How to Deal with Pregnancy Cravings
Salty or sweet, a craving can take over your mind and body faster than anything I’ve experienced in my life so far. They can feel all encompassing so here’s what I’ve found that works for me in terms of learning to manage, live with, and embracing them.
For centuries, women’s bodies have been seen as mysterious, with cravings dismissed as irrational or uncontrollable. But rather than seeing these cravings as something to resist or manage, we can view them as a way our bodies communicate during this extraordinary time. By listening to these signals with kindness and understanding, we can nourish both our bodies and our minds throughout the journey of pregnancy.
Navigating cravings can feel like a balancing act. On one hand, there’s the joy of giving in, but on the other, there’s a concern about overindulgence. Some cravings may indeed be our bodies calling for specific nutrients, like iron or calcium, but others seem to be about something deeper—emotions like stress, fatigue, or a desire for comfort. Recognizing this can help us respond more thoughtfully, considering both the physical and emotional layers of our cravings.
(below I’ve put three of my personal top cravings during this first pregnancy of mine. Any kind of potato, fries or hashbrown, especially when accompanied by smoked salmon and caviar if I’m lucky. Waffles covered in butter and croissant or pain au chocolat!) YUM!
When cravings arise, the first step is to pause and consider their source. Cravings are not meaningless, they’re a specific cue from our bodies to consume more of something that we’ve been depleted of. Consider this, are you craving sugar because your energy has been depleted? Is salt calling to you because of your body’s increased blood volume? Addressing the root cause might mean choosing a healthier option than what first came to mind, like fruit or yogurt for sweet cravings, or nuts and avocado for salt. I’ve found it incredibly helpful to try to take a mindful approach to what my body is craving and eat whole foods that will satisfy the desire rather than jumping immediately to highly processed or fast foods, which can be easy but nutritionally lacking.
Emotional wellbeing is important, and listening to our innermost desires, especially during pregnancy, the need for comfort shows up as a craving for familiar foods, and it’s important to allow space for this. Satisfying these cravings in moderation, with an understanding of their emotional significance, is part of a balanced approach to pregnancy.
As you go through this journey, allow your body to really speak to you and listen when it does - this can be new to many (I know it was to me, I used to exist purely in a “rational / planned” way. Truly allowing my natural feminine intuition to guide me has allowed me to feel so incredibly powerful in my body and in my pregnancy journey so far.
Good luck - you are not alone <3 !!
A quick note about pregnancy weight gain:
Everyone has their own comfort level in terms of weight gain during pregnancy. Many doctors will say 25-35 pounds is a healthy weight gain over the 40 week pregnancy, with most of that gain happening in the final 6 weeks or so. If you started at a very high weight to begin with they might advise less, and if you started quite low it could be more. Either way, the body tends to decide on it’s own how much weight it wants to gain so all you can do is your best in terms of living in a healthy way for you and your future baby and eating good foods along the way.