Cravings!!

Cravings rock. I have never loved food so much as I do while I'm pregnant. And I crave things so often that whenever I'm not craving anything but I'm hungry, I get out of sorts and feel sort of cheated. The food I craved always tastes so much better.  Today I’m craving an apple and grilled cheese sandwich. Mmmm… I’ll be back. I’m going to get one. … Okay, I’m back. I made the sandwich and I have tomato soup in the microwave. The sandwich is delicious – I put slivered almonds in it as well.

Just now, I saw a post on the blog of another pregnant North Carolinian. She was posting about cravings. I shared a few thoughts with her, which I think I’ll now put down here for posterity. Here are some fun tidbits I've picked up re: the cravings issue. “

First, indulge the craving for chocolate whenever you can! Why? Because according to the pediatrician who runs the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at Southpoint Mall (my source for excellent fudge), "mothers who eat lots of chocolate during their pregnancies give birth to babies who laugh and smile more than other babies."

Second, the aversions have an evolutionary purpose. We eat things that are weird for us all the time, but as adults (and even children) we have a much more advanced ability to cope with them than would a fetus. The gag reflex (triggered by both visual and inhaled stimuli) and aversions are our baby's way of communicating to us that the particular food would likely do more harm than good on that particular day.

The cravings, conversely, are an indicator that there's some actual nutritional need that should be filled. Hence, a craving for any of a number of dairy sources might indicate that calcium supplies are low, whereas, an insatiable urge to eat ice-cream and only ice-cream likely indicates that the calcium as well as fat sources are lower than ideal. Chocolate cravings may be related to fluctuating hormones and serotonin.

So, I gleefully follow the advice of the nurse at my OB's, which is that cravings are every bit as much a form of communication as a baby's cry will one day be, and it's my right - neigh, my duty to indulge! Ohhhhh, how I love cravings!”

Now you may wonder, and I may someday wonder when these cravings are gone: what am I craving?

I’ve only had 2 persistent cravings during this pregnancy, and neither of them is for chocolate. My first big craving was for asparagus. Specifically, I crave asparagus coated (and I mean thoroughly coated) in butter and salt. I like it grilled on the George Foreman grill so the ends are nice and crispy. Second, I crave thin crusted delivery pizza with my own blend of toppings on top, which your father has dubbed “the mixture.” Specifically, I take red onion, fresh garlic, and pears, and slice them up pretty thoroughly in the food processor. Then I spread those on the pizza, and add slivered almonds. Then I heat it up a bit so it all blends in together – at least in terms of temperature – and bon appetite! Your father says it gives me dragon breath. Oh well.

 

These are certainly not the only cravings I’ve had. Boy that sandwich was good. Do I want another one? Day before yesterday, I had some really intense dreams about double stuff Oreos, and I HAD to have them. Cravings have come in the form of dreams several times. We’ll see what’s next. Let’s go get a sandwich.

Love, your mom.