Your
Nutrition (Week 21)
Some women experience cravings during pregnancy. Food
cravings have long been considered a nonspecific sign
of pregnancy. Cravings can be good and bad. If the food
you crave is nutritious and healthful, eat it in moderation.
If you crave for foods high in fat and sugar or loaded
with empty calories, watch out! Indulge a little but
don't let yourself go.
Try substituting with something more nourishing such
as a fruit or low-cal flavored yoghurt instead of giving
in to your whim. Hormonal and emotional changes are
responsible for cravings. On the reverse side of the
coin is food aversion. Some foods that you used to enjoy
before becoming pregnant now make you sick in the stomach.
This is common. Again, hormones are to be blamed; hormones
affect the gastrointestinal tract which can affect your
reaction to some foods.
What foods do pregnant women crave? Recent research
indicates the top three cravings as below:
| Chocolate
33% |
| Sweets
of some sort 20% |
| Citrus
fruits and juices 19% |
|
