Pregnancy Cravings: What Your Body Might Be Telling You

During pregnancy most women find that they have changes in appetite as well as an increase in appetite. Some favorite foods may become unpalatable while the mother may crave foods that she used to avoid. Sometimes nausea during the first trimester (and occasionally beyond) may stifle an increased appetite. Although, in all three of my own pregnancies eating is what quells my nausea, so I am always snacking!

“During pregnancy, alterations in the balance of oestrogen, progesterone, glucagon and insulin contribute to the changes in food intake” (Stables & Rankin, 2010, p. 299). There is some evidence that a vitamin or mineral deficiency may steer you towards certain food choices. For example dairy in the case of a calcium deficiency, citrus when vitamin C is needed, or for a friend of mine who was a strict vegetarian she found herself craving fish for the first time in her life, possibly because of an increased need for protein. With certain cravings what you want may actually indicate a need for something unexpected, for example some professionals believe that craving ice actually means your body needs iron (Huber, 2006)! Another type of craving, called pica, is a craving for a non-food substance with little or no nutritional value (American Pregnancy Association, 2011). There is some evidence to suggest that pica cravings are also related to an iron deficiency (American Pregnancy Association, 2011). A sweet tooth may be your body’s way of telling you that your blood sugar is low (Briffa, 2000), but that doesn’t mean you need to go eat candy, cakes, or other sweets empty of nutritional value. Rather this is an indication that you need to eat more frequent, healthy, well-balanced meals.

During pregnancy, the best way to satisfy increased appetite and cravings is to have a healthy, varied diet. Eat several well-balanced meals every day which include plenty of vegetables, fruit, protein, dairy (if tolerable), and complex carbohydrates. My midwife calls this a “rainbow plate” because your meals should be multicolored. Having pregnancy-healthy snack foods on hand is also a good idea, and of course drinking plenty of water. I don’t think there is any reason not to give into cravings as long as they are healthy cravings and your diet is still varied. It is important to learn to listen to your body, and that includes attention to appetite and food cravings. I do believe it is a good idea to take a high quality prenatal vitamin supplement, but you shouldn’t let the supplement be an excuse to have a diet lacking in essential nutrients.

References

American Pregnancy Association. (2011). Pregnancy and pics: non-food cravings.

Retrieved May 18, 2011 from http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/unusualcravingspica.html

Briffa, J. (2000). Understanding food cravings.

Retrieved May 18, 2011 from http://www.drbriffa.com/2000/11/07/understanding-food-cravings/

Huber, C. (2006). Food cravings.

Retrieved May 18, 2011 from http://www.naturopathyworks.com/pages/cravings.php

Stables, D. & Rankin, J. (2010). Physiology in Childbearing with Anatomy and Related Biosciences. (3rd ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Limited