Cravings during pregnancy: 5 suggestions to make them healthier

The time has come, you’ve got cravings! This is very common during pregnancy. If you’ve got through the first trimester, with its typical symptoms and maybe even morning sickness, you’ve now reached a wonderful stage of your pregnancy. You might find it hard to follow a healthy, balanced diet, because when you get cravings during pregnancy it’s difficult to hold yourself back. You tend to crave foods that you haven’t had for a while or strange mixtures or something that’s difficult to get hold of.

Cravings

Studies put these cravings down to hormonal changes or even deficiencies or specific needs of our body. Whatever the reason, cravings exist and it’s very difficult to avoid temptation. So, what should you do?

5 healthy suggestions

Here are five tips to avoid these uncontrolled hunger pangs and reduce your cravings or at least make them healthier.

1. Prepare a bowlful of sliced fresh fruit each day, mixed with dried apricots, raisins, cranberries and other dried fruit. This way you can pick between meals without the need to prepare anything. It’s a very appetising snack that’s sure to satisfy your hunger.
2. Don’t skip breakfast. It’s essential to start the day with the energy your baby will need. Start with a good bowl of yoghurt, cereal and sliced fruit, for example. Toast and fresh cheese. Or a slice of homemade sponge cake. Alternate what you eat each day and include details that make breakfast a special moment. If you fill yourself up, you won’t have those mid-morning cravings.
3. Don’t forget to carry a snack in your handbag: nuts, rice cakes, some kind of whole fruit or dried fruit.
4. Try not to keep less healthy foods in your house, such as biscuits, chocolate, fatty cheese and suchlike.
5. Allow yourself a treat from time to time. We’re not perfect and we shouldn’t try to be, but one day a week why not go to your favourite cake shop or go out for dinner at that restaurant you like so much.

Did you give in to your cravings? Or did you manage to replace them with healthier options? Tell us all about your pregnancy food cravings.