Oh dear - pregnant and that craving for jam sandwiches with pickled cucumber again! Maybe you're expecting a child and you're familiar with this sudden, irrepressible appetite for a certain dish or food? Then you are one of the 90 or so % who belong to this "club of strange cravings during pregnancy".
Such cravings usually occur in the first and second trimester, but can also last until the birth. The clichéd image of this is, of course, the famous pickles on jam sandwiches. It often involves unusual combinations of foods that you would not normally eat.
Many pregnant women suddenly love foods that they didn't like at all before their pregnancy. Or, conversely, they have somehow lost their desire for their previous favourite foods. Even some vegetarians suddenly want a good piece of meat on their plate during pregnancy. My goodness, is this craving for different or unusual foods still normal? But yes!
I can also tell you about the special culinary cravings that hit many of the women I looked after during pregnancy: for example, cheesecake (but only the baked kind), fresh pears (only Williams Christ, please), chips (preferably "very British" with lots of vinegar on top), burgers (double cheese is a must), pickled silver onions (fished straight from the jar), chocolate (only the ones with whole nuts) or green Thai curry (the spicier, the better). When I was pregnant, I loved sliced red radish, which I then spread with plenty of acacia honey. I could go on and on with this list. It shows that although the desire for certain foods is very individual, it is possible to recognise recurring food groups such as sweet, sour and fast food. More on this in a moment.
Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to point this out: The old wives' tale still circulates that a great appetite for sweets during pregnancy indicates the birth of a girl, while a boy is born after a particular desire for savoury food. However, this is and remains Superstition . Any hunger pangs do not say anything about the sex of the unborn child. However, they may mean something else ...
Possible reasons for hunger pangs and cravings during pregnancy
Researchers have also looked into the reasons for certain cravings during pregnancy. Ultimately, the scientists did not come to a watertight conclusion, but they did come to two key assumptions:
Are cravings during pregnancy caused by hormones? Hormones change dramatically during pregnancy. At the beginning, the balance of hormones is thrown into turmoil. After fertilisation, for example, the beta hCG level rises sharply. But it is not only this pregnancy hormone that affects the sense of smell and taste, which can change under hormonal influence. This is because pregnancy hormones also influence the part of the brain that is responsible for appetite. This could explain changes in cravings during pregnancy.
Are pregnancy cravings due to a lack of nutrients? One theory assumes that the body's hunger for certain foods indicates which nutrients it may be lacking. For example, the body could lack sodium if it is very hungry for Salty such as crisps, liquorice, pretzel sticks & co. The need for vitamins and minerals also increases during pregnancy. A healthy and balanced Nutrition is particularly important to provide the body with all the nutrients it needs, especially during pregnancy.
Incidentally, there has also been scientific research into whether pregnant women actually eat more of the much-cited pickled cucumbers. The result is: No - expectant mothers do not eat more pickled cucumbers than women who are not pregnant. At least this has now been clarified.
Does it perhaps lie in the "psychological"? In addition, the assumption is being discussed that cravings are also a Psychological motive could be the reason for this. This hypothesis assumes that women may use their pregnancy as an alibi to allow themselves foods and luxury foods that they would otherwise deny themselves for "figure reasons" (or other motives). However, as they have curves during pregnancy anyway, they are "allowed" to be less strict with themselves regardless of supposed beauty ideals. It is possible that this assumption also applies to some pregnant women. However, this has not been proven.
What should you eat during pregnancy?
If you generally eat a healthy and balanced diet during pregnancy, you can indulge your personal cravings and treat yourself to "unhealthy" things from time to time. A few crisps and pretzel sticks in moderation have never done any pregnant women any harm. Many people don't just crave fatty, sweet or savoury foods, but often also lots of healthy ones Fruit and vegetables. Apples, radishes, strawberries or broccoli provide a whole bag full of healthy vitamins and other valuable nutrients. Maybe that's exactly what your body is craving right now? So you can indulge this craving with a clear conscience. However, pay attention to the sugar content of ready-made smoothies - some contain a lot of sugar, even though they are advertised as "healthy". It's better to avoid such offers or mix your own vitamin bomb. Even if you have a big appetite for Dairy products you can hardly go wrong. The proteins and calcium contained in milk, quark etc. are also important for your baby's development. Perhaps your body particularly needs these ingredients contained in milk right now. However, you should also be wary of products with a high sugar content (e.g. ready-made fruit yoghurt).
With a great desire for Sour the pregnant woman's body may not be producing enough stomach acid. However, it may also simply be due to a change in taste sensation. The taste buds could also be the reason for now favoured spicy food be. But perhaps the body also lacks zinc. I remember an expectant mother who seasoned almost every dish on her plate with extra chilli sauce. She regularly broke out in a sweat after the spicy flavours - and her body cooled down in response. This effect may also be pleasant for some pregnant women. However, bear in mind that spicy food also stimulates the production of gastric juice, which in turn can lead to heartburn. Incidentally, your unborn child won't mind spicy food - but it could influence its later preferences for "hot food" accordingly.
And the other day, I really had to laugh. A pregnant woman told me in her infinite wisdom: "Oh you know, chocolate doesn't ask - chocolate understands." Of course, the emotional balance of pregnant women is fragile, and the body releases happiness hormones when chocolate is consumed (not only in pregnant women). This could be one reason for the appetite for chocolate or Sweet be. However, there may also be a magnesium deficiency, which the magnesium-rich cocoa should compensate for. However, you can also use healthy sources of magnesium such as green vegetables or pulses. Sweets also cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, which tend to be low or fluctuating due to increased insulin production during pregnancy. However, excessive consumption of such sweets favours the development of gestational diabetes. Extreme cravings for sweets could also be a sign of this. It is best to talk to your midwife or gynaecologist about this.
It's not just sweets that provide a quick energy boost, but also Fast Food Products like pizza, chips, kebab or currywurst. And it is well known that the body needs extra energy during pregnancy - in moderation. So this could be one reason for these preferences. The altered sense of taste may also be particularly sensitive to such high-fat foods, as fat is known to be a flavour carrier. But be careful with such "delicacies" - they are certainly not healthy. By the way: eating several small meals spread throughout the day prevents such cravings.
If you really fancy "proper" Meat a nutrient deficit may become noticeable. After all, poultry, pork or beef provide many B vitamins as well as minerals such as zinc and iron. Should you vegetarian diet and do not want to make any exceptions during pregnancy, it is important to pay attention to other sources of nutrients.
Anyone who is in the mood for Ice gives way, provides temporary cooling in the body. This applies equally to ice cream and ice cubes. Researchers are discussing whether the desire to suck or chew ice cubes may also be linked to anaemia. Again, if in doubt, talk to your doctor about this.
Last but not least, for many pregnant women, certain dishes that they associate with their own childhood memories play a major role. This could be grandma's potato soup, mum's rice pudding with melted butter or Aunt Gerda's goulash. Such Soul Food The idea is to create a sense of well-being when you crave it. So here it is purely emotional reasons that fuel the appetite for certain foods.
Dangerous cravings
With the so-called Pica syndrome people develop a strange desire to eat non-edible things, such as sand, paper, earth, chalk or washing powder. This rare eating disorder can affect anyone, not just pregnant women. However, it is particularly important for those who have such cravings to talk to their doctor immediately. Why? Because the mother and the unborn child are in acute health danger if the woman gives in to these cravings. Pica syndrome is also associated with a lack of certain nutrients. However, an exact cause has not yet been found.
