Craven cravin' and the Bugle of the Broad Bean

[Tabouli]

Time for a new and thrumming thread, I feel... on food cravings!  Now there's a subject.

A friend of mine was studying homeopathy, and I volunteered to help her with a clinical assignment.  The aim was to practise the sort of interview a homeopath would conduct with a new patient.  Sounded interesting.

My, the questions she asked!  Among them was "whereabouts on your body do you get acne, if you get it?" and, the relevant one, "do you crave sweet or savory foods?"

Fascinating.  IIRC, she was trying to pick which homeopathic "style" or whatever I belonged to.  Does anyone know more about this?

When I crave things, I usually crave savory food.  I mean, I like chocolate and all, but my body seems to want salt.  Occasionally I also get strange and very specific cravings.  One night I was beset by the Bugle of the Broad Bean, and ended up driving to the 24 hour supermarket to buy some at 1am.  Then there was the Call of the Coconut a few weeks later.  I dread to think what might happen if I get pregnant.

Tell me, all you mothers out there, did you get weird food cravings during pregnancy?  A currently pregnant friend told me she is craving strawberries, which evoked wise nods from someone I told.  Ah yes, strawberries have folate, you see.  Nutrients for child's developing nervous system.

Now, if pregnancy cravings are the body's way of demanding a particular nutrient for the fetus, surely non-pregnant cravings shouldn't be ignored either.  I've long suspected that they are the body's way of telling you what it needs.  I know lots of people laugh ruefully and say well in that case my body always needs chocolate, but I think there are cravings and there are... hankerings (!).

So, what thoughts?  Let's hear the craven cravin' stories...

Tabouli.


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