Food Cravings & Aversions

What It Is & Why It Happens

Food Cravings are sudden, intense desires for specific foods, while Food Aversions are strong dislikes or repulsions toward foods you normally enjoy. These are normal sensory symptoms, affecting up to 85% of pregnant individuals.

The primary driver is hormonal fluctuation. High levels of hCG, estrogen, and progesterone alter your sensory perception, making your sense of smell and taste significantly more acute. A food with a strong odor or texture that you previously enjoyed can suddenly trigger nausea (aversion).

Alternatively, your body may crave foods that provide quick energy (such as carbohydrates or sugars) or specific nutrients. For example, craving salty foods like pickles may relate to your expanding blood volume and sodium needs, while craving ice cream could relate to calcium needs. However, many cravings are simply psychological or cultural.

Typical Timeline

Cravings and aversions typically start in the first trimester (around Week 4 to Week 8), often alongside morning sickness. They tend to peak in intensity during the second trimester (Weeks 13-27) and gradually decline or become more manageable during the third trimester (Weeks 28-40). Most cravings and aversions disappear completely immediately after delivery.

Safe Comfort Measures

You can safely manage cravings and aversions while maintaining prenatal nutrition with these strategies:

• Indulge in Moderation: It is perfectly safe to indulge in cravings for sweet, salty, or spicy foods, provided they do not displace highly nutritious foods or lead to excessive weight gain.
• Find Healthy Swaps: If you crave sweets, try fresh fruit with Greek yogurt. If you crave salty foods, choose lightly salted nuts or olives.
• Substitute Aversions: If you develop an aversion to a key food group like meat, find other ways to get the same nutrients. For protein and iron, substitute with cooked beans, lentils, eggs, tofu, or pasteurized cheese.
• Protect Your Teeth: If you crave acidic foods (like citrus fruits or pickles), rinse your mouth with water afterward to protect your tooth enamel from acid erosion. Avoid brushing immediately after eating acidic foods, as the enamel is temporarily softened.
• Follow Food Safety Guidelines: Ensure any food you crave is safe for pregnancy. Avoid raw fish, unpasteurized cheeses, raw sprouts, or undercooked meats, regardless of how strong the craving is.

When to Call the Doctor (Red Flags)

While most cravings are harmless, certain cravings indicate nutritional deficiencies or risk factors.

Contact your healthcare provider if you experience:

• Cravings for non-food substances such as dirt, clay, ash, laundry starch, plaster, matches, or large amounts of ice (a condition called pica). This is a warning sign of severe iron-deficiency anemia or other mineral deficiencies and requires medical evaluation and blood work.
• Severe food aversions accompanied by constant vomiting, inability to keep down any liquids or solid foods for 24 hours, or weight loss (possible signs of hyperemesis gravidarum).
• Sudden, extreme cravings for sugar accompanied by excessive thirst, frequent urination, and fatigue, which can be indicators of gestational diabetes.