Aaahhh pregnancy. Nine months of hormones messing with your mind, your body and your TASTE BUDS, do they not?
Like peas and corn, cravings and pregnancy go hand-in-hand. That is, after the morning sickness and food aversion stops.
But what do pregnancy cravings mean? Why do we all obsess over foods we couldn’t care less about when not pregnant?
Are pregnancy cravings my body’s way of telling me something?
In short, no. There’s no hard evidence as to why we develop food cravings according to Pregnancy Birth & Baby. It was once believed pregnancy cravings meant your diet lacked certain vitamins and minerals. However, that’s not the case. There’s no definite evidence of any links between food cravings and nutrient deficiency.
So there it is. The cold hard truth is you just love Nutella. That, and your hormones are screwing with you.
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
So what do pregnant mummas want to devour? We put the question to our Pregnancy Mums Australia Facebook group and the comments we received were mouth-wateringly good!
WHERE you’re buying the food from is just as important.
“Hungry Jacks frozen coke. Can’t be any other flavour or come from any other place.” ~ Tiffany
“Meat pies from the bakery where I live can’t be from anywhere else.” ~ Kaitlyn
And oh so much questioning of our dietary choices.
“I never drink Coke, but it’s my only craving! Has to have lots and lots of ice!!” ~ Rianna
“I’m vegetarian and all I want is meaty kebabs.” ~ Shenae
And then there’s the flavour fusions. Mmmmmm. Yum. Maybe.
“Sour cream Pringle’s dipped in Nutella!” ~ Danielle
“All things chocolate, string cheese and orange juice” ~ Kirsty
Pregnancy often sends you straight to the confectionery aisle….
“Choc mint Cornetto’s from Aldi” ~ Ashlea
Not surprisingly (considering energy levels when pregnant), PLENTY of mums craved all things sugar. From sour lollies to chocolate and all the flavoured milk and doughnuts in between. GIVE. IT. TO. ME.
Should I give in to my weird pregnancy cravings?
Yes and no. Obviously, if you have slightly odd pica related cravings – ie. the smell of cleaning products, wet dirt, laundry detergent etc you should definitely ease off smelling those while pregnant as a safety precaution. Furthermore, if you’re freaking yourself out over your new addiction to fresh grass and the like – please know it’s often only temporary – but DO mention it to your doctor.
As for all delicious food cravings, everything is better in moderation, provided it’s safe for consumption during pregnancy. So let’s try and stretch that jar of Nutella out a little longer than a week, but still, steer clear of soft cheeses. Gosh darn it.
If you’re currently pregnant and looking for a supportive bunch of women to chat all things pregnancy related with, join our Pregnancy Mums Australia Facebook group!
Finally, if the pregnancy cravings aren’t already enough, here’s 11 strange pregnancy symptoms to look out for. FUN TIMES!
