Grapes of wrath for a thief

Filed in archive Food for Thought , News on September 13, 2006

A craving for grapes and raisins can put a man behind bars:

The 63-year-old grandfather had just begun his second consecutive period of probation for theft when he was caught stealing two bags of raisins worth 3.90 euros ($4.95).

The man told the court he had been unable to help himself because he wanted to nibble on something sweet, Kropp said.

I say give Opa some candies! On the other hand, could it be the poor old man is near hypoglycemia or iron deficiency? You know, it's proven that you may be lacking what you're craving. It's the body's natural feedback mechanism. I know that for a fact. Each time I crave for something sweet (I don't have a sweet tooth), it means I'll have to have something with sugar in it otherwise I black out.

A friend had a craving for liver sometime back and sure enough, when she had a check-up, she was almost anaemic.

Lesson for us: listen to your body! Learn to discern what are simple externally-induced cravings and what your body really needs. Don't wait till you can't control your cravings and you end up in jail. :)