Medically Reviewed By Experts Panel
During early signs pregnancy, hormonal shifts cause sensory changes in taste and smell, leading to food cravings and aversions. Managing these month 1 pregnancy symptoms and these sensory changes is crucial for the health of both the mother and the developing baby. Strategies include maintaining a balanced diet, identifying and avoiding triggers for nausea, and finding healthy alternatives for cravings.
What should you expect with food aversions and cravings during pregnancy?
Food aversions and cravings are early pregnancy symptoms, often beginning in the first trimester and varying widely among individuals. They can alter dietary preferences and lead to strong reactions to certain foods and smells.
Food cravings: you might find yourself craving specific foods, often ones you didn’t particularly care for before pregnancy. These cravings can be intense and seemingly out of nowhere.
Food aversions: Food aversions are early signs of pregnancy, often triggered by hormonal changes. These aversions can cause a strong dislike for certain foods, including those previously enjoyed, especially strong-smelling or highly flavored items. You can feel nauseous when tasting or smelling or even seeing some food.
Why do these changes happen during pregnancy?
Food cravings and aversions are early pregnancy symptoms and occur primarily due to hormonal changes. Elevated levels of hormones like estrogen and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) can affect taste and smell, leading to intense desires for certain foods and strong dislikes for others.
What are common food cravings and aversions during early pregnancy?
Cravings: During early signs of pregnancy, common food cravings include pickles, ice cream, citrus fruits like oranges, salty snacks such as potato chips, and spicy foods. You may develop a stronger tolerance for intense sour, salty and sweet flavours, more than nonpregnant woman.
Aversions: Food aversions commonly include strong-smelling or strongly flavored foods such as coffee, fish, garlic, and onions, spicy dishes. Vegetables like broccoli or cabbage may also be unappealing.
How to manage food aversions and cravings during pregnancy?
Managing food aversions and cravings can be difficult, but there are practices to help you sustain a balanced diet:
Eating small, frequent meals – throughout the day can help regulate blood sugar levels and alleviate discomfort from food aversions during early pregnancy.
Choosing nutrient-dense foods – like leafy greens such as spinach, and lean protein such as chicken and tofu for ensuring proper nutrition during pregnancy.
Listen to Your Body – Pay attention to your body’s signals and try to satisfy cravings in a healthy way. If you crave sweets, opt for fruits instead of sugary snacks.
Avoiding strong odors – that trigger aversions can help manage discomfort and support a healthier eating experience during pregnancy.
Keeping nutritious snacks – like nuts and seeds readily available is beneficial. They provide protein, essential fats, vitamins, and minerals, helping to satisfy cravings effectively.
Staying hydrated – when you are pregnant, you need more water than a normal person in order to balance fluids, carry nutrients, enhance digestion.
Also Read: Spotting and Cramps, Back Pain and other related Physical discomfort.
When should you see a doctor for food cravings and aversions in early pregnancy?
You should see a doctor if food cravings and aversions manifested as pregnancy symptoms are severe and impacting your ability to maintain a balanced diet or if they are accompanied by significant weight loss or nutritional deficiencies.
Nutritional Concerns: If aversions or cravings lead to an imbalanced diet or impact your nutrition, it is important to consult your doctor for receiving guidance on maintaining a healthy diet.
Unhealthy eating habits: Your cravings are leading to unhealthy eating habits or excessive consumption of certain foods.
Losing weight: You are losing weight rapidly due to inability to consume adequate nutrients.
Nutritional deficiencies: can lead to imbalances in nutrition intake and deficiencies need to be addressed promptly to support healthy pregnancy.
Read More On
23 Common Early Pregnancy Symptoms
5 Early Pregnancy Symptoms Recognizing the Telltale Signs
(1) Missed Period and Hormone-related symptoms
(2) Nausea, Vomiting and Gastrointestinal Symptoms
(3) Breast and Urinary Changes
(4) Distaste & Avoidance of Food, Cravings, heightened Sense of smell Symptoms
(5) Spotting and Cramps, back Pain and other related Physical discomfort.
