The first food that began to talk to me was of all things, peanut butter. I’d been given a new eating plan and cardiovascular program the first of January 2004. On this program, I was to eat 2 tablespoons of peanut butter with either my first or last meal of the day. Initially I’d eat exactly 2 tablespoons with my oatmeal and protein shake every morning. As my body got used to the 2 sets of cardio I was doing first thing in the morning before breakfast and last thing before my 7:00 p.m. meal and the fat started coming off, I realized that I was starving, especially by the end of the day. So during my last meal, which was supposed to be just a whey protein shake, I started adding another 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Now, if you’re like me and have read the nutritional label, of the food you’re binging on, you know that peanut butter has 16 grams of fat and around 180 calories! Not exactly a low calorie food! As soon as I started eating the extra calories, the wildest thing began happening, I began losing more fat, started looking tighter and leaner. As time went on, I began eating more and more peanut butter, close to a cup a day, and if you can believe it my fat count plummeted. I was following the rest of the program to a tee and believe that my body was letting me know that I needed this source of good fat and was finally in a position to listen.

This got me to thinking about some of the other foods I’d craved in the past. Back in the eighties, I craved raisins. I mean I could eat a pounds of raisins in two days. I’d keep them in the refrigerator, which made them very chewy, tasty and easy to eat. Over the last 5 years, my blood tests revealed a severe case of Folic Acid and Vitamin B-12 deficiency, and a Ferritin deficiency, which is an indicator of the lack of stored Iron in the body. Suddenly, it made a lot of sense as to why I chose to binge on raisins and why I craved them. They are a rich source of Iron and its what my body has difficulty storing.

So, here’s what I’d like you to think about. If you’re following a safe, balanced eating and exercise program and you begin to crave certain foods, ask yourself if the food choice has something in it that you may actually need. Take the time to evaluate the main components of the food. Is it rich in a vitamin or mineral you may be lacking? Is it a healthy fat? Could it be that you are deficient in something and don’t know it? Have you had your blood drawn lately or suggested to your doctor that you may need intra-cellular blood tests to evaluate your blood for vitamin & mineral deficiencies? Check on-line to see whom in your area does this kind of testing and do your body a favor. You might just find that you’re not a weak person, but a deficient one. There’s a big difference.

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