# Do we crave what our bodies need? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 8, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966 "2007-10-08T18:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zelie\_zelerton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/59ef9b/32.png) [@zelie\_zelerton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zelie_zelerton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/21 "2007-10-09T16:09:17Z")
[QUOTE=Atomicktom] I have no science to support this, but I’ve always suspected that this phenomenom might explain why pregnant women get “weird” food cravings - their pregnancy is requiring additional nutrients, and their body is signaling a desire for the tastes associated with the requisite foods. [/QUOTE] I tend to feel the same way though it doesn’t seem to be restricted to only pregnancy. Ever since beginning menstruating I have had a very strong desire for dairy foods in the days leading up to my period. Milk and ice cream mostly even though I generally don’t have much of these foods - actually, I don’t even like ice cream all that much. I’ve always just figured it was due to some deficiency or need to stock up on fats or something. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/22 "2007-10-09T16:56:44Z")
[QUOTE=bump] If this was the case, then women would tend to crave stuff like spinach or red meat that have high levels of iron. I haven’t seen anything to indicate that this is the case. [/QUOTE] Most women aren’t deficient in iron. You lose very little iron to your menstrual flow, and most of us in the US eat obscene amounts of red meat (including things like hamburgers and ground beef) as it is. Add in fortified breakfast cereal and enriched flour, and that meets the needs of all but a few. I personally agree with **astorian** , for as much as that’s worth in a GQ thread. But I, too, would like to know if anyone’s done any actual research on the topic. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/23 "2007-10-09T17:48:42Z")
Please keep in mind that our food cravings developed over the ages not to make us more naturally healthy all our lives, but to make it more likely that we’d reproduce successfully. _Not_ the same thing at all. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/24 "2007-10-09T20:46:23Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Please keep in mind that our food cravings developed over the ages not to make us more naturally healthy all our lives, but to make it more likely that we’d reproduce successfully. _Not_ the same thing at all. [/QUOTE] And males who supply females with chocolate are more likely to mate and reproduce. Ah, chocolate… ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/25 "2007-10-09T20:48:34Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Please keep in mind that our food cravings developed over the ages not to make us more naturally healthy all our lives, but to make it more likely that we’d reproduce successfully. _Not_ the same thing at all. [/QUOTE] And males who supply females with chocolate are more likely to mate and reproduce, thus ensuring that the pleasure receptors for chocolate are passed on. Mmmm, chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/26 "2007-10-09T21:56:54Z")
When I was a vegetarian and not getting enough iron/calcium (blood tests told me so), I had very keen cravings for spinach. Now that I eat meat again, I don’t have those cravings anymore. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/27 "2007-10-10T07:00:29Z")
[QUOTE=Tapiotar] And males who supply females with chocolate are more likely to mate and reproduce, thus ensuring that the pleasure receptors for chocolate are passed on. Mmmm, chocolate. [/QUOTE] Yes, but: [Ogden Nash] Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker. [/Ogden Nash] ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/28 "2007-10-10T15:11:33Z")
I’m a slender healthy 30-something dude, and what works for me is letting my stomach decide what and when to eat. I try to eat something “healthy” at least once every few days. I eat a lot of Subway and try to vary the veggies. I notice I often leave food on my plate/wrapper, I rarely finish a meal. My stomach also rarely wants breakfast, just a drink and a snack around 10am. That’s what it gets. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/29 "2007-10-10T15:31:18Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] I’m a slender healthy 30-something dude, and what works for me is letting my stomach decide what and when to eat. I try to eat something “healthy” at least once every few days. I eat a lot of Subway and try to vary the veggies. I notice I often leave food on my plate/wrapper, I rarely finish a meal. My stomach also rarely wants breakfast, just a drink and a snack around 10am. That’s what it gets. [/QUOTE] Ah, but have you reproduced successfully? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/30 "2007-10-10T15:32:20Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Ah, but have you reproduced successfully? [/QUOTE] Yeah once, my boys can swim! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/31 "2007-10-10T19:33:43Z")
My body is telling my brain, ‘we need a beer’…is that a warning sign? ---
**Author:** ![ForumBot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966/32 "2007-10-10T20:45:38Z")
Come on people, we need some real cites in this place. I found in this in one minute, but I’m sure you guys can do better. I have to go to work now, but google “food craving nutrient” and you’ll get a plethora of information. > [@http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/coping-with-pregnancy-food-cravings](#): > > However, it’s highly unlikely that cells translate so-called nutrient shortfalls into food cravings. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-crave-what-our-bodies-need/421966.md?page=1)