5 incredible ways to curb food cravings during pregnancy

Pregnancy is an incredible journey that brings about several physical and psychological changes in women. As the pregnancy progresses, you will experience a series of impactful changes that can alter your choices. For starters, you might start developing a liking for certain foods that never featured on your favorites’ list during your pre-pregnancy days, or you might feel nauseous at the sight of that dish which appeased your taste buds earlier.

Every expecting mother experiences food cravings during pregnancy, and as safe as it is to indulge these cravings, going overboard can have disastrous consequences. So, how can you deal with such relentless food cravings and shield yourself and your baby from any harm? Well, this is when you start looking for a middle path which allows you to satisfy your food cravings and prevents you from binge-eating your favorite cheat meal.

Here are some essential tips that will help you manage your food cravings during pregnancy without putting you or your baby in harm’s way.

Identify the cause of the craving
Many times, these peculiar food cravings during pregnancy indicate an underlying vitamin or mineral deficiency. For instance, when you crave salty food, it implies that your diet doesn’t contain enough sodium required for bodily functions. Also, a sudden urge to drink oodles of milk or consume a lot of dairy products might indicate that your body needs calcium. Once you get to the root cause of these food cravings, it will eventually help you overcome these cravings by getting treated for the particular deficiency.

Eat at regular intervals
You are most likely to succumb to your pregnancy food cravings when you have skipped either of the three major meals of the day. The simple logic of this step to prevent you from over-indulging your food cravings is that if your stomach is full, you wouldn’t consider eating tacos or chicken chili wings in spite of the temptation it presents. The principal rule in controlling your urge for eating junk food is to eat a heavy, healthy breakfast. This would prevent you from giving in to midday cravings to a certain extent. Moreover, a sudden drop in blood sugar levels can trigger cravings for sweets. So, ensure that you have small frequent meals throughout the day.

Give yourself the pep talk
Nothing works wonders like talking to yourself; in fact, introspection is the key to avoid falling prey to your unhealthy food cravings. So, the next time you feel like gorging those cheesy fries, ensure to ask yourself, “does this food provide any nutrition?” The answer to this question will ultimately direct you to the answer you already knew but were hesitant to accept, and eventually, you will give up the urge for such unhealthy indulgences.

You aren’t eating for two
Contrary to all the old wives’ tales you hear, you aren’t eating for two! Do not use this misconception as a facade to mask your guilt of gorging greasy or sweet food. The best thing to do in such circumstances is to eat enough to satisfy your hunger, not your cravings. Your baby will get enough nutrition from the food you eat for yourself, but you need to make sure that the food you eat has all the essential nutrients that will promote the baby’s growth and development.

Find healthier and tastier alternatives
Not all sweets and carbs are bad; in fact, you need sugar and healthy carbs as they play pivotal roles in various bodily functions. So, here’s how you can cheat your cravings—you can find healthier options that are tasty as well to satisfy your cravings. For instance, you can switch your ice cream with flavored yogurt or eat sweet potato chips instead of the ones made of regular chips. This way, you can satisfy your inner demons and eat healthy at the same time.