Health – Pregnancy Cravings

I’ve lightly looked into this and the sources I’ve found attribute the varied, often strange cravings for certain foods during pregnancy to be part of compensating for the nutritional imbalance of eating for two.

The body goes through quite a few chemical shifts, thus it is quite plausible that it metabolizes nutrients differently. Thus deficiencies might crop up, creating cravings for foods that feed those deficiencies.

Common cravings appear to revolve around sweets, dairy products, sour fruits and spicy foods. Some, such as craving salty foods, can reveal where a deficiency might lie. In the above case, a deficiency of sodium in the blood. Considering the increase in body and blood mass from a developing baby, that makes sense.

Overall cravings are quite safe, so long as the mother generally keeps her eating habits healthy. However there is a more serious craving known as pica. This craving is for non-food items, such as dirt(Geophagia), laundry starch(Amylophagia), ice chips(Pagophagia), hair and matches, which can be harmful for obvious reasons. Some types of non-food cravings have names, as noted in parentheses above.

Theories on why pica exists have suggested deficiencies in calcium and iron or perhaps the ability of certain nonfood items to quell nausea and vomiting. Whatever the reason may be, such dangerous cravings should not be followed. It is dangerous for both the baby and the mother.

All in all, non-harmful cravings should be paid attention to. Figure out ways of incorporating them into your normal diet. For example, if you have a craving for lemons, squeeze some lemon juice on foods you eat or into drinks. That way it can be met without altering your diet too severely.

And don’t be afraid to seek help if your cravings border on the dangerous.

Resources

Cravings during pregnancy: Real or imagined?

Why do pregnant women crave certain foods?

Harmful Cravings

Food cravings and what they mean