Pregnancy Cravings For Woman:- During pregnancy, most of the women experience food cravings at some point or the other. While these cravings might be for a specific type of cuisine or unusual food, they typically include the desire for sweet, salty, spicy or fatty foods. Sometimes, cravings can also be due to non food items.
The hormonal and metabolic changes a women experiences in her body tend for these food cravings. Some propose that based on the nature of these cravings, the baby’s sex can be revealed.
Cravings are a well-known and expected symptom of pregnancy. For such food related urges, several theories exist. Hormonal changes are known to change taste and smell. This might explain the desire for specific, sometimes unusual foods. A temporary nutritional deficiency because of the high nutrient needs of the baby is also a possibility. The heightened need to consume these nutrient-rich foods may be due to a lack or shortage of specific nutrients. Food intake is also known to be connected to women’s emotions.
During pregnancy, women might crave specific foods, consciously or unconsciously, as a response to emotional needs. Another explanation is that as certain foods correlate to the sex of the baby, cravings serve as an early means of deciphering the baby’s sex.
Some pregnant women experience pica, a craving for nonfood items such as chalk, dirt, laundry starch or clay. A compulsive eating disorder that causes individuals to crave items is Pica. The items are not generally supposed for consumption. The best explanation for pica cravings is the attempt of the body to get vitamins and minerals that might be lacking in the diet.
Specific nutritional deficiencies have been associated with these desires. For example, an iron deficiency is linked with cravings for ice and laundry starch; chocolate with a magnesium shortage; chalk or dirt with a lack of essential fatty acids; and more normal cravings such as red meat for protein or peaches for carotene. In many cases, when supplements were ingested, the pica symptoms were resolved.
Sex Of The Baby
Many individuals believe that the sex of the baby causes the abnormal cravings during pregnancy. For example, it is said that she will have a girl, if a pregnant woman primarily craves sweets, such as chocolate and candy, or dairy products, especially milk. Unfortunately there is no evidence to support this. So, even if you are craving chocolate cake your entire pregnancy, you could still be having a boy.
If a woman craves sour, salty, spicy or protein-rich foods, it is thought that it could mean she is having a boy. Some think when pregnant women enjoy sucking on lemons or become meat lovers, the sex of the baby is most likely a boy, even if these foods were not previously consumed or were disliked. Again, there is no scientific proof to back this up though.
Undergoing prenatal testing such as an ultrasound after the 20th week of pregnancy is the only scientific method to reliably predict the sex of a baby. More accurately, cravings are a result of hormonal changes, nutritional needs and psychological changes.
Certain healthy food fixes can satisfy your craving and keep you well.
- Try eating - Nonfat frozen yogurt, sorbet, or sherbet if you crave Icecream.
- Mineral water with fruit juice or lime - Instead of cola.
- Whole-grain bagel with fresh fruit jam - Instead of Doughnuts/pastry.
- Low-fat banana or zucchini bread - Instead of cake.
- Whole-grain cereal or oatmeal, with brown sugar - Instead of Sugar-coated cereal.
- Low-sodium, low-fat chips, popcorn, or pretzels - Instead of Potato chips.
- No-fat sour cream or non-fat plain yogurt flavored with herbs - Instead of Sour cream.
- Fresh berries or bananas - Instead of Sundae toppings.
- Fresh fruit, frozen unsweetened fruit, fruit packed in water, juice - Instead of Canned fruits in heavy syrup.
- Low-fat or fat-free meats, turkey or soy Bologna, beef hot dogs - Instead of Lunch meats.
- Ice cold no-fat milk whipped with a hand-held immersion blender - Instead of Whipped cream.
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