What a weekend!  I had planned to be at a family gathering; however, about five hours after lunch on Friday, I became violently ill.  The abrupt and violent onset of symptoms, as well as the timing, lead me to believe that I might have had some kind of microscopic hitchhiker on my lunch of salad greens, raspberries and slivered almonds.  Whatever the cause, I was effectively down for the count until yesterday, at which point, my appetite became Varuca Salt.

This happened a couple of times during my first big reduction.  I would have these cravings that made me feel almost panicky.  And what did I crave?  Red meat, the greasier, the better.  Bratwurst cured the cravings both times.  Yesterday, a small burger made from ground chicken and feta did the trick.

Our bodies will often tell us what they need, I think.  Sometimes we call it “having a taste for” something.  Sometimes we call it a craving.  Whatever we call it, I believe it is direct communication from our bodies addressing some deficiency. The communication I got yesterday was urgent – cellular Varuca Salt screaming, “I want it now!”

While we can’t be at the mercy of cravings, we certainly have to address them because they just don’t go away.  From time to time, my body will tell me that it needs Cheetos.  I’m pretty sure it’s lying to me. Still, I have to address the craving before it becomes a monster.  More often than not, some salted nuts will do the trick.  My body just wanted something salty and it asked for what it prefers: Cheetos – the puffy kind.  But, in a pinch, it will take the mixed nuts.

Ice cream cravings can be addressed with a container of yogurt put into the freezer or even a frozen banana.  Chocolate cravings can be annihilated with a small piece of dark chocolate or even an apple.  It depends on if my body wants the chocolate or the sugar.

On occasion, though, cravings have fangs.  You know the ones I’m talking about.  I try all the healthful alternatives, but my body just giggles and says, “Nice try, chica. Now, hustle on down to the store and get me some M & Ms.  Chop! Chop!”  So, I hustle on down to the store.

Here’s where the individual servings come in REALLY handy.  I can get a small bag of M & Ms and that will quiet the craving.  I don’t have to get the King Size or the Front End Loader Size.  The regular one is good.  A single serving of a quality ice cream works.  I find that those tiny Haagen Dazs work better than the same size of some other brands since the ice cream is both richer and denser.  Once I enjoy the single serving, I’m good to go.

The body wants what it wants.  I just don’t always know exactly what it’s asking for when it makes its demands. Still, I can address the needs without becoming a slave to the cravings, creating further ones with sugar crashes or eating myself into bigger pants.