The "Can't Get It Out Of Your Head" Craving
You just sent your partner out for a triple-fudge sundae and a super-sized bag of dill pickle potato chips. It would seem that you've been hit with the modern-day equivalent of that classic pickles and ice cream craving! But as you rip open the bag of chips and dive into that ultra-decadent triple-fudge sundae, you can't help but wonder how much of your craving is physiological in nature and how much is psychologically based. After all, those ice cream sundae cravings have been part of your life for as long as you can remember. It's just the dill pickle potato chip compulsion that's a more recent twist!
You aren't the only one asking tough questions about food cravings. Even the experts have difficultly agreeing about what causes them. While some tend to pooh-pooh the whole idea of food cravings during pregnancy entirely, others have tried to make the case that food cravings are Mother Nature's way of ensuring that you and your baby get the nutrients you need. If you're calcium-deficient, for example, you should be hit with a powerful craving for cheese.
While hard facts about food cravings can be a little difficult to pin down, there have been a few studies done over the years about food cravings and food aversions during pregnancy. (Food aversions are, of course, the flip side of food cravings -- those foods you simply can't imagine ever wanting to eat again!)
