How to Deal with Cravings During Pregnancy

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Although many pregnant women claim not to have felt them, it is a socially widespread and recurring idea in series and movies: the pregnant woman, one rainy morning, sends her partner for a large tub of ice cream of some bizarre flavor, difficult to obtain, blah blah blah. You’ve seen that one too.

But what really are cravings? Should you eat what your body asks of you during pregnancy or are they not healthy? Why do we have cravings?

WHAT ARE CRAVINGS

We can think of cravings as the compulsive uncontrollable desire to consume a particular food at a given time, not only in pregnancy. When they appear, the same foods are always recurrent in the same person, for this reason, one may want French fries and others, oranges or pickles.

The little research that there is in this regard is usually based simply on describing the characteristics of cravings, especially in the stage of pregnancy, but none of them manages to find a specific cause. And it is that, scientifically speaking, cravings in pregnancy are not very interesting or have much foundation.

Although the main hypothesis has always been that hormones create a preference for a specific nutrient that could be lacking, this theory disarms us. On many occasions, cravings are directed towards totally superfluous foods, which do not provide anything nutritionally, such as sweets, junk food, or chocolate…

For this reason, other hypotheses point to the desire to feel that another person will make the greatest effort to please you, offering you that food that you have become so infatuated with. This could explain why, sometimes, it is even the partner who reports cravings.

Do you want the actual food or to feel cared for and see that someone shows you that they will move heaven and earth to get you that whim? Do you need that dose of satisfaction of granting yourself a whim?

CAUSE OF CRAVINGS DURING PREGNANCY

Although the cause, as we have seen, is unknown, we must not forget that pregnancy can be a stage in which the woman feels that she can give free rein to her food desires.

There are many misconceptions, such as that you have to eat for two, that the weight gained during pregnancy will only be an aesthetic matter and will be lost later, that if the body asks for food it is because nature is wise and it is what it needs…

Something that has been documented, and could explain the cause, is that the taste for certain foods can change during pregnancy . There are changes in the taste bud receptors. This could explain that during pregnancy you do not feel like a food that you used to eat often, but feel a craving for another that would never have caught your attention.

A relationship has been found between this phenomenon and excessive weight gain during pregnancy. This can result in a higher risk of pathology during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, or more complications during childbirth.

A relationship has also been seen between smoking and cravings, especially when the pregnant woman stops smoking. Quitting tobacco and replacing the urge to smoke with eating is something that happens at any stage of life. In pregnancy, the typical cravings of pregnancy are combined with a greater motivation to quit smoking.

TYPES OF CRAVINGS

It is important to know that sugar metabolism changes in pregnancy. What you think of as simple sweet tooth cravings may be your body’s response to altered glucose metabolism.

Superfluous foods such as those described take the first prize, but also acidic or spicy. Cravings for pickled items such as olives or pickles are very typical. If you have any questions about your cravings, it is best to consult your midwife or gynecologist.

CAN CRAVINGS BE DANGEROUS?

Eating too much of the same type of food can be detrimental to your health, since you would end up following a very unbalanced diet. Bananas may be healthy, but not if you eat pounds a day, crowding out other foods. At this stage of your life you need to eat very well.

But there are two situations that deserve special attention, since they are eating disorders: pica and bulimia.

PICA

Pica is the compulsive consumption of some non-nutritive substance. The population that suffers the most are pregnant women, who usually consume ice, sand, or plaster that they scratch from the wall. The cause may be a nutritional deficit. It is not uncommon for pica to be hidden from the doctor out of embarrassment, but it is a disorder that has a solution. So, if this is your case, tell them about it so that they can evaluate your case and find the most suitable foods for you.

BULIMIA

Bulimia causes binge eating, which may or may not be followed by vomiting. If you feel that it is an effort to control those impulses to eat, consult a professional.

HOW LONG DO CRAVINGS LAST DURING PREGNANCY?

The onset, duration, and end of cravings is wildly variable among women. The protagonists in the first trimester are nausea and vomiting that, sometimes, leave little room for a food that you really want. In the second trimester there are more women who report feeling cravings.

Also, of course, the intensity varies, which can range from “oops, how I feel like eating anchovies…” to “I can’t sleep until I eat a handful of pickled onions. I’m going to see where to buy them at this hour.”

WHEN THERE IS A CRAVING, DO YOU HAVE TO INDULGE IT?

The answer to this question is a resounding negative if the food in question could pose a health risk, such as a shot of tequila.

If the craving is chocolate, almonds, ice cream, strawberries, cheese… why refuse? We are talking about punctual consumption, even if it were a superfluous food. Sporadically, it will not cause harm to you or your baby.

If it becomes a persistent craving, you’ll need to find healthier alternatives . Do you want chocolate? Choose dark and without sugar, much healthier than that cookie-filled milk chocolate bar.

It is essential to clarify that giving up cravings can cause you frustration, but it will never affect your baby. Formerly it was said that if you refused a whim, the baby would get a big spot on their skin. Of course this is an idea without the slightest scientific basis.

Anxiety should never be a justification to give free rein to cravings, and it should be treated properly, not with compulsive consumption, which will only be a crutch and can harm your diet.

CONCLUSION

Eating something we like makes us feel better, it happens to us pregnant and not pregnant. In our culture we associate any celebration with a great banquet, right?

During pregnancy, our perception of flavors changes, although it is also possible that the body asks us for some necessary foods or nutrients… it is not known. What is known is that giving up a craving will not negatively affect the baby’s health in any way.

Continue to enjoy the foods you like and, if necessary, consult a nutritionist for healthier alternatives so you don’t have to give up those treats.