The reasons why we want to eat this or that product
Surely each of us at certain periods notices a craving for some one kind of product, for which, perhaps, he has never had a special love before. And if you wanted to eat chocolate or drink a cup of coffee, then this is not surprising, but if you suddenly have an irresistible desire to eat a spoonful or two of clay or chew ice, then this clearly indicates that the body lacks something and it is trying to fill the deficit with such strange products. In the continuation of the article, you will find informative information about the reasons why you are attracted to certain types of products.
If you suddenly want to eat a handful of earth or clay, then your body needs to get rid of toxins or ... you are pregnant — many women preparing to give birth to a child, as you know, have rather eccentric gastronomic preferences. In the 1990s, in some countries, the sale of this unusual "delicacy" was even established, because it is not so easy to find land suitable for human consumption in megacities.
Recently, experts are increasingly saying that the earth really helps to cleanse the body of toxic substances. Previously, it was believed that only humans and macaws eat earth and clay, but recently researchers have noticed that such "cuisine" is popular among other animals, especially during fruit ripening, since immature fruits and berries contain a large amount of toxic alkaloids. For example, to make edible unripe potatoes containing solanine, a bitter and poisonous glycoalkaloid, the fruits must be coated with alumina. It contains kaolin (white clay), which neutralizes bitterness and "pulls" solanine from potatoes. So do not rush to twist your finger at your temple, having learned that someone of your friends once ate a little earth - he acted in accordance with the ancient instincts of self—preservation and health care.
Some of the amino acids we need, such as lysine and methionine, the body cannot produce independently, so they have to be obtained from food. Lysine is found in legumes, and wheat, rice and corn are rich in methionine — if you really want to eat any of these products now, your body is clearly lacking protein.
Dishes from cereals and legumes are widely represented in many culinary cultures of the world, firstly, because their combination serves as an excellent substitute for meat, and secondly - because it is, damn it, incredibly delicious! The taste and aroma of beans and cereals are so perfectly in harmony with each other that for a long time it was believed that if you do not use these products together, the lysine and methionine contained in them will not be absorbed by the body. Later, this opinion was found to be erroneous, but they did not eat less beans and cereals. The popularity of the culinary duo "beans — cereals", which contains the necessary amino acids, suggests that the body tells a person which dishes he "should" like.
You probably noticed that in countries with hot climates they like incredibly spicy food — this is due to the fact that spicy seasonings, especially chili peppers, provoke intense sweating, protecting the human body from overheating. The capsaicin alkaloid contained in spicy foods stimulates the receptors of the mouth and nasal cavity responsible for thermoregulation — they make a person sweat, getting rid of excess heat.
Contrary to numerous commercials, black tea is not such a harmless drink. It, like coffee, contains tannins — phenolic compounds that give these drinks astringent properties and bitterness, as well as helping to cleanse the digestive tract. The body reacts ambiguously to the presence of tannins — for example, after drinking strong black tea in the morning, you may well feel nausea. Fortunately, there is a way to soften the bitterness of tea and coffee and protect the stomach from excessive activity of tannins — add milk to the drink.
I must say, adult homo sapiens are not evolutionarily predisposed to drinking milk — we can drink it only due to the fact that the human body has adapted to dairy products over several thousand years, having established the production of enzymes necessary for the processing of lactose. Individuals of other mammalian species, upon reaching adulthood, stop consuming products containing lactose, and if, say, a tiger is given milk, it will turn into digestive problems for him, while some people, as is known, also have lactose intolerance, which can be called a kind of "digestive vestige". It is impressive that humanity started drinking milk relatively recently, and our taste buds already "advise" that it can be used to reduce the activity of tannins.
The desire to include ice in their diet is often experienced by people suffering from anemia. Of course, ice by itself cannot satisfy the need for iron, but for some reasons it really helps — when there is a lack of iron in the human body with anemia, inflammatory processes begin, accompanied by pain in the oral cavity. Ice does not allow you to cope with the main cause of the disease, but it significantly reduces pain, so if you periodically want to chew ice cubes, there is a reason to think about including foods with a high iron content in your diet.
Ginger is one of the most useful seasonings of vegetable origin. It helps to get rid of nausea attacks, relieves cough and helps with headaches. Nevertheless, doctors say that even people who do not suffer from the above ailments sometimes have a strong desire to eat ginger. According to the results of some studies, ginger reduces blood clotting, which can cause heart attacks, strengthens the muscles of the heart and lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. Thanks to its miraculous properties, ginger can serve as a healthy alternative to the vaunted dietary supplements with three-digit price tags.
If you have had enough ginger, but the migraine does not go away, it makes sense to drink a cup of coffee — caffeine also helps with headaches and is even able to prevent its occurrence. Some doctors talk about the dangers of frequent coffee consumption, while others claim that you can drink two cups of this drink every day without health risk. Caffeine helps to relieve physical and emotional discomfort, in addition, this natural stimulant is effective in the early stages of depressive states. According to some reports, many people with the help of coffee, no matter how strange it may sound, provide themselves with a healthy sleep: the human body gets used to a certain amount of caffeine, and when a person refuses coffee, he begins to experience sleep problems.
When the victorious march of chocolate around the world was just beginning, it was not at all like a modern favorite delicacy. Cocoa beans were served to the tables of the European nobility in the form of a specific bitter drink with seasonings, and many cups of this dessert were literally drunk by the aristocrats before the confectioners guessed to add sugar to the ground cocoa beans, although the indigenous peoples of the American continent have long mixed chocolate with various sweet ingredients. Later, Europeans discovered a recipe for chocolate with milk, and from that moment the world was doomed to an all-consuming, ineradicable passion for all kinds of chocolate desserts. What is the reason for the extraordinary popularity of chocolate?
Some say that the phenylethylamine contained in cocoa beans is "to blame" for everything - a chemical released in the human brain when he is in love or feels happy. You've probably heard an expression like: "Loving is like eating a lot of chocolate." At the same time, for example, cheese contains even more phenylethylamine, but its popularity cannot be compared with the universal love of chocolate.
Some experts associate the "chocolate fever" with anandamide, an analog of cannabinol, the main psychoactive component of marijuana. Anandamide, which is also called the "molecule of bliss", lifts the mood and relieves fatigue, although experts note that if a person wants to achieve an effect similar to the effect of marijuana, he will have to eat at least a kilogram of chocolate.
In addition to anandamide and phenylethylamine, cocoa beans contain theobromine, a substance similar to caffeine, which is known to be capable of causing addiction. Scientists have yet to find out exactly why people love chocolate, since it contains about 380 active substances. But does it really matter? After all, love is an irrational feeling, and instead of trying to figure out its nature, it's better to just enjoy every piece.