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Food Cravings During Pregnancy
from: Maxx Family LifeIf pickles and ice cream or red peppers and peanut butter sound good to you, you're probably a pregnant woman who's searching for that ice cream carton you've buried in your freezer. More than 75% of all pregnant women experience cravings at some time during their pregnancy.
Common cravings include sweets, dairy products and salty foods, although there are some even weirder cravings that could show up. Pregnant women have been known to put black olives on cheesecake, or to dip fruit in salsa. As bizarre as these cravings can be, they're usually perfectly safe.
There are old wives tales that say that what you crave can indicate the sex of your baby. If you're craving sweets, you may be having a girl. If you crave meats or cheeses, it's believed you're having a boy. Cravings are something that most women love most about pregnancy.
It's when a woman craves dirt or clay that an alarm should go off. If you find yourself craving dirt, soil, or chalk, call your doctor immediately. Not only could these be harmful if you do eat them, but chances are they're a sign of iron-deficiency anemia.
Most doctors believe that cravings are often nutritionally based. In other words,the cravings are a message from your body on what it needs to eat. If you're craving salty foods, it could be because your body needs more sodium as your blood volume increases. If you're craving fruit, your body might need more vitamins C.
The problem is, sometimes the message gets lost on the way to our brain. You may find yourself craving something sweet and instead of getting berries or fruit, you start gulping down a bunch of chocolate bars. Cravings can be the downfall of your weight gain, especially if the message is getting scrambled. There are a few ways you can help curb your cravings, however.
To beging with, eat a good breakfast, which can prevent cravings later in the day. You'll also want to make wise choices by looking for healthier alternatives. If you're dying for potato chips, try eating soy crisps. Instead of ice cream, try frozen yogurt. If you feel that candy would hit the spot, snack on some frozen grapes. If you want something salty, eat some pretzels, or rice cakes to satisfy that urge. A good replacement for soda would be fruit juice mixed with sparkling water.
Next, think small. If you crave chocolate, you don't need to reach for a king size bar. The snack size bar should satisfy you just the same. If you want a brownie, have one; just don't eat the whole pan. There's nothing wrong with indulging in a few of your cravings as long as you don't over do it.
Giving in to your cravings during pregnancy doesn't make you a bad person and it's not something you should feel guilty about. Cravings are a normal part of pregnancy and denying yourself could make you resent being pregnant. Indulge when you want to, just make wise choices and do everything in moderation.
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