Science!

Fish burgers. Pineapple iced doughnuts. Spicy beef wonton soup. Vanilla marshmallows. Anchovies. KFC potato and gravy. Cookie dough ice-cream. Lemons. Talcum powder. Ice. Dirt.

These seemingly random – yet strangely specific – sweet, salty, spicy, cold and just out-there freaky tastes are some of the things craved during pregnancies.

While a majority – as many as 90% – of pregnant people experience at least one food craving during pregnancy, most commonly in the first trimester, relatively little is known about why.

There are likely cultural differences, with studies suggesting pregnant women in Nigeria are more likely to crave fruits and vegetables, while women in the US hanker for chocolate.


Among the baffling variety of cravings, which include the oft-quoted pickles and ice-cream, there are some trends.

Melanie McGrice, a prenatal dietitian based in Melbourne, says a common pregnancy craving is for salty foods, which, perhaps counterintuitively, can be a sign that women aren’t drinking enough water.

“During pregnancy, our fluid requirements increase by about 150%,” she says, noting the overall volume of blood in the body increases by 45% during pregnancy. “Yet most women’s fluid intake does not increase.”

When we eat more salty foods the body retains more water, but McGrice says that’s not a good thing. “The ideal solution is to do the opposite and actually just drink more water,” she says.

Another common craving is cold, sweet foods such as ice-cream and milkshakes, and foods that are high in carbohydrates. That can be a response to fluctuating blood sugar levels, which happen even in women without diabetes.……

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...ings-pickles-ice-cream?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other