So strange. You know, a couple years ago I never thought about raisins...or peanut butter, or any nut really. Sure they were okay, and if they were in something I'd eat it, but we could have a box of raisins sitting around until they were a stuck together crusted hockey puck. Peanut butter would sit around until it finally got rancid, and nuts would sit the freezer until time to prepare Christmas goodies...NOW, these things I CRAVE like there is no tomorrow. And they have SO MANY CALORIES! I could eat an entire box of raisins...matter of fact the other day I had a peanut butter and raisin sandwich, (on plan...but still weird).
Do you guys suddenly crave things that never before flipped your switch? Why do you think this happens?
I am not sure but I suppose there are worse things you could crave! I am the same way you used to be with the raisins and peanut butter, but nuts are not something I can have in my house or I will just eat way too many of them (i.e. the whole container).
I can't really think of any foods I crave now although there are a lot I enjoy eating that I wouldn't have touched before - like asparagus and green beans.
My personal experience - as I lost weight, my body at WAY better at telling me what it needed (either that, or I got WAY better at listening to it). Now, typically, if I crave something, I can trace it back to dietary deficiency of some kind.
For example, peanut butter/nuts - I realized that my cravings for these went NUTS when I hadn't had many sources of healthy fat in my diet. Adding in some olive oil when cooking, an avocado, or even a measured portion of the PB on a regular basis totally resolved the craving. I think I just wasn't eating enough of the healthy fats my body needed, and it decided to let me know in the form of a craving.
I also crave concentrated sources of sugar when I don't eat enough carb and do a lot of exercise. Again, it's almost as though I've gained both the nutritional know-how to know how to resolve deficiencies and the body-awareness to know when my body is telling me it has a problem.
Just my experience, but you might look at whether those foods you're craving have nutrients you're missing out on (particularly the PB - I really was watching calories so closely, I'd cut out healthy fats, and I notice a lot of other folks here do that too...not sure if you do, but it's something to consider).
Litchick...I'm glad you are liking your veggies better! That's awesome! Oh and nuts have been basically put on the household banned list here too. PB was, until Hubby's boss sent some homemade organic stuff home to try.
Amanda...interesting comment about the excercise & carbs. I have been actually "working out" lately as opposed to just my regular exercise of mowing and chores.
Both peanut butter and raisins are pretty high in iron. Perhaps you've got a bit of an iron deficiency going on. Take your multivitamins with iron and see if that doesn't ease the craving a bit.
On top of what's already been said, it could be that these are foods that you deem "healthy" and "on-plan" and "good". Not "junk food'.
I had a problem with raisins a while back. Like you said, who would have ever thought that a lowly raisin would give me issues. But they did. I adore them (now). And they were banned for awhile. They're back in. I need to be very, very careful with them though. I can/will only eat them in baked apples or with butternuts squash, apples and walnuts.
I can so relate to this...I cant keep nuts in the house. I also cant keep grapes....I am addicted to them frozen. I can eat how ever big of bunch I buy in one sitting and still crave more.I am now on a crunching ice kick...a friend said she had read they both are signs of anemia but I just gave blood and my levels are fine.
I've been craving beets lately. Yes, beets. I roast them in the oven and mix with garlic and vinegar... whenever I make them, I want to eat the whole batch in one sitting.
I have a problem with nuts myself. I banned them for a while and then decided that they are so good for you that I had to add them back. So, I eat 1/4 cup a day and that seems to work. Includes sunflower seeds.
I think the best advice is to listen to your body. Of course this can get out of hand. A few years back I ended up eating 30 oranges a day for a couple of months. When I got home I would cut them in half, put them in a bowl and sit in front of the TV and eat all of them. Weird.
Why in the world do I crave raisins? :)
