Weekly Nutrition advice in Week 21
- Some women experience cravings during pregnancy. Food cravings have long been considered a nonspecific sign of pregnancy.
- Cravings can be good and bad. If the food you crave is nutritious and healthful, eat it in moderation. If you crave for foods high in fat and sugar or loaded with empty calories, watch out! Indulge a little but don't let yourself go.
- Try substituting with something more nourishing such as a fruit or low-cal flavored yoghurt instead of giving in to your whim.
- Hormonal and emotional changes are responsible for cravings.
- On the reverse side of the coin is food aversion. Some foods that you used to enjoy before becoming pregnant now make you sick in the stomach. This is common.
- Again, hormones are to be blamed; hormones affect the gastrointestinal tract which can affect your reaction to some foods.
What foods do pregnant women crave? Recent research indicates the top three cravings as below:
Chocolate 33%
Sweets of some sort 20%
Citrus fruits and juices 19%