Food cravings and aversions: The two-edged sword

Have you been yearning for foods you never liked and running away from your former favourites? Do your taste buds suddenly seem to be having a mind of their own? Welcome to the world of pregnancy cravings and aversions, where alien taste buds rule and common culinary rules are thrown out of the kitchen. Don't panic or worry. You have lots of company. Mostly every expecting mother faces cravings and at least one aversion.

Why the cravings:

As clichéd it may sound, pregnancy cravings drag you and your partner to places you may have never imagined at the worst possible hours. Theories propose that cravings are signs your body is giving you towards the nutrients you need. Doctors also propose that pregnancy hormones are the major players in cravings. Your taste buds are the wildest when you are adjusting to the pregnancy changes in the first month, they do mellow down towards the fourth month usually. But sometimes the taste-buds may not return to the usual until after delivery.

Here are some tips you can try when the cravings have an imposing effect:

Embrace them; Sometimes: You're lucky if you are craving for the healthier stuff like salad, fruits, or some greens. Go on and indulge. But if it's for those empty calories like fries, candies, ice-creams etc. try to hold your cravings with some common sense. Stop at one portion. And if you think you can't stop at one you are better off at not indulging in the craving at all.

Try satiating with substitutes: Dig into the bowl of yoghurt with berries instead of the ice cream, home baked potatoes than take away fries, dates and honey rather than chocolates and candies. Remember what matter is satiating the taste bud. It's not about what you eat but about what your tongue wants to taste.

Distract yourself: When you feel drawn to a food you shouldn't eat, get up and do something else. Take a walk, read a book, call a friend. Keep your mind busy until the craving passes. Or, have a glass of water; some say this often satisfies the urge to eat!

Play it Safe: Sometimes the cravings are for items that are not food at all like clay, ash, chalk etc. These kinds of cravings are known as pica, suggesting nutritional deficiency especially of iron. Contact your doctor immediately if the same occurs.

Why the Aversions:

Aversions to food items are actually more common than the food cravings. Once again it is the hormones playing mind games. Sometimes, the suggestions may be good, like aversion to coffee, alcohol, certain kinds of fish and oily stuff; while sometimes they are averse to baby-friendly healthy food like milk and milk products, fruits, salad etc. basically everything healthy. In such scenarios try finding suitable substitutes for the aversion as a part of your pregnancy diet.

Switch the greens for carrots or yam: They are even richer in beta carotene. You can even try fruit beta-carotene counterparts like mango, papaya, apricots. They add to your vitamin C levels too.

No to animal protein: aversion to meat is very common. You can switch your protein intakes the plant way. Reach out for some tofu, nuts and legumes, beans, and high protein grains.

Milk Aversion: don't want to sport a milky smile; switch to yoghurt, cheese, calcium rich juices. Also get a calcium booster from sesame seeds and broccoli.