Pregnancy cravings: Real or myth?

digwriter · January 2012

It's funny but when I used to imagine what pregnancy cravings would be like, I pictured DH having to run out in the middle of the night for a McDonald's caramel sundae with peanuts or drive across town to my favorite Indian restaurant for aloo ghobi or some other tasty thing. But it hasn't been like that at all. Sure, in first tri had it's little cravings -chips on ice cream, Taco Supremes with extra hot sauce, but that's really about it. I almost feel like I've been cheated, while part of me thinks that my lifelong food issues are what keep the cravings at bay.

I had a craving for pancakes on Monday night, but I wasn't desperate to have them. In fact I didn't have them, not Monday night or last night; although tonight I seem to be dreaming about homemade waffles and deep fried chicken all slathered in maple syrup. Doesn't mean I'm going to have them though.

So are your pregnancy cravings real or do you feel a bit more free to indulge in cravings you might have had before being pregnant?

KSimone619 · January 2012

I'll crave something once in awhile, but nothing consistently or odd... Like pickles and ice cream

Wifey1012 · January 2012

I can't say I've had any certain cravings. It drives me nuts bc this is everyone's favorite question to ask me! How boring.

manda1129 · January 2012

I have not really had any specific cravings. For a little while I wanted lots of tomatoe sauce, then lemons...tons of lemons in my water, and through out the pregnancy, anything spicy! Like PF changs chili sauce...yummmmm! But nothing weird like I have seen on tv. Just really acidic stuff I guess.

kclg10 · January 2012

Wifey1012:
I can't say I've had any certain cravings. It drives me nuts bc this is everyone's favorite question to ask me! How boring.

This is how I feel! I get questioned daily about my cravings and I got nothing!

Babycakes29 · January 2012

I crave junk like a 14yr old boy! I never craved fast food and pizza before pregnancy like I have during pregnancy! And I never really had strong cravings before. I have IBS so food isn't really something I "love" like a lot of people. But during pregnancy, I had some serious cravings which since its abnormal for me, I knew had to be pregnancy related.

manda1129 · January 2012

I do still have my food adversions though, no poultry!

lulling · January 2012

I think my pregnancy cravings are real as I am craving things that I don't normally even like. I am not a fan of sweets at all. I usually prefer salty snacks or cheeses. Since I have been pregnant I want chocolate, doughnuts, cookies, cake or anything with frosting. I HATE frosting! Normally if I were to go to a party and have a piece of cake I would scrape the frosting off. There is no way these cravings can't be real. I am excited for them to go away too...sweets surely didn't help with the weight gain.

med380 · January 2012

I've never really had any crazy cravings either. There have been times when I really get in the mood for something (like last night I really thought spaghetti sounded good), but that happens when I'm not pregnant too.

I've heard of people craving things that they don't normally like, but that never happened to me.

lhammerle · January 2012

kclg10:

Wifey1012:
I can't say I've had any certain cravings. It drives me nuts bc this is everyone's favorite question to ask me! How boring.

This is how I feel! I get questioned daily about my cravings and I got nothing!

This for me too! And I have no food aversions either - everyone also always asks about that.

jajsundevil · January 2012

LGLDVM:

It's been a mix for me, I certainly let myself have things more often that I 'just want' when I would have stopped myself pre-preg.

I'd say this is a fair description of what I've experienced too.

I haven't had any of the weird cravings (i.e. pickles with ice cream) nor have I absolutely had to have something in the middle of the night, which I'm sure DH appreciates. If I crave something that is outside of my usual tastes, I let it sit for a couple days and see if I still want it. For instance I had a craving for doughnuts in 1st tri to the point that I started dreaming about them, so after craving them for about a week I had a couple and haven't craved them since.

kiarstin · January 2012

I craved mc muffins. I never ever at fast food, and didn't growing up either. I have no idea where the need for that dirty rotten sausage and egg samich came from. I tried making healthier versions at home. It didn't work. I also wanted gummy sour candies a lot and anything in brine, like pickles olives peperoncini. After years of dieting I am good at ignoring a craving however those two would rack my brain, like wake me up in the middle of the night. It was horrible. After the the first few weeks though they disappeared I have regular "ooo this sounds good" moment now but not like the first tri.

