Just can't get enough
I feel great. I have felt great for the past three days. Three solid days of feeling great. Rock on!
I would feel even greater if I could quench this craving for fresh pineapple and kiwi fruit.
Now I read that if you crave citrus fruits, you are having a girl, and if you crave meats, you are having a boy. Do fresh pineapple and kiwi constitute citrus fruits? Not canned pineapple, because now that my super-powered tastebuds are working to their full effect, I can taste the metal in the can. In fact, I can taste the metal in the can from canned chicken soup, canned vegetables--actually, anything that comes in a can, I taste metal. And fried fast food all tastes like fish. Except McDonald's french fries, they still taste like awesome deliciousness. I seem to have developed food aversions to chicken and broccoli, I wish I could develop one to McDonald's french fries.
At least I'm not craving them.
It's probably OK that I'm craving pineapple and kiwi. There are a lot of worse things out there to crave.
I talked to my mom the other day, and I told her how I am craving these things. She said "Boy, I think I'm having sympathy cravings for you!" Haha. Isn't that funny? While we both got a good laugh out of it, and neither of us think that's really possible, she told me how she has craved oranges in the worst way for the past couple of weeks, in a way that she hasn't craved them since she was pregnant. I guess through all her pregnancies, she craved oranges. Then it slowly evolved into a craving for oranges and pickles together. I guess while pregnant she actually ate those things together sometimes. But now the thought of it makes her feel ill. Isn't that funny?
Anyway, she's in Michigan, downing oranges like there is no tomorrow, and here in Delaware, pineapple and kiwi make up a lot of my snacks and components of many meals. Haha.
I read something that sometimes pregnant women crave things that aren't food--like chalk, or laundry detergent. What the? Melissa, do you know anything about that?
Also Melissa, I tried to e-mail you, I used your first, middle, and last inital, the numbers you gave, but I guess I kept getting the university wrong. I even looked up university hospitals in NYC, and couldn't find one I didn't try. Hmm.
I'll call you with my address.
Hope everyone is well:) Anyone know the deal with cravings?
posted by ElliottPreciousPants @ 10:56 AM
7 Comments:
Well, I'm not pregnant, and it doesn't count as a craving, but sometimes I NEED to eat shredded parmesan cheese straight out of the bag.
Plum! Babypants is the size of a small plum, and weighs 8 grams. Aww:)
I had a dr. appointment today, and everything looked good. The heart was beating, my uterus was growing, and amazingly, I have put on no weight. Which is only good in the fact that it's not BAD, and therefore, by default, falls into the category of good. Whew! I've been feeling like a cow, so I am really thankful that I didn't put on a bunch of weight like I thought I did, but honestly, I was surprised to see that I put on none. So rock on. I guess I will be gaining like a pound a week for the next three months, so, it'll come. Haha, then maybe I can start wearing maternity clothes! Then I will look all pregnant! Woohoo!
It's interesting that you wrote about cravings cause I was going to ask you about that.
In the Philippines, there is such as thing as pregnancy cravings called paglilihi. This is all folklore or an old wives' tale, by the way!
Anyway, they (the old wives, I guess) say that whatever you crave/eat, will manifest on your baby's physical or personality characteristics once they are born. Take my mom for example, when she was pregnant with my eldest sister, she had such a craving for ice cream and when my sister was born (& until today) her skin is super light and fair - supposedly cause of all the milk in the ice cream. And when she was pregnant with me, she craved this local fruit called duhat, which is a deep dark purple, and when I came out, well, I wasn't quite purple but I actually am quite dark (at least judging by my family's standards). You get the picture!
I'm not so sure what to make of cravings for pineapples and kiwi though :) But maybe since they remind me of summer fruits, it'll mean that Babypants will have a sunny personality?
Maybe Babypants will look Hawaiian???
I craved fruits like crazy -- especially pineapple -- when I was pregnant with my boys. We now have a fancy pineapple coring/slicing appliance because my husband got sick of doing it by hand.
The craving for non-food items is called pica and can indicate a deficiency of nutrients in your diet.
As long as your cravings are for healthy food, I'd say you should give in to your heart's desire. Just take it easy on the french fries.
I keep a blog listing pregnant bloggers and have added you to the list. Please let me know if you'd like to be removed or if I need to change any information. http://thebabyregistry.blogspot.com
my rambling response:
women have intensified perception of "bitter" tastes during pregnancy:
Scientists suspect that being able to isolate bitter tastes during pregnancy is an evolutionary protection, because many toxic plants and fruits taste bitter. This taste change helps warn pregnant women against consuming poisons, such as alcohol, during critical phases of fetal development, agrees Dr. Duffy. Interestingly, the aversion to bitter tastes typically lessens by the third trimester, when the crucial phases of fetal development have ended.
(i will tell you privately about bitter alcohol taste sensations sometime. it certainly changes based on cycles and body conditions.)
the reassuring don't-get-pica bit:
Your body's dramatically changing hormones are sending you into a crazy world of strange and new sensations, complicated by an altered sense of taste and smell. Most cravings are probably attributable to this phenomenon, but some cravings may be nutritionally based.
Food cravings are powerful urges to eat particular foods that you may not have previously desired. The most commonly reported cravings are for sweets and dairy products, sour fruits and spicy foods -- so you have plenty of company with your ice cream, lemon and spaghetti sauce cravings! However, meat is one of the most commonly reported food aversions during pregnancy, so your desire for steak is not shared by many of your pregnant peers.
Some nutritional explanations may factor in for some of Mom's cravings. A desire for salty foods -- such as pickles -- may indicate a need for more sodium as blood volume and body tissues are increasing.
A more serious type of craving, called pica, in which women crave nonfood items, like dirt or laundry starch, can be dangerous and even fatal. Several theories have been proposed as to what causes pica, from a deficiency of calcium or iron, to the ability of certain nonfood items to quell nausea and vomiting. However, there has never been any medical reason determined. Needless to say, cravings of this nature are not to be indulged.
Your cravings aren't necessarily a problem if they don't cause imbalances in your diet, or prevent you from eating other important foods. Be sure to eat a good breakfast, since skipping that meal can heighten food cravings later in the day. And try to work your cravings into a balanced diet. For example, squeeze fresh lemon juice onto your fish instead of drinking empty calorie lemonade. Or satisfy your ice cream craving with nonfat frozen yogurt, which will better help you meet your calcium needs with fewer calories.
You may find that your cravings are less intense as your pregnancy progresses. If not, rest assured that there is nothing harmful in the foods you are hankering for, so long as you fit them into a nutritionally balanced diet.
an aside- cravings for ice can be called pica. while i suppose ice isn't food, it's a reasonable thing to eat. craving for salt isn't called pica usually, even though if you eat straight salt, that's a problem.
Some people also think there is a lot of emotional stuff going on re: food during pregnancy, this hormonally impetuous time... they think people crave foods because of some emotional need, and that you might need a hug, not a burger. i think that saying it's all in someone's head is pretty naive- though there is little danger from getting hugged more than necessary.
All told, healthy diet is best, french fry cravings (and, oh, i get them too) are best sated with something else most of the time (making "fries" in your oven? baked potato with cheese or salt or even sour cream- i like them with ranch dressing...), but are ok to feed now and then, as part of your healthy babypants agenda. it can be easier to resist unhealthy cravings if you remind yourself that most everything that goes in you goes into babypants too (including caffeine from chocolate, salt from fries, fat from dairy...). treat yourself well.
I had a major craving for orange juice big time. I also wanted fruit and yogurt a lot, and my first was a boy.
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