Weird Pregnancy Cravings – Why They Happen and Which are the Most Common Pregnancy Cravings?

Pregnancy is a phase every would-be mother loves because it brings a lot of happiness. Expecting mothers wait impatiently to get closer to the day when they will hold a little version of themselves in their hands. Women who are pregnant go through a ton of emotions.

You must have heard that pregnant women have a lot of mood swings. You might have heard some men complain about how their wives get excited or upset frequently without any strong reason. You might have also heard some men complain about the weird items their wives want to eat during pregnancy. Well, these men consider themselves to be lucky to become fathers soon, but they cannot completely ignore the changes in the behavior of their life partners.

Mood swings are not the only major effect pregnancy has on a woman. Food cravings are another effect that every pregnant lady experiences. To be more precise, pregnant women experience weird pregnancy cravings. If you are getting confused by the term we have used, worry not, as we have explained all about it.

What Exactly are Pregnancy Cravings?

Pregnant women crave various food and non-food items. Yes, you read that right. Women even crave non-food items, such as soap, clay, dirt, chalk, soil, paper, laundry detergent, ashes, corn starch, and paint chips. If you have never heard about it before, it might come as a shock to you, but it’s true.

These weird pregnancy cravings have been given the name ‘Pica’. The desire experienced by pregnant ladies to eat non-food items is known as the ‘Pica Disorder’. Many women are not able to control their desire, and thus, end up consuming items that offer no nutritional value. Medical experts believe that pregnant women develop such cravings because of nutritional deficiencies in their bodies.

Hence, the instances of pica syndrome are less in pregnant women that belong to countries where people are well-nourished, for example, Australia. The nutritional requirements of pregnant ladies increase during pregnancy. The craving for non-food items is an alert from your body to indicate that you have a nutritional deficiency.

But weird pregnancy cravings are not limited to non-food items. Pregnant women crave food items they usually don’t like or haven’t eaten often in their lives. Sometimes, food cravings are a sign that either the pregnant woman or the fetus needs nutritional intake.

However, pregnant ladies crave unusual items even when they are not hungry or don’t have any nutritional deficiency. Expecting mothers crave food combinations that are not common, such as spicy potato wedges with fruit juice. The cravings they get are different from the cravings ladies get during menstruation.

Why Do Pregnancy Cravings Occur?

A number of factors contribute to the occurrence of pregnancy cravings. Hormonal changes are believed to be the major factor. The changes in the hormones in your body can change your sense of smell, sense of taste, and sensory experience of food. Therefore, you might crave certain food items that you usually don’t eat much or don’t eat at all. Another factor is the wish to feel comfortable.

Many times, pregnant ladies crave food items that make them feel comfortable. Food items that are considered to be comfort foods include but are not limited to junk food items, sweets, ice creams, candies, and fried snacks. Some women even crave foods that hold a special place in their childhood memories. Foods people eat in childhood give them a feeling of comfort and belonging.

Another reason behind the occurrence of weird pregnancy cravings is the heightened sense of smell. Women have a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. They can smell items from far away as well. Due to smelling food items constantly, they start craving those food items.

What are Some Common Pregnancy Cravings?

Pregnant women start experiencing food cravings during the first trimester. The cravings increase during the second trimester and decrease during the third semester. In the case of some women, food cravings may start even when the woman is unaware of being pregnant, and the cravings may continue during the entire pregnancy. Women can crave food anytime during the day or even at night.

The list of pregnancy cravings is not small, as women crave a wide range of foods. The type of food cravings pregnant women experience depends on a number of factors. While some women might crave the foods consumed widely in their area, others might crave the foods available in another corner of the world.

Before we see weird pregnancy cravings, let’s have a look at some of the most common pregnancy cravings. Fatty foods, sweets, fast food items, dairy products, chocolate, ice cream, pickles, fish, fruit, red meat, spicy food items, and peanut butter are some foods most people crave during pregnancy. Ladies even crave beverages, such as fruit juices, soda, cold drinks, and so on.

Which are Some Weird Pregnancy Cravings?

We have made a list of some pregnancy cravings that are weird but have been experienced by pregnant women. We have referred to multiple reliable sources to create this list. Let’s see which are those weird pregnancy cravings.

Hot Sauce

While hot sauce is an item that people eat only with certain foods, such as salads, rice, pork, macaroni and cheese, toast, salmon, eggs, and popcorn. Some people put hot sauce even on foods like nuts, fruits, ice cream, and oatmeal. But some pregnant women love hot sauce on an altogether different level. They put hot sauce on every food item they consume.

Margarita Mix

Don’t get surprised! Margarita mix is indeed one of the weird pregnancy cravings women get. It is a non-alcoholic mix that can be added to alcohol to make cocktails. Alcohol is not considered ideal for consumption during pregnancy. But worry not, as pregnant women add soda water to the margarita mix to satisfy their cravings.

Lime Juice

Usually, people drink lime juice to obtain health benefits, such as weight loss and healthy skin. Some pregnant women have a liking for lime juice. They consume it day and night. A few pregnant women even consume concentrated lime juice without mixing water in it.

Honey

While some women crave to consume sour items like sour juice, others crave to consume sweet items like honey. People consume honey in various ways. They put honey on foods like oatmeal, pretzels, bread, salad, and nuts. But pregnant women take it up a notch by putting honey on almost everything they eat, for example, fruits, chips, and even vegetables.

Onions

Last but not least, onions are also one of the weird pregnancy cravings. Onions are not something people can consume in a raw form, unlike honey or lime juice. However, some pregnant women can’t stop themselves from consuming raw onions.

Apart from the foods mentioned above, pregnant ladies crave many other food items as well. The types of foods they want to eat may depend on what they have eaten most while growing up as well as what they have been willing to try for a long time.

Final Thoughts

As we have mentioned earlier in this blog post, would-be mothers can experience food cravings anytime during the day and at night. If you get food cravings, don’t blame yourself, and don’t feel embarrassed. Try to avoid consuming non-food items. Feel free to indulge in guilty pleasures like finishing a tub of ice cream.

For all those men out there who are on their way to becoming fathers – If you see your wife waking up at 2:00 AM in the night to open the refrigerator and get ice cream, don’t get shocked. Instead, you should help her navigate the tough phase of pregnancy smoothly.