I also crave sweets and I never like sweets, I would prefer 2nds on something savory then cake but now, cake, candy, pancakes anything sweet sounds great all the time. In 4 years my husband had never seen me eat a doughnut or pancakes now I always get a sweet breakfast when we go to minis. MMM pan purdu

joygazz · January 2012

before being preg. i could have cared less what i was eating when but, i knew exactly what i wanted to have for dinner so i made it. like i wanted a reuben, or steak, (mostly red meat) and i dont normally like meat. Or breakfast i needed an egg sand. when i dont normally eat eggs. I also was hungry all of the time second tri. I also dreamed what I was going to eat at the next meal to the point where i almost cried when dh ordered my usual bagel and cream cheese and i wantred an egg sand. ( ok i did tear up) thank god this is over for now....

shanad · January 2012

I had no cravings with DS1. This time, I will get cravings. Usually something that I wouldn't normal have, most recent craving was chocolate milk. After 3 days of thinking about chocolate milk, I went out a got some. I've never gotten middle of the night, must have it now type cravings.

SheenaNash1 · January 2012

I think some cravings, like odd ones or pica, are totally real. I personally haven't had any of those. I have craved citrus and that has really been the only thing that was kind of weird for me. Otherwise, I think its just an excuse to go eat bad food.

DGandDG · January 2012

I have consistently craved and eaten tomatoes throughout this pregnancy. I wouldn't go near tomatoes pre-pregnancy. If that's not a legitimate craving for some sort of nutrient, then I'm not sure what is!

krispy83 · January 2012

I haven't had a ton of cravings (much to DH's dismay.. he was really looking forward to the challenge!) but what I have had have definitely been real. During the first tri, all I wanted to eat was fruit. Not a bad craving to have, especially considering that it was summer and there were so many wonderful summer fruits available.

Since then, I haven't had too many major cravings, and what I have had are mostly just based on seeing or smelling something that someone else is eating. Several weeks ago, I was eating lunch with a few coworkers and someone else walked into the room with lunch from Panda Express. I had already planned something entirely different for dinner that night and tried to fight it for the rest of the day, but it was no use, I would have been severely disappointed with anything other than that for dinner. Because I don't have cravings too often, I typically indulge them when they strike.

lalyssalou · January 2012

I had mostly aversions. I couldnt stand sweets, except sour candy. So I ate sour candy and salty things. Only once did I "crave" something, but it was more like, a thought popped into my head and I wondered if it would taste good. I really wanted Cool Ranch Doritos covered in chocolate. I was worried about the after taste, so I didn't indulge.

McGibbon51311 · January 2012

I think that most pregnancy cravings are people allowing themselves to indulge in things they may not have let themselves eat before they were pregnant. I also do believe that some cravings are based in things our body needs... example: I ate a lot of eggs when we think my body needed extra protein. Sometimes craving chocolate means you need calcium. That doesn't mean you can't eat chocolate, but some cravings do have a basis in what your body needs especially if you don't eat a very rounded diet. That being said, I also know that some cravings are caused by pregnancy. In the last couple of weeks before I had the boys I craved ice water like crazy, went through about 8 liters a day and couldn't get enough. Hours after my c-section my craving was gone and now I can't even get myself to drink 2 liters a day. My other cravings like chocolate milk and popsicles are gone too. Could it be stress? I'm sure it could (I don't eat when I'm stressed). But I at least think it's partially the fact that I'm not pregnant anymore.

mlee116 · January 2012

I've had things that I've really wanted, but nothing that I would've run to the store to buy immediately.

Honestly, I think pregnancy cravings are one of those things that are a lot of hype. I'm not saying they don't exist, but I think women hear of something that sounds good and they use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever they want...<*zips up flame retardant suit*>.

Joie80 · February 2012

I don't have consistent cravings, but I do want things that i don't normally eat. I love eggs now and I've never been a big fan. I could always take or leave them. I also tend to crave beef. I've never been a big beef eater either. So, although they aren't really weird cravings, they are cravings and I definitely think they are pregnancy related.

Pregnancy cravings: Real or myth?

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