Pregnant women sometimes experience intense cravings for food. Some cravings are just impossible to control. But it’s a bit mysterious – why does this happen? Understand it here below.
What are cravings?
Cravings can be described as intense desires for food items, such as chocolate or soda. If you can't get it, you reach a point where you become absolutely desperate to get your hands on that chocolate or bottle of cola.
Who experiences it?
Of course, there are some pregnant women who do not experience any of these disturbances. And that is perfectly normal. Both phenomena are normal – whether you develop unusual eating habits or not, it is completely normal.
Still the same taste buds
Even though changes in eating habits occur, it doesn’t mean that your taste buds change. Thus, a roll with cheese and jam will taste the same way. However, as a pregnant woman, you may find that the proportions change for you – instead of eating one roll, you might crave 3-4 rolls instead. Your joy about a roll with cheese and jam can also either increase or decrease. This is caused by the hormones that are changing in your body.
Intense hormones
You will experience that many things are happening in your body during the first 12 weeks. The hormonal changes are chaotic for the body, and thus a period that many women refer to as a survival period occurs. Here, some women select a few food items like coffee or skyr that they will live on. Others have the opposite experiences – for example, you might end up dropping drinking water or milk.
Health
Cravings can become an unhealthy habit as you often eat a lot of the same thing, and that is never entirely healthy. Even if you only crave nuts, which are healthy, it becomes unhealthy as soon as you consume excessive amounts, like 2 bags of 500 grams in one evening.
Mysterious cravings
Occasionally, women develop Pica syndrome. This refers to developing cravings for non-food items, such as chalk and erasers. Talk to a doctor if you experience this urge.
A few good tips
- Remember snacks throughout the day, so you don’t get cravings at night
- Eat a varied diet – don’t eat for two
Sources:
- Lene Skou Jensen, midwife
- Per Møller, associate professor in sensory and consumer science at the University of Copenhagen
- Annette Weisleder, dietitian and midwife.
