October 10, 2020:
I grew up with the notion that food cravings are a language.
My mother insisted, "If you're hungry for fill-in-the-blank it means fill-in-the-blank contains some nutrient your body is lacking," where that paraphrase is of course mine not hers.
To be sure, I frequently crave sweets, and often give way. Sodas, cookies, cake, ice cream: nutritionally harmful while emotionally satisfying, at least temporarily. The calorie-rich unhealthy diet she encouraged me to learn when she believed I was too frighteningly thin.
Onions are the healthy food I crave most often. Partly because I love onions, partly because I believe I can hear my body telling my brain, as my mother predicted, there's something in them which is required. If true, I'm good with it. Onions are rich in vitamins B and C, and potassium, of which blood workups suggest I'm chronically short. They're anti-inflammatory, decrease cholesterol, improve insulin regulation, contribute to bone density, and lower blood pressure. The red variety is particularly useful for certain of these.
My guess would be the potassium. But who knows?
For lunch I've just had sliced turkey on toasted sourdough, with feta, spinach, honey-mustard dressing instead of mayonnaise, and about a quarter of a raw mild yellow onion. I wanted Oreos, but I'm trying to be good.