Weakened body will tell you what is not good for you

[Limuray]

I am now sitting at home with a high fewer. I have no appetite at all, that almost never happens to me. The only thing I could eat today was an apple and 1/10 of iceberg lettuce. Then I started to wonder...
I used to be a very ill kid. I had strep throat about 4 times a year, I had kidney issues and a lot of negative side effects from antibiotics. I was meat-eater all my childhood and I ate quite a lot. But every time I was ill I couldn't eat anything, vomited a lot and couldn't even stand the smell of food. Except for raw plant based food. I wasn't nauseous from fruits and vegetables at all. Of course, I couldn't eat a lot, maybe one small portion a day I could keep down. But I never could eat meat. Vomited just by the thought of it. Could it be that my weakened body gave me a sign all my life, or is it just a pattern when someone is not feeling good? Is it some kind of defense mechanism from my body?

 

[TofuRobot]

I believe it bodies know what they need, we are just out of touch with understanding is messages. When we're sick, we typically lose our appetite because the body needs to focus on healing, not on digestion. When I am sick, and I lose my appetite, I listen. Meaning, I won't force myself to eat if I'm not hungry. People who water fast understand how this works. But yes, I do think there's some truth to what you're saying.

 

[Lou]

I believe it bodies know what they need, we are just out of touch with understanding is messages. When we're sick, we typically lose our appetite because the body needs to focus on healing, not on digestion. When I am sick, and I lose my appetite, I listen. Meaning, I won't force myself to eat if I'm not hungry. People who water fast understand how this works. But yes, I do think there's some truth to what you're saying.

NOT always true. Typically when fighting an infection, viral or bacterial, our appetites are suppressed. Sometimes because of nausea. But the body still requires food. Even though we can burn calories stored as fat throughout our body, there are plenty of nutrients that do not get stored in the body and need constant replenishment (minerals, water-soluble vitamins, and protein). especially when our bodies are busy fighting off infection. Really sick people who can't eat are often fed intravenously.

When battling the flu or a stomach virus, you may not have any appetite. But that does not mean you should stop eating. Feed a fever turns out not to be an old wives tale but a good medical rule of thumb. The BART diet turns out to be pretty good advice too.

 

[Lou]

I am now sitting at home with a high fewer. I have no appetite at all, that almost never happens to me. The only thing I could eat today was an apple and 1/10 of iceberg lettuce. Then I started to wonder...
I used to be a very ill kid. I had strep throat about 4 times a year, I had kidney issues and a lot of negative side effects from antibiotics. I was meat-eater all my childhood and I ate quite a lot. But every time I was ill I couldn't eat anything, vomited a lot and couldn't even stand the smell of food. Except for raw plant based food. I wasn't nauseous from fruits and vegetables at all. Of course, I couldn't eat a lot, maybe one small portion a day I could keep down. But I never could eat meat. Vomited just by the thought of it. Could it be that my weakened body gave me a sign all my life, or is it just a pattern when someone is not feeling good? Is it some kind of defense mechanism from my body?

It could be a defense mechanism. But I wouldn't put any money on it. Best bet is to discuss this with your doctor. Could be a food allergy or a sensitivity. Those can be tested for. Wouldn't it be nice to know what foods you shouldn't eat?

 

[TofuRobot]

NOT always true. Typically when fighting an infection, viral or bacterial, our appetites are suppressed. Sometimes because of nausea. But the body still requires food. Even though we can burn calories stored as fat throughout our body, there are plenty of nutrients that do not get stored in the body and need constant replenishment (minerals, water-soluble vitamins, and protein). especially when our bodies are busy fighting off infection. Really sick people who can't eat are often fed intravenously.

When battling the flu or a stomach virus, you may not have any appetite. But that does not mean you should stop eating. Feed a fever turns out not to be an old wives tale but a good medical rule of thumb. The BART diet turns out to be pretty good advice too.

The are different schools of thought on this, and i could provide you with supporting links but i don't have them at my disposal at the moment. But suffice it to say that traditional Western medicine is not especially educated on this, hence the force feeding when it's not always the best thing.

 

[Slonaut]

What do animals do when they're sick? They withdraw and do not eat until they are better. It's the best and most natural thing to do. When you are not hungry do not eat. It's so simple.

 

[Limuray]

I think my questions were misunderstood.
I was wondering why the only food I could eat while with a fever was plants although I was a meateater at the time. I loved meat, but when sick, I couldn't even eat it, was nauseous just by the thought of it. But I could eat anything else if it was plant based.
I am not wondering wether to eat at all or not.

 

[Limuray]

It could be a defense mechanism. But I wouldn't put any money on it. Best bet is to discuss this with your doctor. Could be a food allergy or a sensitivity. Those can be tested for. Wouldn't it be nice to know what foods you shouldn't eat?

I've done lots of tests in the past due to digestive issues, the only thing that came up was lactose intolerance.

