Something about me: I alwaaays crave something sweet after dinner.
No matter what. It’s like my brain just refuses to finish a meal on a savoury note.
Can you identify with this?
And note, I’m not pregnant.
I imagine that if you are pregnant, these feelings might be amplified.
Now, if you ask the internet about this (and believe me, I did!), you will quickly notice that this is something that a lot of other people are dealing with. And, apparently, it’s a BIG problem.
As soon as you type “cravings” into google, you’re hit with suggested searches like:
“Why do I crave sweet things at night?”
“What deficiency causes sugar cravings?”
“What do pregnancy cravings mean?”
Followed by:
“How to stop sugar cravings”
“Is it okay to give into cravings?”
“How to deal with pregnancy cravings”
There are a few things to unpack here. Let’s go through them.
Do cravings mean anything?
People have been wondering this for the longest time, especially around pregnancy cravings.
It’s fascinating!
The common thinking is that cravings are a reflection of a nutrient that we’re deficient in.
You might have heard something like “chocolate cravings mean you’re deficient in magnesium”, or seen a chart that tells you that “if you’re craving chips, you should eat cashews”.
Well.
I’m sorry to tell you. But it’s all basically BS.
The research around whether or not cravings mean anything is remarkably unconvincing.
In some ways I wish that it was true! It would extremely convenient to have a clear signal from your body that tells you what to eat and when to eat it.
Honestly, it would save a lot of hassle with blood tests and food diaries.
But we really can’t rely on our cravings to inform us of nutrient deficiencies.
Pica
In saying that, I do need to address one very specific time when cravings are an important sign of something going on in our body.
Have you ever craved something completely random like dirt, ice or washing powder?
If you have, please get help ASAP.
This is a sign of iron deficiency. It sounds made up but it’s very real I promise.
There are literally stories of people eating large amounts of their walls.
During pregnancy you’re more at risk of iron deficiency because your requirements go up quite a lot.
So if this sounds like you please get your iron checked!
And actually even if it doesn’t, just make sure you are getting in enough iron. It’s super important.
Why do we get pregnancy cravings?
So we know that cravings don’t really mean anything in terms of nutrient requirements.
But do they mean anything else?
Not sure.
There is some thinking that during pregnancy it’s just kind of socially acceptable to have cravings, so people tend to express them more.
Or that because calorie needs are increased, the body is just asking for more food.
Or that it’s an emotional and difficult time, so people look for comfort through foods that remind them of feeling safe, like childhood cereals.
Or that physiological changes lead to desire for specific foods, like increased fluid volume in the body leading to cravings for salt (to balance it out).
All of these theories seem to make logical sense.
Why do we get regular (non-pregnant) cravings?
An obvious one is not eating sufficient amounts during the day.
It’s a biological response for our brain to look for food that is high in energy (i.e. chips, chocolate, bread – all the yummy stuff) to give us some quick fuel.
Another reason might simply be habit. If we always have something sweet after dinner, then we’ve quite clearly conditioned ourselves to have something sweet after dinner.
Similarly, it might depend on our environment. If sweets are around, well, we’re probably more likely to eta them. That’s human nature.
Or, if you never ever allow yourself to have sweets or “junk food”, but find yourself craving these things, then maybe it’s a sign that you need to work on your relationship and mindset around food.
That is a topic for a different blog post.
What can we do about cravings?
Well.
What if I told you that you that cravings aren’t really as “bad” as you think?
What if I told you that it’s okay to “give in” to them?
Here’s how I see it:
Step 1. Make sure you are ticking off all of your nutrient requirements.
Step 2. Ensure you are eating enough throughout the day, not just cramming everything into your evening meal.
Step 3. Work out if your craving is a disguise for an emotional need. If so, see if you can do something non-food related that fills that need.
Step 4. If you have done steps 1-3, and you still have a craving… just eat it?
Honestly.
There’s nothing worse than eating bloody cashews instead of chips, and then eating a sandwich, and then an apple, and then a muesli bar to try and curb the craving only to end up eating the chips anyway.
So just eat what you want in the first place.
What about blood sugar regulation?
If you have gestational diabetes or need to monitor your blood sugar for some other reason, just be smart about it!
Pair what you’re craving with something that will buffer the effect on your blood sugar.
Eat a smaller portion.
Eat it with a nourishing meal.
My personal strategy?
I just happily eat chocolate after dinner every night.
I don’t beat myself up about it.
It makes me happy, I look forward to it.
I don’t feel the need to eat an entire block, because I know I get to have more tomorrow.
It isn’t a big deal in my life and I don’t feel the need to “fix” it or “beat my chocolate cravings”.
I hope this helps and eases your mind a little.
x
