Mandalinn.... I'm totally with you on the sweet and salty thing! For me, I definitely crave any kind of pop, popcicles, gatorade, ice cream (anything cold really)... and then the hot brothy soupy stuff..... Crazy that so many of us are alike!

I wonder if its a psychological thing brought on by the nuturing we were given as children (soup and ice cream! hah)... or if it's really something our body wants/needs while it's sick. Hmmm....

All I know is that the thought of a vegetable turns my stomach!

I know when I had giardia I just had stomach cramps and diarrhea and bloating and then cramps again all the time...

Have you tried starting with just plain rice and then adding cooked carrots? I know it sounds gross, but in Peace Corps they used to swear by that and it always settled me when I had the yucky parasite thing. (I actually had it several times... after awhile I just got so tired of trying to eat....)