As early as the first trimester, many expectant moms undergo intense, urgent feelings for food—what they will soon recognize as pregnancy cravings. While doctors don’t know exactly what causes you to crave for food you’ve never wanted to eat before, and the oddest combinations too, they do have some ideas.
It’s possible that your pregnancy cravings are caused by the hormones going wild at the moment. Some people believe that your cravings are a result of your body working extra hard since you have a growing baby inside your tummy. Others theorize that your cravings are a signal of a lack in a specific nutrient—you end up craving for food rich in it. Or maybe it’s just that, as your body changes, certain foods give you the comfort you need for coping with all of it.
Changing Cravings
Pregnancy cravings can be unpredictable. Although for most women, they appear usually in the first trimester and peaks in the second trimester, before they go away just as you’re about to give birth (although some report having cravings after delivery!).
They tend to change as the days pass. One day you’re craving for a big juicy steak, the next all you want are mangoes.
Filipino Favorites
Studies show that cravings can be cultural. What moms in the US will be craving for will be different from Brazilian moms, for instance. In the Philippines, some common cravings are chocolate (especially chocolate bars), mangoes (both yellow and green), pasta, ice cream, French fries, coconut, corn, pineapples, bananas, and apples. Some report a desire for sour foods like santol or atchara, or develop a desire for spicy dishes. Other moms find themselves craving for unusual combinations, like ice cream and bagoong, or bananas and sautéed garlic!
Dangerous Ideas
In rare cases, pregnant moms develop cravings for non-food substances like dirt. This strange occurrence is called pica, and doctors are still unsure why it happens.
If you are experiencing pica, you need to talk to your doctor about how to handle it. Because pica cravings can be about non-food items that have a toxic or parasitic components. You’ll want to make sure to keep harm away from you and your baby.
Managing Food Cravings
On the whole, giving in to food cravings should be fine. Just try to strike a balance and avoid a steady intake of unhealthy foods. A diet high in fat, sugar, or chemicals can lead to excessive weight gain, gestational diabetes, or other problems that can affect your health even after you give birth.
You need to be especially wary about your sugar intake; studies show that women of Korean, Chinese, and Filipino descent are more than twice as likely to develop gestational diabetes as Caucasian or African American women.
If you’re craving for something that’s off the pregnancy list—like alcohol—get your doctor to support you so that you can protect your baby from health risks.
Food Aversions
On the other extreme are cases of being turned off, or just hating, the idea of food, either specific items or in general. Food aversions tend to occur in the first trimester, accompanied by nausea that comes with morning sickness.
It’s usually not a big deal, unless you find yourself foregoing healthy meals because of an ingredient you suddenly cannot stand. In this case, find a way to get your necessary nutrients in other ways. Deal with your aversion to meat by consuming other high-protein sources, or manage your aversion to vegetables by sneaking them into creamy soups or fruit smoothies.
SOURCES
When do Pregnancy Cravings Start?
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/when-do-cravings-start
The Top 10 Cravings of Filipino Pregnant Women
Pregnancy and Pica
http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/unusual-cravings-pica/
Asians at Increased Risk for Gestational Diabetes
Everything You Need to Know About Food Aversions During Pregnancy
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/food-aversions#1
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