Do you find forbidden items more attractive?
By scheng1
@scheng1 (24649)
Singapore
July 4, 2011 4:12am CST
For example, when the doctor asks you not to take ice cream anymore, since you are suffering from a cough.
Do you find yourself suddenly yearn for ice cream?
It has happened to a lot of people.
They do not have much yearning for items that are available all the time.
The minute they leave home for a vacation, they start to carve for all the food in their hometown.
Many people with high cholesterol know that they should limit the intake of seafood or red meat.
The more their doctors nag at them to stop eating, the more they want to eat.
Do you find forbidden items more attractive?
2 people like this
11 responses
@toniganzon (77137)
• Philippines
5 Jul 11
When Schindler's list was banned in my country before because there were some pumping and the CAtholic Church was so against it, it became more popular. The same with the movie Piano. MOre and more people wanted to watch those movies out of curiosity because it was forbidden. I think the reason why people crave more for something that is forbidden because it brings some excitement and curiosity. The adrenaline rush is there when you do something that is forbidden.
But in the case of food that i've already tried and then suddenly the doctor forbade me to eat it due to some health problems. I really do obey my doctor and totally ignore the food.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
5 Jul 11
Hi Toniganzon, I agree that doing something that is forbidden is indeed exciting, and gives us the adrenaline rush that is hard to match.
The only thing is that we have to bear the consequences.
If we are sick, and still eat junk food, then we have to bear with our sickness for longer period.
I have a friend who cannot resist eating all the forbidden food when she was having a bad cough.
As a result, the cough became chronic, and it was nearly three months later before her recovery.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
7 Jul 11
Hi Toniganzon, I always comfort myself with the same thought.
Even if I craved for a certain food when I was sick, I would tell myself to get well faster so that I could enjoy it.
I would never want to prolong my sickness, since that was pure suffering.
Funny how the moment I get well, the craving for food disappear.
I think when we can eat everything and anything, we do not have such craving for certain food.
Only when it becomes a forbidden food, then we start to think about it.
@toniganzon (77137)
• Philippines
5 Jul 11
I'm health-conscious and couldn't stand getting sick. I'd rather endure not having my favorite food than get sick.
@knicnax (2232)
• Philippines
4 Jul 11
Yes. Haha. It's the fact that it's not allowed that makes you want it all the more.
It's because of man's insatiable wants. The problem is we tend to focus on what we don't have or can't have, which makes us crave for it more.
Limiting or banning something makes a person think about what ifs and if onlys. Makes a person remember how good something was when he can still have it.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
4 Jul 11
Hi Knicnax, that is true.
I think even as a kid, we always go against our parents and teachers just because they forbid us from doing certain things.
There was a case in Singapore when eggs were in shortage.
Certain eggs from our neighboring countries did not meet the government standard due to bird flu or something.
All of a sudden, everyone wanted to eat eggs.
Some people even traveled out of country just to eat eggs.
I think that is very funny and very stupid.
Why should anyone eat eggs when the price doubles, and not eating eggs when eggs are in abundance?
I think you are right in saying that it is because of man's insatiable wants.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
5 Jul 11
Hi Knicnax and Scarface, sometimes the forbidden food is not really junk food.
Like those times when we did not have much eggs in Singapore, and the price of eggs increased many times, nearly all of us missed having eggs.
When the supply resumed, the demand for eggs suddenly eased.
It seemed that the whole nation woke up, and realized that eggs are good for health only when eaten in moderation.
@Princelierocks (817)
• India
4 Jul 11
Yes things like these are mare attractive in nature its a natural thing in human beings. Whenever we see things that are been frobided to us we want that thing more in nature. Say for example if you are on dieting, then probably you will get tempted to eat meat and junk food a lot, also if you are attracted to say wearing some glossy clothes or say a particular eatable product we always find it hard to resist such things in nature. In myself i to cannot resist when things are forbidden for me in nature. A good scene of myself i would like to share, when i was accident and was not told to eat potatoes or any sort or junk food but lol i cannot stop myself i resisted a lot but i cannot do it totally, so that was like me behavior towards forbidden items.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
5 Jul 11
Hi Princelierocks, my goodness, who would tell you to stay away from potato!
I hardly heard anyone has strong craving for potato.
Most of the forbidden food are rich and sweet food, and mostly junk food.
I know that many pregnant women cannot stay away from coffee too.
They just limit to once a day, but they can never stay away from coffee during the term of the pregnancy.
I think forbidden food is nicer just because we cannot eat it.
once we can eat everything, then we do not feel the urge.
@tiffnkeat (1673)
• Singapore
4 Jul 11
Very interesting topic, and not just on food alone. Well, it even started in the Garden of Eden where the proverbial forbidden is pleasing to the eyes. Why it is pleasing to the eyes, mmm.. we may need to get a psychologist here to analyse...
Things hasn't changed much since...has it? ... hahaha....
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
5 Jul 11
Hi Tiffnkeat, I think God forgets to provide a psychologist to help Adam and Eve made the right choice.
It is so funny that things are more attractive the minute they become forbidden to us.
