Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Just noticed that I'm having a very red orange week. I am craving carrots, red peppers,hot peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, red onions, red apples, and red meat. Yes... I'm eating some other foods.... but I'm also smoothering everything I eat in Romesco sauce, and I mean EVERYTHING. When I think about it, in the past, I craved primarily white foods like potatoes,bread, rice, etc... Since becoming Paleo, I've been very diversified in my eating habits up until now.

Has anyone else anyone else had these color cravings?

flag	asked Jan 24 2012 at 4:30 bc4work 1,152●1●15

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Funny, I don't think the Dutch soccer team is in any major competition at the moment... – gydle Jan 24 2012 at 11:27

thatkate · Accepted Answer · 2012-01-24 04:42:06Z UTC

Sounds like your body is telling you what it really wants without all the signal disruption from frankenfoods, antinutrients and excessive carbs (sugar). My hypothesis: you need more of the nutrients that are available from foods with those colors. As for it apparently spanning "food groups" (you mention red meat), that could be because you just also need nutrients available in other foods that just happen to be red/orange, and the most obvious grouping of all these foods is color so that association jumps out at you. Still a hypothesis, but all I could think of at the moment.

Oh--or you could be an alien.

legup · Answer 2 · 2012-01-24 04:45:14Z UTC

Yes! That tends to be the way I cook, too. I will think 'I need red' instead of 'I need a tomato'. I think of this when I am worrying about the fact that I know next to nothing about how much of which vitamins and minerals I need and what 'superfoods' I should be eating. I figure that if I am tuned into my body enough to crave or need certain colors in my cooking, I must be doing okay, and hopefully getting everything I need. Even if it is willy-nilly.

Frugal Jen · Answer 3 · 2012-01-24 12:33:09Z UTC

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Ditto what others have said: Yes! Some days I'll feel like I've got to add more green to everything; others it'll be reds and/or oranges.

And I learned recently that some organ meats are rich in the Vitamin A that's in the orange veggies; that could be another link between your plant food and red meat cravings.

answered Jan 24 2012 at 12:33

Frugal Jen
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	Good idea about that link! That could fix a hole in my ideas above. – thatkate Jan 27 2012 at 2:22
	Just thought to ask: do you have a resource for the organ meats/vitamin A tidbit? I'd love to check it out. – thatkate Jan 28 2012 at 17:50

Caleb the Hobbit · Answer 4 · 2012-01-26 23:09:38Z UTC

For me food is not just about eating, but an all-around sensory experience (this does in some ways become a kind of spiritual/mindfulness practice, but I digress). So I look for a balance of colors, textures, smells, etc. This also, I have noticed, leads to me feeling more full.

It's also important, I think, that different colored foods (especially fruits and vegetables) contain different nutrient make-up. I'm a layman when it comes to nutrition, and I find that mixing colors makes for a more nutrient-balanced bowl. If you are craving certain things, listen to them. The body is surprisingly wise when not bogged down by 'frankenfoods'.

Campbell Barnum · Answer 5 · 2012-01-26 18:43:34Z UTC

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Carotenoid food colorings that are derived from nature often have an orange hue. These include beta-carotene, paprika, and annatto. Some have antioxidants which can be healthy. Twitter @foodcolour

answered Jan 26 2012 at 18:43

Campbell Barnum
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Nance · Answer 6 · 2012-01-26 19:07:44Z UTC

I do find a plate or salad with varied bright colors very appetizing. I've found when I look at salad peppers my hand goes to the assortment package rather than one type. I also like to use red leaf lettuce and romaine with several colors of vegetables in a salad.

I think the color trigger is tied to vegetables and fruits only, though. In general I don't really care about the color of my meat and my only interest in color when selecting raw meat is "healthy" color although I think that's fake nowadays.

Do you get cravings for specific food colors?

6 Answers