Cravings During Pregnancy
Cravings During Pregnancy; Not everyone experiences cravings when they are pregnant, but some people do and may even crave foods that they have never liked before. If you have uncontrollable cravings for certain foods and drinks, you are not alone. From pickled cucumber sandwiches to creamy garlic mushrooms… welcome to the world of pregnancy cravings! This article will explore pregnancy cravings and food aversions in more detail. Pickles, sweets, fruit, crisps – these days your shopping list may be full of sweet and savoury foods. Here’s why you may have strong cravings for certain foods.
Some pregnancy cravings sound like something out of an overeating reality TV competition: Cheeseburgers covered in hot chocolate sauce, pickles covered in peanut butter. (Try it if you dare!) Of course, there are also calmer cravings like pickles, sour candies or an extra handful of chocolate chips. But when do pregnancy cravings start, how long do they last and what triggers your intense desire for certain foods?
Content
- 1 What are pregnancy cravings?
- 2 What are the Causes of Food Cravings During Pregnancy?
- 3 When Does Cravings Start During Pregnancy?
- 4 Pregnancy Cravings
- 5 What happens if you don’t eat what you want during cravings during pregnancy?
- 6 How long do cravings last during pregnancy?
- 7 When Should You Worry About Strange Cravings in Cravings During Pregnancy?
- 8 Pregnancy Cravings and Baby’s Gender?
- 9 Cravings for non-food items during pregnancy: ‘Pica’
- 10 Which foods do you experience aversion to during pregnancy?
What are pregnancy cravings?
Cravings During Pregnancy: Simply put, pregnancy cravings are food cravings that go beyond simple hunger. According to research, between 50 per cent and 90 per cent of pregnant women in Turkey experience cravings for certain foods during pregnancy.
At some point during your first trimester (or possibly later), you may find yourself craving a triple scoop of ice cream cake, salted potato chips, or both. Increases in food cravings are very real (and very normal) for pregnant women, so don’t let anyone tell you that your intense need for crisps is all in your head. However, there is very little research that tells you why certain cravings arise.
What are the Causes of Food Cravings During Pregnancy?
No one can say for sure why cravings occur during pregnancy, but the most widely accepted theories revolve around cultural and psychosocial factors, nutritional deficiencies, ingredients in the desired foods, and, you guessed it, hormonal changes.
It also makes sense that you would crave something that your body is lacking. ‘A particular food may signal a nutritional need; craving pickles and other salty foods during pregnancy may be your body’s way of regulating your fluid balance,’ explain the experts. Craving meat may mean you need more iron, which can be particularly confusing for those who subscribe to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. (Fortunately, there are other iron-rich options if you choose not to eat meat.)
Cravings During Pregnancy, Cultural norms and media messages about food can also influence what does and doesn’t appeal to us during pregnancy, dietitians note. For example, research shows that while chocolate is one of the most desired foods in Turkey, few people in Egypt have strong cravings for it. A separate study found that women in Japan were more likely to crave rice, highlighting the influence of a region’s culinary traditions on people’s food preferences.
What about the folk tales that claim that craving sweets while pregnant means you are having a girl, while craving salty or protein foods means you are having a boy? As amusing as these hypotheses are, they are just myths. There is no evidence that cravings during pregnancy predict the biological sex of the baby.
More research is needed to understand exactly why cravings occur. One possible reason is that hormonal changes during pregnancy can alter your sense of smell and taste. Some people notice a strange, metallic taste in their mouth when they are pregnant. Others have a more sensitive sense of smell and may find that they do not like the smell of certain foods that they were not bothered by before. Just as these changes can stop you enjoying some foods and drinks you used to like, they can also make you crave others.
Cravings can also be caused by your body needing more nutrients to help your baby develop and keep you healthy. For example, it is important that you get enough iron, vitamin D and calcium. Cravings can be your body’s way of getting these nutrients. You may crave things like chocolate because it is linked to comfort. It is probably a mixture of these factors that leads to cravings.

Cravings During Pregnancy
When Does Cravings Start During Pregnancy?
Cravings during pregnancy, Food cravings can occur at any time during pregnancy. Cravings that overlap with food cravings are likely to start in the first trimester when your hormone levels increase and you may crave French fries until the day you give birth, generally speaking, pregnancy cravings peak in the second trimester before declining in the third trimester.
Pregnancy Cravings
The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can crave while pregnant, but studies show that sweets and starchy carbohydrates such as bread and pasta top the list. According to experts, other common pregnancy cravings include
- Spicy foods
- Salty foods such as chips and French fries
- Fruits and fruit juice
- Milk and other dairy products Milk and other dairy products
- Pickles
- Fast food
- Fruit and vegetables
- PizzaSweets
- Ice
So-called “weird” pregnancy wishes are also common. However strange some pregnancy cravings may be, as long as they are safe foodstuffs and your diet is balanced, experts say there is nothing wrong with eating your favourite Oreos topped with pickles or dipping your chocolate bar in strawberry ice cream.
What happens if you don’t eat what you want during cravings during pregnancy?
