Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : January 30, 2017 1:33 PM IST
Craving sweets during pregnancy and wondering how did you develop a sweet tooth? Well, blame it on your hormones. It is normal to crave certain foods during pregnancy that you probably disliked before. But, all these cravings may not be healthy. However, experts believe that specific cravings can be like a warning sign, indicating a specific need in your body. Here is how to eat healthy during pregnancy and avoid cravings.
You are what you crave
For most women, cravings and food aversions go hand-in-hand during the first trimester. Women who suffer from morning sickness or nausea usually develop an aversion towards foods like rice, meat, fish, beans and eggs and pungent curries. They crave sour and spicy foods, which help ease the nausea. Some women might also crave things like chalk, petrol and paint, which may indicate a condition called Pica. If you feel like eating things that are not food, you need medical help. Here are seven essentials every pregnant woman should have in her diet.
Reality check
An expectant mother needs only about 300 extra calories. This means eating an extra chapatti or an extra bowl of vegetable during meals. However, it is important to limit unhealthy cravings that could lead to gestational weight gain and impact the fetus. Is eating for two a myth or reality? Check here.
What your cravings mean
Certain foods indicate a certain need in the body. Here is what your cravings tell you:
Food: Sweets, chocolate, ice-cream
What it means: Need for more energy, an underlying psychological problem like mood swings or pregnancy blues, or a drop in blood sugar level. Craving for dark chocolate could also mean onset of gestational anemia. Here are six causes of anemia during pregnancy you need to know.
What you should do: Include a variety of fruits in your diet. Have at least three to five servings of fresh fruit throughout the day to reduce carvings of high-fat sugary foods. Here are 10 diet dos and don ts every pregnant woman should follow.
What is normal: Two pieces of dark chocolate or a small helping of vanilla ice-cream once-a-while after a meal can be considered healthy. Continuous munching on sugary foods can lead to gestational diabetes and other complications. Here are ways to control gestational diabetes.
Food: Spicy foods and pickles
What it means: You are experiencing hormonal changes, which make you want to taste different things.
What you should do: Be experimental with your food along with condiments and spices. Apart from using the usual jeera, garam masala and tej patta try using Jai phal, aniseeds and other dry masalas. However, don t go overboard as it can cause heartburn and acidity. Here are nine ways to reduce heartburn during pregnancy.
What is normal: Using different spices sparingly and a tiny bite of mango pickle with your meals shouldn t bother your system much.
Food: Chips, samosas, farsan, panipuri
What it could mean: This could indicate a lack of sodium and essential fluids. Sodium is a mineral that helps to retain water. The high amount of progesterone in the body during the first trimester could lead to loss of sodium through urine. However, excess water retention during pregnancy could lead to a condition called edema and, on the other hand, more salt it the diet increases one s chances of developing pre-eclampsia. Here are steps to counter edema during pregnancy.
What you should do: Make sure your salt intake is within the requisite limit of 2.5 mg a day.
What is normal: Binging on baked samosa and farsan once a week is permissible and for panipuri look for a hygienic stall (where people use gloves and clean water) or prepare it at home. Stay away from processed foods like chips or nachos. Here is your pregnancy eating out cheat-sheet.
Food: Meat, fish, eggs
What it could mean: You need more protein, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids.
What you should do: Include more protein in your diet. Have more pulses, tofu and soya in case of a vegetarian or eat more grilled chicken, fish, and boiled egg. During pregnancy, the required amount of protein consumption per day should be around 60 to 70 gm. Here are 10 superfoods every pregnant woman should have in her diet.
What is normal: Craving for non-vegetarian food is normal but going overboard with chicken tikka rolls, mutton keema and egg bhurji could be recipes for gestational weight gain and heartburn.
Foods: Chalk, petrol, paint
What it could mean: This may be because of an eating disorder called Pica. While some experts believe that it could mean a deficiency of iron, but a more conclusive explanation is that it is a sign of an emotional problem such as stress or obsessive compulsive disorder. Here are 10 diet tips to control stress during pregnancy.
What you should do: Speak to the doctor and get help.
What is normal: Eating non-food items isn t normal. Get help soon.
Food: Ice-cubes
What it could mean: While this is a non-food item but sucking on ice cubes isn t harmful. Dehydration, loss of fluids or body heat could be a probable reason.
What you should do: Sucking ice-cubes during a summer afternoon is fine, but beware getting a sore throat during pregnancy could be a problem.
What is normal: Two small ice-cubes during a sunny afternoon isn t a bad indulgence.
Image source: Getty Images
For more articles on pregnancy, visit our Pregnancysection. For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter.
