# Craving Tomatoes, what does my body need? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517 "2008-05-08T02:40:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gerb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3bc359/32.png) [@gerb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerb)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/1 "2008-05-08T02:40:10Z")
Last month I had my gall bladder removed. Ever since my surgery I have been craving raw tomato. The funny thing is that before my operation I never cared for raw tomato. What nutrient(s) am I lacking so badly that my tastes have completely changed? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/2 "2008-05-08T03:37:16Z")
The main flavour components in a tomato are salt, MSG, and acid. Since the gall bladder’s main function is to help digest fats, and tomatoes have virtually none, I doubt there’s any actual connection. Could it be an effect of the anesthetic, pain killers, or suchlike? ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/3 "2008-05-08T03:51:44Z")
[QUOTE=gerb] Craving Tomatoes, what does my body need? [/QUOTE] Uh, perhaps . . . well, tomatoes. It could happen. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/4 "2008-05-08T03:52:30Z")
[Vitamin C](http://www.dietobio.com/aliments/en/tomato.html) maybe? [Lycopene](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopene)? I have no idea why or whether a missing gall bladder would make you crave those. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/5 "2008-05-08T04:08:51Z")
Well, that’s interesting. As said above, tomatoes contain lycopene, and Vitamin C. I am not a Doctor, but the main issues that I know with gall bladder removal are with fat digestion, and some diarrhea issues. Do you eat a lot of vegetables in general, or are tomatoes the one you have some familiarity with? I know you’ve said you never cared for them much before, but, your body might being wanting non-fatty foods, and if tomatoes are one of the few vegs you’re familiar with, that might be the reason. Your previous diet might give some hints. I’m reaching, here, but fascinated. Hopefully a proper Doc or nutritionist will shed some light on it. Again, reaching, but, at some point did you have raw tomatoes that gave you a good comfort feeling, as a kid? ---
**Author:** ![gerb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3bc359/32.png) [@gerb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerb)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/6 "2008-05-08T04:21:52Z")
[QUOTE=elelle] Well, that’s interesting. As said above, tomatoes contain lycopene, and Vitamin C. I am not a Doctor, but the main issues that I know with gall bladder removal are with fat digestion, and some diarrhea issues. Do you eat a lot of vegetables in general, or are tomatoes the one you have some familiarity with? I know you’ve said you never cared for them much before, but, your body might being wanting non-fatty foods, and if tomatoes are one of the few vegs you’re familiar with, that might be the reason. Your previous diet might give some hints. I’m reaching, here, but fascinated. Hopefully a proper Doc or nutritionist will shed some light on it. Again, reaching, but, at some point did you have raw tomatoes that gave you a good comfort feeling, as a kid? [/QUOTE] I have had and continue to have many different vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, spinach. squash, corn etc. I don’t thing the craving is because of the missing gall bladder but more due to the healing process. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/7 "2008-05-08T10:46:39Z")
Are you an ex-smoker? Maybe you are craving the [nicotine](http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?id=43428-tomatoes-linked-to) . ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/8 "2008-05-08T10:56:06Z")
I thought it had been pretty conclusively proved that food cravings had precisely zip to do with your body craving certain nutrients. But I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/9 "2008-05-08T11:10:39Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] I thought it had been pretty conclusively proved that food cravings had precisely zip to do with your body craving certain nutrients. But I could be wrong. [/QUOTE] That’s what I thought too. I think the OP is suffering from the [Dread Tomato Addiction](http://crystaloak.com/Gaijin/Essay/tomato_addiction.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bergomum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/34f0e0/32.png) [@Bergomum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bergomum)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/10 "2008-05-08T11:12:39Z")
[QUOTE=Staggerlee] Are you an ex-smoker? Maybe you are craving the [nicotine](http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?id=43428-tomatoes-linked-to) . [/QUOTE] Am I the only one who thought this link was going to be about [tomaccos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomacco)? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/11 "2008-05-08T15:16:47Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] I thought it had been pretty conclusively proved that food cravings had precisely zip to do with your body craving certain nutrients. But I could be wrong. [/QUOTE] Of course, this calls for the traditional SDMB response: Cite? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/12 "2008-05-08T15:34:37Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Of course, this calls for the traditional SDMB response: Cite? 🙂 [/QUOTE] Hey same to you buddy. 😉 -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/13 "2008-05-08T17:27:30Z")
Electrolytes. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/14 "2008-05-08T20:55:45Z")
Given as I don’t know whether you are male or female… could you be pregnant? I know several people who, for some unexplained reason, craved tomatoes during their pregnancies. I don’t think there’s any real explanation as to why, either, but it’s happened to enough acquaintances that “crave tomatoes”= pregnant in my mind! ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/15 "2008-05-08T21:01:21Z")
[QUOTE=Bergomum] Am I the only one who thought this link was going to be about [tomaccos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomacco)? [/QUOTE] No, you are not. ---
**Author:** ![gerb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3bc359/32.png) [@gerb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerb)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craving-tomatoes-what-does-my-body-need/448517/16 "2008-05-08T23:07:19Z")
I am a male so pregnancy is right out. But I did quit smoking when I had the surgery and with the exception of a few weak moments I have been smoke free.