S/O to all the cravings posts

LCB34

Do you think cravings are a real thing in pregnancy?  Or do you think they are more "I would like to eat this food and am going to use pregnancy cravings as my excuse"?

I haven't really had a craving that was super strong (and not out of the ordinary - "man I would like that" that I felt when not pregnant).  I had serious aversions due to my morning sickness but nothing like major cravings.

What are your thoughts?

 

aerobaby

I don't have cravings either! I think it's " I would like to eat this food and am going to use pregnancy cravings as my excuse." I don't even have aversions.. I don't know if it's still early or not but I think i've been pretty good.

vanreymersdal

I totally believe that cravings are a real thing during pregnancy. I've been craving stuff that I normally would never want to eat. And then sometimes just hearing about something will make it irresistible to me.

hawkeye21

I don't have any cravings but I'm definitely hungry more often and use the pregnancy to justify eating things that I would normally pass on (aka donuts, etc.).

luvmybaby28

Before becoming pregnant, I really thought that it was more of using pregnancy as an excuse, but now I know better!  My first trimester was filled with the most intense food aversions and cravings, aversions to healthy things and cravings for fast food, chips, etc.  This is completely unlike anything I usually eat, but I honestly could not control it.  I know many women who had no cravings also, so it seems to affect everyone differently.

 I now at make to eatig normal and healthy like I did before I was pregnant, glad it did not last through the entire pregnancy!
 

mocklerja

I have had only one time that I would say I had a real craving....for about a month, all I wanted was pizza for dinner...of course I did not eat that every night, but it was really the only food that really interested me for that period of time.  I definitely think some people take advantage of being pregnant to eat whatever they want....I have managed to steer clear of that!

Laura_Lee

I don't have many cravings - just a lot of aversions. (stupid m/s)

However, I will say that I think cravings are a very real part of pregnancy.  I haven't come to this conclusion through medical science or research, but just from my own experiences.  Throughout this pregnancy, if I've had a craving for something, it's typically been something that I would never eat before pregnancy, and would likely have been grossed out by.

For example, before becoming pregnant, I very rarely drank milk.  I just didn't like the taste of it, unless it was mixed with chocolate syrup. ;-)

Now, I go through a gallon of milk every 3 days, and I can't explain my change of taste for the stuff any other way than to call it a "craving."

jamielollar

I think they are real.  I DON'T eat fish and I have been craving it lately- GROSS!  But it is sooooo good.  Also, I am a milk drinker; but never to the extent of what I am now.  I can drink a gallon in two days. 

H4'sFan

When I was pregnant with my daughter and was craving something healthy that I would not normally eat, like cottage cheese, I think those cravings were real.

If I was craving a chocolate shake, I chalked that up to normal junk food cravings not related to pregnancy.

MMcLean05

I have had actual cravings. Where I dream about a food, and then wake up and think about it... Then finally eat it! I have only had that I think twice, once for McDonald's fries and another for a sonic blast, with Oreos, not healthy lol...

But for the most part I don't have cravings, just foods that sound good from time to time, but not like a MUST have like the other two. I actually drove 30 mins into town, in the snow, in my PJs to get both of them...

samakasrc

I haven't had any cravings either. Just the - "Ooooo that sounds good right about now!" but nothing out of the ordinary... I did have aversions, but it was mostly smells.  My brother had venison jerky that was gonna make me throw up if I didn't walk away LOL.  But I didn't have morning sickness or anything...

roxydaisy

I think the cravings are more a result of being hungry all the time than they are of being pregnant.  I guess those things go hand in hand though.  I haven't had one specific craving that I MUST have but I do crave a bunch of different things throughout the day.  I hardly ever give in to my cravings and they usually just pass.  I try to keep a lot of semi-healthy snacks handy at my desk and in the refrigerator so when I get hungry I've got something to satisfy my hunger instead of turning to the vending machine. 

august282005

For me they are completely real - with both pregnancies I have found myself eating foods that I *hate*. Once I gave birth I returned to my regular eating habits.

shipoopiisforme

i definitely think it's real. when i want something (usually cheese related) there is nothing else that will satisfy me until i have that thing.

i think specific cravings, like a shamrock shake, a specific kind of chip, or ice cream are more in our heads. but i know i have cravings like dairy, savory, sweet and i am a full on b!tch if they aren't satisfied.

julybaby23

I think for me, who had a rough 1st and beginining of 2nd tri, cravings were more like "this is the food that won't make me hurl right now". So I craved anything that's very thought would not make me ill

 

koat

I've had aversions, cravings and excuses. 

One week, I intensely NEEDED sushi.  Another, it was Thai food.  Another, McDonald's hamburgers.

Generally, I have a lot of fake cravings in order to justify eating food I wouldn't normally eat that much of. 

KathrynBurkart

Everyone asks me what my pregnancy cravings are and I don't have any. Nothing too intense. I do have food adversions though.

amanda31H

H4'sFan:

When I was pregnant with my daughter and was craving something healthy that I would not normally eat, like cottage cheese, I think those cravings were real.

If I was craving a chocolate shake, I chalked that up to normal junk food cravings not related to pregnancy.

This.  My cravings haven't been only junk food.  I can't get enough Granny Smith Apples, and also I crave vinegar. 

 

cmhicklin

I normally prefer sweets and don't like very salty.  Since I have been pregnant, I have CRAVED salty foods, and could live without the sweets.  I guess I really didn't understand it until I felt it, although I have seen some women use the pregnancy as an excuse to eat.  Ask your doctor, cravings are a very REAL thing.  Some women have even been known to crave weird things like dirt.  That would be a horrifying experience, but it has to something with low iron or something. 

greener_beaner

I definitely think that it's actual cravings for me.  There are days when all I can think about is a certain food that I'm craving and that is something that I did not have before I was pregnant.  Also, the cravings can last for days and weeks!  There is a difference for me with just wanting to eat something because I'm pregnant and really having a craving for something. 

Chickpea2010

I think my body tells me what it needs. I can't stand the thought of junk food, and all I really want is good whole food - fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, etc. Which is SO not how I was pre-pregnancy!!

VABride2008

I haven't had any real cravings but someone mentioning certain foods makes me think about it non-stop until I get it.  When I was about 8 weeks someone mentioned a hot fudge sundae and I got hubby to pick me up one on his way home from work.  It was sooo good and totally satisfied me but had no one mentioned it I don't think I would have thought it up myself.

 

jennifer_h_rn

I don't think it's an excuse at all... I think everyone has a different pregnancy.  I've had aversions, but one of my cravings was a peanut butter and cucumber sandwich -- not at all a particularly terrible or appealing food.  I actually have craved better foods than I usually eat, as in a lot more fruits and vegetables than I usually want, and an aversion to meat and pizza (and I LOVE pizza).