The Body Knows

When it comes to food, I try to listen to my body.  It knows what it needs, what it doesn’t need, and well, my job is to listen. 

I listen, most of the time, but there are times when I really want the taste of say, ice cream.  My body doesn’t need ice cream.  My body isn’t craving ice cream.  It is my taste buds and my stomach that desire the ice cream.  I don’t mind giving my taste buds what they want now and again… I mean, it is usually something I like a lot – like, say, ice cream!

But there are times when my body craves something.  We are talking serious craving.  The kind of craving that has you determined to find whatever it is in order to satisfy the craving because, through experience, you know nothing else will satisfy the craving. 

When I lived in Prague, I craved potatoes.  Weird, no?  I wanted potatoes.  I wanted nice roasted potatoes or garlic potatoes.  There was nothing else that would do.  I dreamt about potatoes – that is how much I craved potatoes. 

I have not craved a potato since… but I do enjoy a good French fry now and again. 

Right now my body wants chocolate.  I eat my healthy foods and yet feel unsatisfied.  I want chocolate!

For the past few days I have been feeding this craving… only to want more.  Today I realized that it might not be the chocolate itself that I crave.  It might be something else. 

I have been eating very salty pumpkin seeds for a few days… I wonder if the salt in my system is too high.  I wonder if the chocolate balances the salt.

I wonder if it is magnesium my body craves as I have heard that this is often what a body wants when chocolate is foremost on the mind?

Or… maybe it is spring fever???  I mean, spring is around the corner and, well… I do have this urge to wear light summer clothes to go with my springy hair style from last week.  Perhaps it is all about spring fever?

Chocolate… not just any chocolate but the kind with crispy rice. 

My body is in need of something.  I just need to figure out what it is!