Balancing Food Cravings and Maintaining a Healthy Diet During Pregnancy

Pregnancy Anemia

Food cravings are real!1 While there are speculations on the reasons for food cravings, there is little scientific evidence to support them.^2,3

Pregnancy means making dietary changes.⁴ You can satisfy your food cravings and maintain a healthy and nutritious diet at the same time. In fact, by maintaining a proper diet you can avoid overindulgence and unhealthy cravings.

Let’s consider the dos and don’ts for maintaining a healthy diet and managing your cravings.

Dos:

Consume a variety of foods.⁵

Whole grains, vegetables particularly green leafy ones and fruits should be eaten daily.⁵

Meat, poultry, fish, legumes and nuts should be included in the diet.⁵

Consider milk and milk products as a source of protein and calcium.⁵

Consider fortified cereals and juices to meet the nutritional requirements.⁶

Stay hydrated throughout the day.⁵

If you are craving junk food, eat in moderation.

Remember to take your supplements as prescribed by your doctor.⁶

Don’ts:

Stay away from alcohol, tobacco and drugs.⁶

Avoid drinking more than 2 cups of coffee per day.⁵

Do not eat sushi, undercooked meat, raw eggs, unpasteurized products and raw sprouts. They can cause food-borne diseases.⁴

If you are taking antacids for your heartburn, do not take them along with iron or calcium supplements since they impair absorption.⁶

Do not skip meals. Make sure to eat 5 to 6 meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals. This will keep you full and satiated throughout the day.

Cravings for non-food items like dirt, clay, cigarette ash, laundry detergent, chalk or paint are extremely unhealthy and an indicator of nutritional deficiencies.3 This condition, called pica, should be reported to the doctor.

Enjoy your pregnancy the right way; give in to your cravings in a healthy way; you deserve to be pampered!

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PHI2205245 (v1.1)

Recommended for iron supplementation for pregnant and lactating women

If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

Reference:

¹Blau LE, Lipsky LM, Dempster KW, et al. Women’s Experience and Understanding of Food Cravings in Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study in Women Receiving Prenatal Care at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2020;120(5):815-824. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2019.09.020.

²Placek C. A test of four evolutionary hypotheses of pregnancy food cravings: evidence for the social bargaining model. R Soc open Sci. 2017;4(10):170243. doi:10.1098/rsos.170243.

³Orloff NC, Hormes JM. Pickles and ice cream! Food cravings in pregnancy: hypotheses, preliminary evidence, and directions for future research. Front Psychol. 2014;5:1076. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01076.

⁴+Forbes LE, Graham JE, Berglund C, Bell RC. Dietary Change during Pregnancy and Women’s Reasons for Change. Nutrients. 2018;10(8):1032. doi:10.3390/nu10081032.

⁵Kaiser LL, Allen L. Position of The American Dietetic Association: Nutrition and Lifestyle for a Healthy Pregnancy Outcome. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102(10):1479-1490. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-8223(02)90327-5

⁶WHO Recommendations on Antenatal Care for a Positive Pregnancy Experience. World Health Organisation; 2017.

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