Deciding what to eat and what not to eat can be one of the most confusing parts of pregnancy. How much your diet needs to change to become more nutrient-rich is a question Seiden often receives from pregnant clients. Your doctor, midwife or nutritionist is the best source for information about the type of diet that best suits your needs. If you fall within the normal BMI range before pregnancy, they will recommend that you gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy (a little more if you are underweight, less if you are overweight).
What’s more, remember that you’re not actually eating for two. According to experts, during your second and third trimester, you only need 300 calories a day, a little more or less – roughly equivalent to a bagel with cream cheese.
So how do pregnancy cravings, especially those made up of refined sugar and empty carbohydrates, fit into a healthy regime? Most experts agree that it’s okay to indulge your cravings in moderation as long as you follow a balanced diet. You may want to make sure you get enough protein, healthy fats and quality carbohydrates. Some experts say it’s also ideal to eat a variety of herbs and greens every day.
Never giving in to non-nutritious cravings may seem like a healthy thing for you and your growing baby, but completely avoiding the delicious things you crave could be signalling a different kind of health problem. ‘If you have very rigid and restrictive thoughts about food, this mindset may not serve you well in other ways,’ it may be said. “I would encourage someone like that to take a more balanced approach to food. We want to be able to model for our children how to live in a world where cakes and cookies are real,” some experts say.
How long do cravings last during pregnancy?
You may feel hunger for certain things throughout your pregnancy, or you may crave saltier foods as your pregnancy nears its end. Studies show that cravings decrease in the third trimester and almost completely subside after birth, but researchers don’t know exactly why.

Cravings During Pregnancy – Cravings During Pregnancy
When Should You Worry About Strange Cravings in Cravings During Pregnancy?
Experts say that putting noodles on ice cream may sound gross to your non-pregnant partner and friends, but as long as the food is prepared safely, you shouldn’t feel bad about eating it. However, there are some red flags when it comes to pregnancy cravings. For starters, overindulging in non-nutritious things like junk food or overly processed foods can lead to excessive weight gain, which can cause complications for you and your baby.
You will also want to avoid certain foods during pregnancy, no matter how strong your cravings are. For example, you will have to skip sushi with raw fish and opt for cooked rolls instead. And if you have to eat the occasional sandwich, heat deli meat to 75 degrees before eating. If you have questions about which foods are safe and unsafe during pregnancy, talk to your doctor.
Finally, Cravings During Pregnancy, if you are interested in eating non-food items such as earth, clay, soap or even ice, you should call your doctor. This may indicate a condition known as Pica, which is probably linked to iron deficiency or malnutrition. While craving ice and chewing crushed cubes during pregnancy will not harm you or your baby, swallowing soap or other substances containing toxic ingredients is a whole different story.
Pregnancy cravings will come and go (and maybe come again!). Try to savour these moments and keep yourself and your tummy happy – within reason, of course. Consider getting a diary and writing down the things you love and crave during your pregnancy.
Pregnancy Cravings and Baby’s Gender?
You may have heard that your pregnancy cravings can give you clues about the sex of your baby. For example, old wives’ tales suggest that salt cravings during pregnancy indicate that you are carrying a boy, while sugar cravings indicate that you are carrying a girl. Unfortunately, these are just myths and are not supported by scientific evidence.
Cravings for non-food items during pregnancy: ‘Pica’
Cravings During Pregnancy, It is worth noting that most food cravings will not cause any harm to you or your baby. However, a small number of women may want to eat substances that are not usually eaten, such as earth, chalk and clay. This is called “pica” and can be a sign that you may have a nutrient deficiency, such as iron deficiency anaemia. If you have abnormal cravings, it is important to talk to your midwife or doctor, as they can be treated with medication or supplements.
You may have a condition called pica, which can be caused by iron deficiency and can be a sign of severe anaemia. If you have cravings during pregnancy, you may crave some of the following, as well as other non-food foods:
- clay or earth
- ice
- stones
- coal
- soap
- pieces of paper
- chalk
Eating these substances can be harmful. If you have eaten something that should not be eaten, you should seek medical advice immediately.
Which foods do you experience aversion to during pregnancy?
Cravings during pregnancy; You may have noticed that your favourite food suddenly leaves you gagging at the thought of it. Or perhaps you can’t stand the smell of strong-smelling food? Food aversions can have the opposite effect of food cravings; you may find yourself avoiding certain foods or drinks.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (the hormone responsible for your positive pregnancy test) rises rapidly during the first trimester and peaks at about 10 weeks of pregnancy. This increase in hCG during the first weeks of pregnancy has been associated with unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, which is known to be the biggest cause of food Cravings During Pregnancy.
Common food aversions include alcohol and caffeine, both of which should be limited during pregnancy to protect your baby’s health. Some women also experience food aversions to fatty, greasy or strongly smelling foods. In general, most food cravings and aversions do not cause any harm to you or your baby. However, if you find that your diet is restricted because you are avoiding a large number of foods, you may miss out on important nutrients in your diet. If you are worried about your diet, you can contact a dietician or your midwife for support (Cravings During Pregnancy).
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