Are my pregnancy cravings normal?

Common pregnancy cravings

Is it those wild pregnancy hormones making you think of cheese for the thousandth time? Or is your body actually trying to tell you something? Food cravings are powerful urges to eat something – even if it’s something you may not have previously wanted.

Most mums-to-be seem to experience the following food cravings during their pregnancy, so if you fall into this camp you won’t be alone:

• sweet things
• dairy products
• salty snacks
• fruits that are sour (such as citrus fruits)
• hot, spicy foods

Sometimes the craving is a hint that you should be including more of something in your diet.  For example, if you crave the saltiness of olives, you may need to up your intake of sodium a little, as your body needs more than normal during pregnancy.

Non-food cravings

Occasionally, some mums-to-be will develop a craving for something that isn’t food – say, coal, ice, or earth. This is also known as pica and the cause isn’t really known. Some say it’s linked to an iron or calcium deficiency, whilst others say it could be the body trying to find cures for nausea. Obviously though, it’s best to resist these cravings as they can be quite harmful. Let’s face it; who really wants sand in their sandwiches?!

Will I always want gherkins from now on?

As your pregnancy goes on, you’ll probably find that your food cravings fade away or become less desperate. But if not, you’ll be fine as long as you’re eating a balanced diet and fitting your chosen food around good nutritional meals rather than replacing breakfast, lunch and dinner with pickled gherkins!