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Does Anyone have Salt cravings?

Posted , 6 users are following.

philsey
philsey

I've been eating rather a lot of crisps and crackers and cheese and greek style olives and smoked fish... looking back over the last few months I seem to have lost my appetite for anything that doesn't have salt. Is my body telling me something (I also get a lot of cramp) or should I beware? 

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Innersmile
    Innersmile philsey

    Posted

    I'm not 100% sure but I think it might be. This happened to me in a round about way. I was craving salty foods so bad that I was eating limes everyday sprinkled with salt. I thought this was really bizarre and realised my body was trying to tell me something. I now incorporate celtic salt into my everyday diet and I've noticed my cravings have reduced and my blood pressure has lowered. I've not had input about this from a doctor but I think you're on to something.

  • DiannaO
    DiannaO philsey

    Posted

    Yes, it's very common to have salt cravings. It's also your body's way of saying you might need it. In fact I have to start the day by drinking salt water and salt my foods freely throughout the day because my blood pressure is so low that it is way below normal and consuming salt helps to keep it closer to normal. With CFS, the adrenals are not working the way they should and my understanding is that we eliminate a lot more salt than typical people. With adrenal fatigue you may crave salt or salty foods like potato chips, olives, crackers, pretzels or savory foods in general, and it might be that you need to honor this craving. Yes, salt can increase blood pressure so it's a good idea to monitor your blood pressure on a regular basis. You can get a monitor online. If you feel lightheaded when getting out of bed in the morning, standing up quickly, or getting up out of a bath or hot tub, you may very well have low adrenal function, and including more salt in your diet could be helpful. Keep in mind it should be a good-quality sea salt or other natural salt (not iodized table salt). I use pink himalayan salt.

    • philsey
      philsey DiannaO

      Posted

      I will explore this with my doc. Thanks DiannaO
  • Beverley_01
    Beverley_01 philsey

    Posted

    Hi philsey,

    I don't have the craving but, when i did eat more salt, i got severe cramp in my legs. That was over 20 yrs ago and way pre cfs/me : )

    Beverley

    • philsey
      philsey Beverley_01

      Posted

      Thanks Beverley. I haven't got severe cramp - just continual predisposition to it and that's been true for many years before this recent salt craving. Ciao

    • Beverley_01
      Beverley_01 philsey

      Posted

      Oh ok. Mine in the legs was definitely linked to salt. I worked at a busy holiday centre for physically disabled guests where the chef salted everything!

      My present craving is strong dark chocolate. Hope you get to the bottom of your craving.

      Beverley

  • ME44
    ME44 philsey

    Posted

    Salt cravings is a symptom of POTS. You should look in to it. Eating lots of salt is good for POTS because it raises your blood volume. 
    • philsey
      philsey ME44

      Posted

      I didn't know that. Thanks!

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