Weird cravings and what they mean

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Pickles and ice cream.

Peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Curly fries from Arby's.

The dirt in the front yard?

We've all heard stories about weird cravings during pregnancy. Some women crave odd combinations of foods they liked before, while others crave things they previously found revolting. But what is behind all these weird cravings, and how can we deal with them?

While the jury's still out about the exact reason for cravings, it's suggested that the cravings result from the body's need of certain nutrients during pregnancy. If you think about it, it makes sense; there's a growing human being inside you, so you might need more than your normal allowance of a particular nutrient to accommodate it. This isn't to say that you can eat anything and everything you want to, but that might explain the reason women might crave things they'd otherwise find abhorrent. For instance, did you see the episode of Friends where a pregnant Phoebe craved meat, despite being a vegetarian? A possible reason for this is a need for a particular nutrient-in this case, iron. Most cravings aren't problematic, but there are a few that should be looked into. While rare, it's possible for a woman to crave various non-food items such as paint chips, clay or paper. When my sister was pregnant with her first child, she craved dirt. This is a signal of a disorder called 'pica', which is a severe iron deficiency that should be reported to your doctor right away.

Another reason pregnant women might crave foods they otherwise wouldn't is the hormonal changes they experience during pregnancy. Hormone fluctuations can change the way certain senses work, which can change a woman's choice of food. This is also one reason why the cravings and food preferences often change so rapidly. Certain things start to smell a lot better than they used to, or vice versa! For instance, my friend usually loved pizza but, when she was pregnant, her sense of smell changed and suddenly it was nauseating to her. Since the sense of smell and sense of taste are so closely linked, it's not hard to imagine how a heightened sense of smell might cause a pregnant woman to crave (or avoid) things she might not otherwise.

Now that you know why you may have cravings, what should you do with them? While you definitely shouldn't indulge in things like dirt, raw foods and alcohol, there's nothing wrong with granting yourself a little bit of satisfaction. Have a fun-size candy bar instead of the full size, a snack-sized bag of chips rather than the full size or have frozen yogurt in the place of ice cream. It's best to eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, dairy and legumes. If you're getting all of the necessary nutrients in your normal diet, you're less likely to crave them in strange things. It can also help to make sure you eat regular meals-perhaps six small meals a day or some other schedule that prevents your blood sugar from dropping too low.

Hopefully I've been of some help when it comes to strange food cravings during pregnancy. Regardless of anything I say here, your doctor can give you more advice about the cravings you have (if you have them) and what to do about them.