Have you ever thought about what was behind cravings for certain foods? If you have ever had an urgent desire for pickled gherkins, or felt like you couldn't get through the day without a nice fillet of atlantic salmon on your plate, you may know what I mean.

It's something of a cliché that a pregnant woman can develop the most bizarre cravings and yet there is so much sense behind this – there are likely to be many alerts from the body to supply the important substances that will ensure a safe and healthy term. For example, strawberries in mushroom sauce, which sounds disgusting but is extremely high in folic acid – an invaluable vitamin that protects the unborn foetus – just might be on her menu.

For the rest of us, a craving for gherkins and their juice will be the body desperately in need of organic acids to combat the invasion of flu virus in the body; an overwhelming desire for oily fish is the body telling you it is in need of omega-3's to name but a few.

In each of these cases, the body is alerting you to an urgent need for some component substance that is lacking in your body and it also has the sense to know which food can supply it for you – how remarkable is that?

I am referring to the body's natural alert system, which will kick into action when you are feeling below par. You can pre-empt the body from getting into such a state that it must alarm you in this way, by taking some preventative measures right from nature.

Some of you will read this and perhaps think that what you read above as cravings will justify indulging in your favourite food or drink vice and this is not the intention of this article. You ought to learn the difference between a genuine craving that is designed to restore your body to balance or an unhealthy dependence on chocolate, wine or coca-cola!

However if you never eat chocolate, for example, and then one day go out and buy a big block of the stuff, have an overwhelming urge to eat the lot in one sitting and then never touch it for years, this is likely the body telling you it needs an immediate increase in blood pressure, energy and nervous strength.

Learn the difference between an unhealthy habit and a genuine craving, and you are on your way to improving the health of your organs and other body systems.