Remember those days when eggs almost disappeared from the shelves in the supermarket, and the government imported expensive Australia eggs?
All of a sudden, everyone yearned for eggs.
Some even traveled to Malaysia to eat up all the eggs.
@moneywinner (1863)
• Brazil
6 Jul 11
This is a true for sure. I always want what I can't have. One day, I wanted to eat some Froot Loops, I didn't eat that cereal for months, so, I went to the market. I looked at the market, but didn't find it. I went to all the supermarkets of the city trying to find it, but I didn't. That made me want even more the Froot Loops. I went to online stores to see if I could find, I order from one store, but after that my payment was confirmed, they sent me email saying that they only have others type of cereals. I ended up buying online a similar version of Froot Loops, it was awful and nothing like the original. It passed a few months and I ended up forgetting about it. Now, Froot Loops back to the markets again, but now I rarely buy.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
7 Jul 11
Hi Moneywinner, that is so funny and so true!
Funny how we yearn for something when it just disappeared for a while.
That time when Malaysia farms had bird flu, and our egg supply was disrupted for a couple of weeks.
We got most of our eggs from Malaysia.
That was the time when the whole country, Singapore, nearly went mad with craving for eggs.
Some of the people even traveled overseas just to have a chance to enjoy eggs.
Later when supply was back to normal, people started to see how crazy they were.
@markcedrick28 (2)
• Philippines
5 Jul 11
Yeah, actually it is a nature of a human being to be more interested to a thing that is said to be forbidden. We are all the same nothing can change that naturalism of us.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
5 Jul 11
Hi Markcedrick, yes, it is indeed in our nature.
I think the same gene always makes us rebellious when we were in our teens.
If only the government, the teachers and other authorities learn to make use of our nature, then the world would be better.
For example, if eating apples become forbidden event, then everyone will start to eat apples, and they would be healthier.
@pinklilly (3443)
• Australia
4 Jul 11
Haha yes all the time.
I don't know why, we just think about it more I suppose. I think It's quiet funny really.. There is just something about wanting stuff you can't have lol@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
5 Jul 11
Hi Pinklilly, yes, agree.
The craving for seafood soup, chocolate and other rich food, is especially bad when we have cough, and the weather is cold.
I think I cannot give up on coffee due to this reason.
I cannot tolerate the thought that I quit drinking coffee, and the coffee aroma is everywhere in the country.
@Rainegurl (2156)
• Philippines
4 Jul 11
Not really -- except at one point in my life. I like chocolate cake but I could live without it. However, when I was eight months pregnant, I was diagnosed as having gestational diabetes thus I was prescribed with low-sugar diet. After my doctor's stern warning against sweets, I found myself craving for chocolate cake morning, noon and night. I had to remind myself that my self-control was for my baby but there were several times when I had to give in to temptation.
Happy Mylotting! 
Happy Mylotting! @scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
5 Jul 11
Hi Rainegurl, your motivation must be very strong to keep you away from the chocolate cake.
I think the more we cannot eat something, the more we want to eat it.
Most of us do not think common food items, such as coffee, chocolate, cakes, ice cream and eggs, are tempting, until we decide to give up or told to give up.
There was a time when our country faced a serious shortage of eggs.
I believed that was due to bird flu.
Nearly everyone started to crave for eggs, even to the extent of travelling overseas and ate eggs every day for every meal.
@sender621 (14889)
• United States
4 Jul 11
I think that when we can't have something it will just make us want it even more. i do think that forbidden things become more attractive because they are harder for us to obtain.@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
5 Jul 11
Hi Sender, that is definitely true.
For example, nobody thinks about buying garlic since it is always available.
However, when there is a shortage, and the price shoots up, then everyone starts to think about garlic.
This was what happened in garlic a while ago, when people thought that garlic could prevent a person from getting a certain flu or something.
@tiina05 (2317)
• Philippines
4 Jul 11
hello,
Yes, It also happened to me when I have sick. Ha ha its funny because when I already healed I just eat all those forbidden items!I hate it when the doctor said dont eat this, that, those! ok fine! so tired of it! that is why sometimes I am hiding when I am eating those foods but happy because there is no effect at all.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
5 Jul 11
Hi Tiina, the funnier thing is that we do not seem to crave for all those things when we are well!
It seems that all these food are just normal food that we can do without.
The minute we cannot eat all these food, then they become so attractive, and we simply must eat them.
It is so funny that doctor's instruction always has the opposite effect.
@lilbabycatapillar (497)
• United States
4 Jul 11
Well, I can't say I have ever been told not to eat anything as of now, but I do seem to want foods that are not in the house. Television commercials always have to make their food look so attractive, juicy, and delicious. So it is very hard for me to watch TV when I am hungry and too lazy to get up and get a snack.
Then again, having food in the house makes me want it. If I know that there is some cake leftover from someone's birthday, laid out on the table all day, I will always be thinking about it, and I will look forward to eating it.
I really do hate when I am looking forward to food in the house, and someone else eats it!
I also hate when there is a box of donuts on the table, and it turns out the box is empty.
Sometimes I just have a craving for a very specific type of food, and it's hard to satisfy that craving with anything else.
