MIKE HADLEY/ Scroll Photo Illustration
Some expectant mothers like Melinda Doll, a senior from Temecula, Calif., often experience uncontrollable cravings during pregnancy.

The real truth about cravings and pregnancy

by Brittani Lusk LUS04002@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Women expecting babies experience many new emotions and feelings. Some women find that they crave food they have never liked before or have an increased desire to eat familiar foods. According to americanpregnancy.org, some women even crave non-food objects such as dirt, chalk or laundry detergent.

The amomstouch.com Web site states, “Cravings are strong urges to eat certain foods that you may not have previously desired. The most commonly reported cravings are for sweets and dairy products, sour fruits and spicy foods.”

Rosa Lindmyer, a senior from Escondido, Calif., said she craved fruit and sandwiches during pregnancy. She said she craved fruit because it is fresh and healthy.

Jessica Dudley, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., due in June, said she craves mostly salty things like potato chips. Sometimes she gets a craving for sweet things.

Kelly McKamey, BYU-Idaho pregnancy instructor, said that pregnancy is different for each individual. Some women crave citrus. Others crave sweets or salty foods.

Amomstouch.com states that cravings are a normal part of pregnancy and can be worked into a normal diet.

“As your pregnancy progresses, you may find that your cravings will lessen. If not, as long as you work your cravings into a healthy diet, there is nothing harmful in your craving a few different foods,” the Web site said.

McKamey said she has not seen cravings dramatically effect women’s daily lives.

Many people ask why women crave funny foods during pregnancy. McKamey said that cravings might happen because their bodies need something. Women may not necessarily need limes, but they may need the Vitamin C contained in limes.

Amomstouch.com explains, there might be some nutritional explanations for some cravings. “A desire for salty foods (i.e. the pickle) may mean you need more sodium as blood volume and body tissues are increasing,”amomstouch.com said.

Do some women really crave non-food items such as dirt and laundry detergent?

Yes they do, according to babycenter.com, “Some pregnant women develop strong cravings for non-food items such as dirt, ashes, clay, chalk, laundry starch, baking soda, soap, toothpaste, paint chips, plaster, wax, hair, coffee grounds, and even cigarette butts.”

Babycenter.com calls these cravings pica cravings; pica being Latin for magpie, a bird that will eat almost anything. These cravings may be linked to an iron deficiency, although no one really knows.

McKamey said most women do not have pica cravings. They are not the norm.

However, having a pica craving is not dangerous unless one actually consumes these non-food items.

According to babycenter.com, “If you crave any of these items, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have any sort of deficiency, and it definitely doesn’t mean you should consume them. In fact, eating non-food substances can actually interfere with nutrient absorption and possibly cause a deficiency.”

Americanpregnancy.com lists these steps to avoid the negative effects of pica cravings: “Inform your doctor and review your prenatal health record, monitor your iron status along with other vitamin and mineral intake. Consider potential substitutes for the cravings, such as chewing sugarless gum, and inform a friend [of your craving] who can help keep you accountable.”