Strange Pregnancy Symptoms & Cravings — Oh Baby

Food Cravings

…and what they might be trying to tell you.

Sweet

Craving sweets may be a way to increase calorie consumption, or it could be from imbalanced blood sugar.

Choosing naturally sweet whole foods paired with fat and/or protein can help balance potential blood sugar disruptions.

Sour

While craving pickles and ice cream during pregnancy is commonly joked about, the craving for vinegary or sour foods is actually pretty common.

Sour foods can help digestion, which may be compromised during pregnancy — especially in the third trimester.

Salty

Sodium helps your body maintain blood volume, and there’s a massive increase in blood volume during pregnancy.

This could explain cravings for sodium-rich foods.

Fruit & Citrus

These foods provide vitamin C, which helps increase the absorption of iron.

They’re also a great source of natural sugar for energy.

Dairy

Dairy is rich in calcium, a mineral that helps support a baby’s growing bones.

With all the bone growth that happens during pregnancy, it’s easy to see why this is a common craving.

Craving Dirt, Chalk, or Ice

Craving these non-food items is a condition known as pica. These unusual cravings can be a sign of a mineral deficiency — most commonly iron.

Talk to your provider and consider having your mineral levels tested to check for any deficiencies.