My sister is pregnant and deeply craves the smell of bleach and chlorine. She constantly wants to go swimming and clean the house with bleach (I assume it's chlorine bleach). She says she falls asleep dreaming about scrubbing the bathtub, or dunking her head in a pool and taking big gulps...uh oh.
Her doctor and midwife say pica cravings are "normal" and just to be sensible. I hate it when they give answers like that
I read that chlorine is basically salt-water that has undergone some sort of electrochemical reaction. So I thought that craving chlorine could be a misguided craving for salt.
But then I read that chlorine specifically is also found in our bodies (sort of), known as chloride. So I wondered if craving chlorine could indicate a chloride deficiency... Because I know pregnant women often crave salty foods (the stereotype of pickles), but I find the specific craving for chlorine so bizarre.
My sister also had extreme nausea and vomiting (hyperemesis gravidarum) in the beginning of her pregnancy. She is perfectly fine now, but I wonder if her body is now craving excess salt (or just chloride) due to that experience. I remember reading in the Wai book how a former anorexic body will hold on to every calorie once it starts eating food again. And perhaps a formerly-vomiting (ha ha) body will go into overdrive and demand excess electrolytes for some time; especially if pregnant and vulnerable.
Could this explanation make sense?
Also, if my sister were eating Wai (I wish!), would she still crave things like sauerkraut (which she eats constantly and is basically salt-water)? I think that fruits and animal foods should provide her with all the salts her body needs, but perhaps she is in a unique position because of her pregnancy and prior vomiting.
Last question: if someone is throwing up, what is the best thing for them to consume? Water/fruit juice with a pinch of salt?
Or perhaps Gatorade, as is mentioned here viewtopic.php?t=617&highlight=electrolyte
