Cravings and safe swaps

3 min read

Cravings are common in pregnancy and mostly harmless. The good news is that almost every craving has a safe version, so you rarely need to go without.

Some swaps: sushi becomes cooked rolls or vegetarian sushi. Brie becomes hard cheese, or baked brie served steaming. A deli sandwich becomes a toasted one with hot roast chicken or egg. Raw cookie dough becomes a real cookie, and soft-serve becomes ice cream from a sealed tub. Wine becomes a sparkling juice and pâté becomes hummus.

Cravings for non-food items such as chalk, clay or starch, or very strong cravings for ice, can point to low iron. Tell your doctor or midwife rather than giving in to them.

Regular meals with some protein and fiber keep blood sugar steadier and can take the edge off sweet cravings. And a small treat now and then is fine: enjoying food is part of pregnancy too.