last several days I've been eating all raw foods (with the possible exception of corn chips). No more digestive problems!<br><br>
So I'm just wondering if other people have similar experiences where your body tells you that you need a certain kind of food. Did you crave healthful or non-healthful foods, and how did you feel after you ate them? Or is this only a pregnancy thing for most people?

 

[Tcarwyn]

A few years ago I tried "once a month cooking". I made main dishes and also veggie side dishes and after a months both DH and I felt horrible and we ate salads for about a week straight. We try to eat salad at least once a day now, often twice and that makes all the difference.<br><br>
as for sugar cravings in pregnancy, my midwive told me it was a portien craving in disguise and eating a bit of protein always got rid of the sugar craving for me.<br><br><br>
Tanya

 

[gardenmommy]

Yes, this had held true for both Dh and I. We go through periods where we want to eat a lot of warming foods, such as soups, stews, and whatnot. We also have times where nothing but fresh and raw sounds really good. The six months or so before I got pregnant, I craved raw ice cream. I just could not eat enough. I let myself eat it (it's pretty much just cream and flavoring, depending on what I make), and when I got pregnant, I lost that craving. In fact, I am only just now (at 39 + weeks) getting to where I really enjoy it again.<br><br>
I think that if you are reasonably in tune with your body, you can follow your cravings for the most part.

 

[Taedareth]

Hmm interesting. The thing that confuses me about how the abrupt switch to raw made Tcarwyn (and me) feel instantly better, is that I've heard our bodies produce enzymes to digest whatever we eat. So if our bodies are used to making "cooked food enzymes" then how come cooked foods would start to bother us? It seems like abruptly switching to raw foods would cause gastric distress because we wouldn't have the right enzymes to digest it. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/headscratch.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="headscratch">

 

[Chicharronita]

Now that I get enough fat in my diet, I like to eat salads raw with no dressing (mmmm crunchy Romaine lettuce!). That has <b>never</b> been the case before.<br><br>
Every so often (about once a month) I get this mad craving for cherries. I usually have to resort to the frozen packaged kind, but I end up eating the whole thing after dinner for dessert.<br><br>
I occasionally get cravings for raw milk. I don't drink it very often, but when I want some, I can drink two to four cups at a go.

 

[RootBeerFloat]

When dd was around 6 months old, I started with this insane craving for grapefruit. I ate one with breakfast every day for months. If I didn't eat one, I was miserable all day. It's that insane? Dh would complain about how bitter they were and they tasted fantastic to me! Then, one day we ran out and I didn't think about them again.<br><br>
I also crave warming foods (soups, stews) during the winter and wind up craving cooling foods (like salad) after several months of that. There's some info about this in a book, Naturally Healthy Families or something, by Aviva Romm. She talks about how eating with the season helps to keep the body healthy. Also in Chinese medicine, cold foods are cold and dampening to your body; if you eat too many during a cold, damp time, you are inviting illness into your body by building imbalance. I think Peggy O Mara had a piece about this a few months ago in Mothering, actually.

 

[RootBeerFloat]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Taedareth</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7949108"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Hmm interesting. The thing that confuses me about how the abrupt switch to raw made Tcarwyn (and me) feel instantly better, is that I've heard our bodies produce enzymes to digest whatever we eat. So if our bodies are used to making "cooked food enzymes" then how come cooked foods would start to bother us? It seems like abruptly switching to raw foods would cause gastric distress because we wouldn't have the right enzymes to digest it. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/headscratch.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="headscratch"></div>
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I don't have any citations to back this up, but my mom told me about an Aruvedic believe that a raw food should accompany every meal. Something about needing a "living" food with cooked things. My naturopath also suggested this. I notice that if I incorporate raw things with my cooked meals, I digest them better.

 

[gardenmommy]

I notice that if I do this (include the raw, that is) with things like a hamburger or pizza, I fare much better than if I skip it.<br><br>
For cravings, I try to follow them, as long as it's not for something like sugar or fried foods. I find that is usually a signal for more protein.<br><br>
When I did the Maker's Diet plan last year, I ate sooo much grapefruit. I'd never really liked them, but I think cutting out sugar made my appreciate how much there really is in fruit. To this day, I still like grapefruit; I have to eat them secretly, or else I end up doing about 6 or 7 for my children, as they love them!

 

[Dillpicklechip]

This is funny, as I am currently suffering from grapefruit addiction...<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> They're just so juicy and good, I love them!<br><br>
The last time I became pregnant I was basically vegan. But as soon as I got pregnant the weirdest thing happened: I started craving meat! So I gave in and started eating lots of meat and eggs and cheese, and I still crave those things to this day. I guess my body was telling me that I needed way more protein than I was getting.<br><br>
My first pregnancy it was the same thing. I craved eggs and macaroni and cheese, chicken, stuff like that.<br><br>
My last pregnancy was weird because chocolate and sugar in general very suddenly became gross to me. I really love chocolate, but when I was pregnant it just didn't taste good. Even yogurt seemed too sweet for me. I wish this sudden aversion to sugar had lasted--unfortunately I still crave it from time to time. I even put a teaspoon on my grapefruit. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/redface.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Embarrassment">