 

[Slonaut]

Meat and dairy are acid forming and more difficult for your body to digest than plant food. Starchy foods are also acid forming so I try to avoid it also. When you are sick it is partly your body wanting to rebalance itself through purging. Anything that is acid-forming sabotages that.

Arnold Ehret - Mucusless Diet Healing System is an interesting book if you want to know more. It's quite old and I don't agree with everything in there but a lot of it makes total sense. Easy to find a PDF online.

 

[Limuray]

Meat and dairy are acid forming and more difficult for your body to digest than plant food. Starchy foods are also acid forming so I try to avoid it also. When you are sick it is partly your body wanting to rebalance itself through purging. Anything that is acid-forming sabotages that.

Arnold Ehret - Mucusless Diet Healing System is an interesting book if you want to know more. It's quite old and I don't agree with everything in there but a lot of it makes total sense. Easy to find a PDF online.

Hmm, interesting, I will take a look!

 

[FredVegrox]

I think though, from what the title of this thread says, that it is a mistake to wait for the body to weaken to tell us what wasn't good for us. It could be too late then. Previous experience is important, it is behind cumulative knowledge and culture. And there is enough information now to know that the best for everyone, if it's organic anyway and there is vitamin B12 being acquired, which everyone and not just vegans should make sure they are getting adequately, is having whole plant-based food, without any processed "foods" or animal products. www.forksoverknives.com

 

[Sally]

I think my questions were misunderstood.
I was wondering why the only food I could eat while with a fever was plants although I was a meateater at the time. I loved meat, but when sick, I couldn't even eat it, was nauseous just by the thought of it. But I could eat anything else if it was plant based.
I am not wondering wether to eat at all or not.

How many times does that happen on forums. You start with one subject and it gets hijacked and your original topic is drowned, usually in the same old discussions.

I think that when you are ill you usually want water based food, and plant food provides that as it is fresher and lighter than meat. Also, we do not need meat to survive, so why would the body want anything that is not going to help it recover. It is good to get to know your bodies needs, and not be swayed towards "you have to have this and this." Food is such a social thing that we are brought up to learn to eat stuff we don't really like. When we are ill our bodies take over and tell us what we really like.

 

[Forest Nymph]

I dunno. A lot of times people who are drunk or who have hangovers crave eggs and/or cheese. The fat absorbs the alcohol, and there's something in eggs that helps your body metabolize alcohol.

I never liked meat as a child, I thought hamburger was gross, that there were worms (veins) in chicken legs, and pork was probably the worst thing in the world. When my grandmother made chicken and dumplings I would just want to eat the dumplings and the mashed potatoes and gravy.

Usually if I have a cold or flu I crave things that are spicy or hot or that are soups. If I have an upset stomach I would rather eat carbs than raw vegetables - rice, bread, potatoes.

I did snack on raw cabbage and raw turnips as a child, but I don't remember ever craving these things if I had strep throat or was sick to my stomach.

 

[Tomas]

It has been proven that people in survival situations can automatically identify the food they need most without having prior knowledge in dire situations. Of course I have seen "into the wild" and going out there and eating some random plants expecting some primal instinct to kick in is by no means a good idea but when the going gets tough your survivalist instincts will kick in and let your body lets you know what you need so I'm 100% convinced that our bodies try to tell us things all the time. You can compare it to a rumbling stomach, this is the body saying it uses more energy then it can get from the food you give it and that you should add more food (Or that you might have explosive diahrrea but that means you fed your body the wrong thing or that you are sick), or getting an uncomfortable heart rhythm after drinking 3 coffees you're body is saying that you are taking in too much cafeine and you should cut down, ...
I have been interested in food and nutrition all my life and can tell you that I also feel when my body is telling me something but it's more of a "second nature" kind of thing and I'm quite sure I'm not unique in this. There'll be many long time vegans that will know the type of thing I'm talking about. It's no exact science though but I hardly take any supplements and get a yearly blood test and never have any issues. Getting older is seems some nutritional values are getting a bit lower but not alarmingly so.

 

[Nekodaiden]

I dunno. A lot of times people who are drunk or who have hangovers crave eggs and/or cheese. The fat absorbs the alcohol, and there's something in eggs that helps your body metabolize alcohol.

Eh – I think it’s just people who eat eggs and cheese that crave eggs and cheese and has nothing
whatsoever to do with alcohol consumption. Dietary fat can slow alcohol absorption, but eventually it gets absorbed. I haven’t craved either of these since going vegan (and cheese never as I’ve always disliked it) and I drink more than a moderate amount. There is nothing magical about eggs or cheese – if a person is craving them they need to look at their diet and cut out more of the low nutrition, low fiber processed junk.




---Off topic rant ---




What is it with ex vegans and eggs anyway? I mean really, wtf? They always seem to think they are a magical food instead of what they are – a low vitamin, low mineral, saturated fat laden cholesterol oval.

Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled Nutrition Facts & Calories

nutritiondata.self.com