Thread

1. crazygringo · 1790169230 · focus · HN ↗

   > All of this can be prevented with a few tablespoons of lemon juice, but people suffering from scurvy do not develop a hankering for citrus. They will suffer and wither and collapse and never even ask for a grapefruit.

   Funny, I absolutely do develop a hankering for citrus whenever my body needs vitamin C. After a workout, and after getting sun at the beach, or just whenever I've gone a couple days without getting enough vitamin C, I absolutely develop a sudden craving for oranges/grapefruit/pineapple/orange juice/Emergen-C. And it doesn't go away until I have enough.

   I assume that this is a kind of learned association, that you can recognize the feeling of vitamin C depletion and your body quickly connects that that goes away when you eat certain foods.

   But my body absolutely tells me when I need vitamin C. And whether it's at a level of "it would be a nice idea to have some now" or "you need a LOT more vitamin C RIGHT NOW".

   1. globular-toast · 1790169852 · focus · HN ↗

      If you eat any vegetables at all it's unlikely you're ever vitamin C deficient. You are probably just craving sugar.

      1. crazygringo · 1790171314 · focus · HN ↗

         I cannot tell you how wrong you are.

         1. globular-toast · 1790172621 · focus · HN ↗

            Why don't you at least try?

            1. crazygringo · 1790175731 · focus · HN ↗

               Why don't you not make insulting comments like "You are probably just craving sugar," implying that I can't tell the difference?

               Even a cursory amount of research will reveal to you that people who engage in athletic activity require higher amounts of vitamin C, and your assertion that these people get enough vitamin C just from common servings of vegetables is flat-out wrong. And keeping in mind that cooking vegetables reduces and sometimes outright pretty much removes their vitamin C, depending on the cooking method.

               And the fact that you think I wouldn't notice that e.g. Coca-Cola equally satisfied my need, and that this desire for citrus or Emergen-C has just been a mistake, that's the insulting part.

               So you will understand why an insulting comment like yours does not deserve a full explanation of a reply, but I'm going out of my way to provide one anyways. In the hopes that you can learn from this and not leave such knee-jerk dismissive comments in the future.

   2. ungovernableCat · 1790178859 · focus · HN ↗

      Do you crave bell peppers? They have double the amount of vitamin c as oranges do from what I remember.

      1. R_D_Olivaw · 1790181362 · focus · HN ↗

         For me it's either a craving for lime/citrus or strawberries. When I crave strawberries, I know somethings up.

         1. crazygringo · 1790188345 · focus · HN ↗

            Oh yeah strawberries do the trick too. I just only have them around in the summer and go through them so quickly...
      2. crazygringo · 1790188286 · focus · HN ↗

         Yup they definitely work too, but eating an entire raw green pepper doesn't always sit great in my stomach, and I don't always have red/orange/yellow varieties on hand. If I'm all out of citrus, I'll definitely grab a bell pepper instead... but I usually make sure to have citrus around.

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