What pregnant women crave

If you guessed pickles and ice cream, you're only half right!

What do pregnant women crave? A survey on our sister site in America showed that if today's dear husband were rushing out to the shops to satisfy his pregnant wife's middle-of-the-night urges, he'd probably bring back ice cream - without the pickles. When women were asked what they longed to eat while pregnant, most of them (almost 40 per cent) said 'something sweet'. Slightly fewer (33 per cent) opted for salty snacks. Fans of spicy food came in third (17 per cent). Trailing behind (at 10 per cent) were those who craved citrus fruit, green apples and other lip-puckering tart or sour foods.

Pickled onions, anyone?

The yearning for a particular type of food is an undeniable part of carrying a baby; about 85 per cent of women report at least one food craving during pregnancy. And not all of these cravings can be neatly catalogued -- or stomached. American readers confessed to wanting pickles wrapped in cheese, salsa spooned straight out of the jar and yes, even steak fat. And where in the spectrum of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour does one woman's passion for black olives on Sara Lee cheesecake lie? One user told us she ate a steady diet of pickled onions, which she can't bear the sight of, now that her baby's arrived. Aubergine, particularly on pizza, was another reader's obsession.

Many of these cravings seem to come out of nowhere, with a ferocity that is overpowering. "Over the entire ninth month period," one new mum said, "I had a real, all-out craving for peaches. I couldn't get enough of them, up to five pounds a day!"

Where do cravings come from? The extreme hormonal changes women go through during pregnancy can have a powerful impact on taste and smell. (This would help explain why women going through menopause can also experience strong food cravings and aversions.) But the bottom line is that no one really knows for sure. Some experts are sceptical that food cravings can be attributed simply to hormones.

What could a longing for cigarette butts mean?

As to what a particular craving signifies, the answer depends on whom you ask. Some nutritionists and healthcare practitioners believe that certain cravings may be meaningful. For example, cravings for ice and bizarre substances such as laundry starch and cigarette butts have been linked to an iron deficiency (even though none of these items contain significant amounts of iron). In fact, a number of US readers reported consuming large quantities of ice during their pregnancies, a craving they had never had before.





Some alternative medicine practitioners believe that a craving for chocolate may be triggered by a shortage of B vitamins. Some women may need more essential fatty acids in their diet; when they start taking flax oil, their food cravings disappear. Similarly, a craving for red meat seems like a transparent cry for protein. And the reader who consumed great quantities of peaches may have been responding to her body's need for beta carotene.

Still, the link between what your body needs and what you crave seems weak. If it were strong we would all be craving broccoli and fresh fruit, rather than the chocolate and crisps most of us desire occasionally.

It's possible that what you really need is a hug

In the end, the experts our sister site consulted agreed that you should pay attention to your pregnancy cravings -- but not necessarily give in to them. Usually a healthy diet can meet all our nutritional needs but some experts think food also satisfies an emotional need. If we are not feeling emotionally fulfilled, maybe we need a hug rather than a hamburger.

Other ways to curb unhealthy cravings? Eat breakfast every day (skipping breakfast can make cravings worse), get plenty of exercise and make sure you have a wide ranging and healthy diet.