Understanding Pregnancy Cravings: How to Listen to Your Body and Maintain Nutritional Balance

What are cravings?

Cravings are intense desires for specific foods that many individuals experience during pregnancy. They can be particularly powerful and difficult to ignore, often driving significant changes in diet and eating habits.

In my experience, cravings hit very early in pregnancy. As a personal trainer who works out 4-5 days a week and maintains a body fat percentage of around 10%, I wasn’t surprised to find myself intensely craving egg yolks and avocados. These cravings were so strong that I became irritable if I didn’t get these foods and felt a sense of relief when I did. This happened with various foods, leading me to believe that my body was signaling what it needed for a healthy pregnancy.

Importance of Nutrition

Proper nutrition is critical during pregnancy because the nutritional requirements for building a baby are unique and more demanding than usual. While prenatal vitamins are essential and should be researched based on expert recommendations, I've found it important to prioritize protein, increase carbohydrate intake, minimize caffeine, and take supplements such as calcium, vitamin D, and prenatal vitamins. Listening to my body’s cravings has been key to ensuring I meet these nutritional needs.

How to Listen to Your Body

Cravings and gut feelings have been my primary indicators for understanding my body's needs during pregnancy. Whenever I experienced a craving, I asked myself why I was feeling that way and explored the underlying cause. For instance, my early cravings for egg yolks and avocados occurred when my body fat percentage was too low for a healthy pregnancy. Later, I craved kiwis, milk (despite being allergic), and beans, which indicated a calcium deficiency. Adding a calcium supplement resolved these cravings. Recognizing patterns in cravings has helped me identify and address specific nutritional deficiencies.

Craving Strategies

Understanding that my body communicates its needs through cravings, I began to note the specific foods I craved. I often found correlations between cravings and nutritional needs. For example, kiwis, milk, and beans are high in calcium, while egg yolks and avocados provide healthy fats. By recognizing these patterns, I have managed to substitute unhealthy cravings (like burgers, fried pickles, and milkshakes) with healthier alternatives (such as ground beef meals, electrolyte supplements, and protein shakes).

Reality

Despite best efforts, there are times when severe food aversions make it difficult to eat anything but less nutritious foods. Occasionally, only brownies or fried chicken and gravy from a specific fast-food place were palatable. While most cravings can be logically addressed with healthier options, it's important to be compassionate with oneself during these times. The hormonal changes of pregnancy can make some cravings unavoidable, and it's essential to focus on what can be kept down.

Conclusion

During pregnancy, our body’s needs become heightened as we undertake the incredible task of growing a child. By paying close attention to cravings, it's possible to replace unhealthy choices with nutritious alternatives that support both the mother’s and baby’s health. Although it may not always go according to plan, making small, mindful changes throughout pregnancy can have a significant positive impact.