If you don't use salt on anything that is your problem. Sodium and chloride are essential nutrients and unless you use salt, drink a ton of coconut water or eat a ton of celery you will come up short.

the stereotype of pregnant women craving pickle juice is because its loaded with sodium, and preggos needs tons of it in the beginning as their bodies dramatically increase blood supply. PERSONALLY, i went for the old el paso hot enchilada sauce in a can. 4000mg sodium! nom nom nom.

maybe take a queue from that and eat more sodium! or, just drink the pickle juice- its really, really, way, way yummy. if youre not adding salt to your food, you probably need some. if you go the pickle juice route, just make sure its the good stuff, and not the HFCS-laden garbage. but something tells me you would be fine going for some kale chips, extra sea-salt.

The human body needs salt to function properly - we are essentially one big electrical circuit, sodium & potassium among other things are required for the proper conduction of nerve electrical impulses. Seems your body is telling you what it needs, listen to it. CW says that salt increases blood pressure, this has been shown to not be the case, if anyone is worried about that. I actually had high BP a while back, after researching it I increased my sea salt intake and what do you know my BP went back to normal.

I used to crave beer. What I found out was that I just really needed water. So every day when I come home I drink 3-4 glasses of water and I hardly every think about beer anymore.

I see in other posts that you're pretty active and you recently quit coffee?. And it doesn't look like you eat many fruits and vegetables (which contain water)? I found that I was losing 1-2 pounds during the course of my day from exercise and just beeboppin' around all day. More water really helped me cut out the cravings that I was having. Seriously, load up on the water just to see if your cravings subside.

I get to craving vinegar sometimes, so I usually have some salad or cottage cheese and dump Balsamic all over it. My theory has been that my tummy wants a little help with acid production. but these other people may be more correct, maybe it is a sodium thing?

In the summer I crave more salt, and sometimes potassium. This usually shows up as craving an avocado drenched in lime juice and salt.

Once I had a jar of pickled carrots on the counter, and just opened it and drank the liquid. It hit the spot like a key in a lock.

I am betting your body is craving salt. I bet the blood donation is what triggered it, your body needs more electrolytes when rehydrating or restoring your blood supply.

When I crave salt, I just eat it, and make it natural salt mixed with some good Paleo food. It doesn't happen that often, and I let my body regulate it.

Pickle juice has a lot of sodium, colors, preservatives, chemicals, etc. You might find a more natural salty food to have.

potassium. try upping it and see if the cravings change.

Lately, I've been drinking the liquid of my lacto-fermented dilly beans, and it is SO good. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

I don't know if cravings mean anything. They may not. But you could try giving in and see if it helps. I recommend the lacto-fermented stuff if you can find it since it would have some healthy benefits.

And yes, I would consider upping the sodium. There's some interesting research about sodium going on right now and unless you have high blood pressure, there's no medical reason for restricting it.

When I changed my eating habits, I also took out salt, but it turns out, that led to some problems. 1) really bad leg cramps & 2) cravings for salt or something very salty. Of course, it turns out I took out too much. We're all different so there's really no one measurement for all. You just have to add it back in and monitor yourself. As long as you're using unrefined sea salt! As has been stated, it's been proven that this type of salt does not increase blood pressure or cause water retention. That's caused by the refined stuff. Search Dr Mercola's website for information. He does a good job of explaining all this.

Try drinking coconut water which is full of potassium and sodium (electrolytes essential for your body). I've also read that pickle juice craving can come from an upset digestive system trying to balance out upset and nauseas feelings. My daughter has been craving pickle juice. She is not lacking in salt, but because of medication issues has a constantly upset and nauseas stomach. And I've read also that if your body is craving something, you should give it what it's asking for!!! Hope this helps 😃

because it's good

Cravings may or may not mean anything but for me it does tend to mean I'm dehydrated or missing something in my diet. My hubby is thinking of getting me salt lick! lol.....![alt text][1]

WEll I was looking for the same answer, as to why I was craving pickle juice at times. My cravings would come after an intense workout or running for 2+ hours straight. After putting together what everyone else is saying to what I know about my body I conclude that salt is most likely to culprit. I don't drink sports drink when I am doing these workouts I drink water (though I do use energy gels or drops). I believe salt is the answer.

There is a reason animals are drawn to salt licks, bodies need sodium to function, and animals lick deposits because there often isn't enough found in their food. Paleo people likely did the same. Add some salt to your diet, it's actually good for you.