Is it possible to crave what you're allergic to?

[insomniak]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 9:57pm

Serious question. Emcee and I were talking about it. She's craving some kind of food and I wondered if it could possibly be milk, since she's never had it. (Deadly allergy) Any doctors in the house who would know?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 9:59pm

*is curious*

*eats uncontrollably*

[camerangel]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 9:59pm

I crave foods that I'm allergic to.. It sucks.. I dont know about craving something she's never had though

[Joshua488]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:00pm

I know someone that is allergic to lemons, but lemonade is one of their favorite drinks.

My sister loves peanuts, but whenever she eats them, her face gets puffy and it's hard for her to breathe. Updated On: 4/11/05 at 10:00 PM

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:01pm

I'm not sure you can crave something you've never had...

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:02pm

See, I'm DEATHLY allergic to both milk and peanuts. So much so that I've never had them, except when I was an infant and my parents didn't know yet. It's not the kind of allergy where I'm like "oh, I'll eat it anyway." I'm running around like an idiot craving some food that I can't seem to put a finger on what I'm looking for, so nia and I were wondering if it's possible for your body to crave something that's in a food you've never had - in my case, due to allergy.

[bwayballerina]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:04pm

I've read that taste and smell are closely related... maybe you're craving a smell? If that makes sense... it's like you smell something and want to eat it since it smells good, or something like that.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:05pm

I think it is possible to crave something you've never had. Not exactly the same thing, but isn't it possible for a virgin to crave sex? Just a thought...

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:07pm

Well, I'm definitely craving FOOD, not sex.
But, it's the same kind of idea, I guess. *wonders*

[insomniak]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:07pm

Chrys, I wouldn't know. I'm a good girl who doesn't think about those things.

But in all honesty, I think that's different. A sex drive is sort of 'hard wired' into the human system, but are food cravings?

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:24pm

Oh, sure! I'm the one with the dirty mind!

[shira467]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:50pm

God, I wish I was seriously allergic to all things that start with "C" - Chocolate, Cake, Cookies, Croissants. Things would be SO much easier.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:58pm

Crepes...caramel...cockroaches...Whaaat? They're tasty with a pleasant texture!

I think it depends - if you've had a really horrible run in with whatever you're allergic to in the past, you should have been conditioned to dread that particular product. Then again, let's say you broke into hives and nearly died from yogurt--doesn't mean you won't crave chocolate.

That didn't make any sense. Did it? Well, I think my answer is Yes.

[KelRel]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 12:53pm

I am going through that...I just figured out that I am lactose intolerant and now all I want to drink is milk. I'm sure that your cravings are triggered by smell. Its like when you walk by a resturant and all of a sudden you are hungry for the yummy food you are smelling. Good luck with that Emcee

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 12:59pm

Well, I'm "better" now, but I never really figured out what it was I was looking for. If you're lactose intolerant, though, you can have milk, and chances are you've had it before. I've had dairy, but not since I was about a year old, and I've never had peanuts. I guess what we were wondering was whether my body could crave something that I've never had, let alone know if I even like. In other words, maybe there's something specific in... I don't know... peanut butter, that my body could be craving? I think it's something I'll ask a doctor when I get a chance, just because I'm curious.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 1:05pm

it sounds possible. the more likely craving is to crave something you've developed an allergy to... A developed allergic reaction is just a buildup of your immune system against a certain antigen. So if you've enjoyed a particular food before, but developed an allergy to it, you could certainly crave it.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 1:08pm

Right, that certainly makes sense, just like someone could crave something they've voluntarily removed from their diet for whatever reason. But because the last time I've eaten any of these things was almost nineteen years ago, for all intents and purposes, I probably may as well have never had them, unless there's some way for my body to "remember" liking them, or if there's some inherent reason why it would be wanting them.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 1:09pm

oh, the body's memory system should never be underestimated....

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 1:10pm

This could be interesting. I mean, even if that's the case, I can't really do anything about it unless I have a death wish, but it might be nice to know if it's possible.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 1:13pm

and allergies that are developed can also go away... though, never play around with that potentiality, obviously....

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 1:18pm

They can, but unfortunately this probably won't. There's some pretty heavy research being done to try to make a shot that would work similarly to a flu shot for food allergies, but it's going to be a bit of time before that's even ready to be tried.

[KelRel]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 1:18pm

maybe you need more protein. I read an article about a woman who was pregnant and she started having the uncontrollable urge to eat a pencil...yes eat a pencil. She told her doctor about it and he tested her blood and she was anemic. Her body was craving the iron in the lead. How weird is that? Not implying you are pregant, but our bodies pick up on weird stuff.

[Chloe]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 2:34pm

There is an actual medical condition (can't think of the name at the moment) where someone will crave weird things like laundry starch or even clay dirt because of a serious nutritional deficiency. Women develop an iron deficiency from heavy bleeding sometimes.

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 3:05pm

I think you can crave what you're allergic to...
I'm allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, hot peppers and fish when it's processed a certin way... (I can only eat fresh or fresh frozen, nothing from a can, jar or pouch)
so many times have I seen my brother eating a fried egg or drinking milk and think "damn! i want some!"
I crave milk all the time. Like, crave it so bad I could drink a whole gallon.
I have never EVER craved hot peppers though LOL

I also can't have caffeen because of a heart problem, and every time I see a candy bar I drool....

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 3:15pm

But do you go "damn! I want some" because you're jealous and you think it looks good? I think there's kind of a difference. I mean, when my brother eats pizza and I'm around, I get really upset because that's one of the things I wish I could eat most in the world, it smells amazing, and I'm jealous. But I'm talking cravings like you get when you're PMSing and the food you think you're craving isn't around, you just need to have it. I think there's kind of a difference between wanting to eat something, and feeling like your body absolutely needs it.

I crave milk all the time. Like, crave it so bad I could drink a whole gallon.
Curious: does that mean you've had it before and know what it tastes like?