Are you craving sugar during the last month of pregnancy?
Why does this happen, and how can it impact your health?
When you crave something, it is because your body needs something.
Your craving for sweets means you need sugar and your craving for salty means you are missing out on sodium.
There is nothing wrong with this, of course. But it is only when your health is impacted negatively does it end up being quite tricky.
As a result, you need to be more vigilant in checking the real reasons for such craving and what can be done to it.
Pregnancy Cravings – What You Need to Know About It
There will always be cravings the pregnant women will have to go through.
This is just how it is.
For instance, you may be intensely wanting to eat some ice cream, a specific type of cake, or something very particular.
If this happens to you, your body is merely telling you that something is missing in your health.
However, you also have to realize that this is not the case for other instances.
We all know that while cake is tasty, there are some cakes that are not quite suitable for your body. It may contain loads of sugar and other additives that can do more harm than good to you.
On the other hand, if you eat fruit (which is also sweet), this can do you better because of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants with it.
There is nothing wrong with a craving. But what makes it wrong – or at least unhealthy – is when you make choices without considering the consequences to your body.
In addition, there are also cravings that may be a bit too odd for non-pregnant people to accept. Expecting women usually develop stronger cravings during the last trimester of their pregnancy. This is also sometimes unpredictable, which means the craving tends to come and go.
What You Can Do When You Crave Sweet Food?
First of all, let us try to understand the reason why such cravings occur.
Are you merely missing the taste? Or is there an underlying health explanation behind it?
Well, the most obvious fact is that you are longing for the taste of that food. It may be a favorite dish you’ve never had in a while. Thus, you are missing the flavor, aroma, and how it makes your body feel.
But health experts have a deeper explanation for such cravings.
This is particularly true when it comes to sweet food.
For instance, sweet food contains sugar or simple carbohydrates. This nutrient releases energy into the body in an instant.
It has a more immediate effect than with complex carbohydrates, which is slower, more sustained, and tends to last longer.
Now, in the case of expecting women, sugar is commonly needed by their bodies.
Why?
Well, it is an obvious fact that they go through stress from carrying extra weight in their body. Plus, they also experience difficulties with sleeping, moving around, and taking care of other things in the house.
This is particularly true among pregnant women who have other children in the home that need to be taken care of.
Then, of course, if they are also working, that intensifies the stress they are experiencing.
Can you imagine having to do all of these while at the same time making sure their unborn baby is doing great?
That is surely too many things going on for a pregnant mom.
This is why they tend to crave sweet food – their body is needing extra energy to be able to carry out all of these tasks required from them.
Read More: Craving Sweet And Salty During Pregnancy – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
A Healthier Alternative Is All It Takes
There is nothing wrong with sweet food.
If we are talking about fruits (fresh or dried), then that is absolutely fine.
However, it is not often the case with some pregnant women. They may crave cakes, brownies, ice cream, and other prepared sweet food.
Sure, there is nothing wrong if you only consume it in moderation and not on a daily basis.
But if you are already not in quite a good state with your blood sugar levels, yet you continue devouring these food items…
That changes the whole scene.
It is never good to have elevated blood pressure levels – pregnant or not.
You are only putting your life – and your baby’s – at risk by not being mindful of the food you eat and what it does to your health.
So, what if the craving persists? And you can think of nothing but eating sweet food?
As we have mentioned, you do not need to stop eating sweets. But it is more about the kind of sweet food you eat that you need to pay close attention to.
Cakes are sweet but so are apples, peaches, ripe mangoes, and apricots.
Then, there are natural and organic chocolates that are sweet, yet nutritious, too. A few bars can give you a good amount of magnesium in your body.
This is why if you want to give in to your craving, go ahead and do so. But be sure to make better choices by opting for healthier alternatives that will be more ideal for your body.
Soda has sugar, but so does fresh fruit juice or a glass of fruit smoothie. Between these options, the choice is clear as to which one is more nutritious, right?
Conclusion
A craving for sugar during the last month of pregnancy is quite simple – your body needs more energy support.
There is nothing wrong with eating sweets. But you need to choose sweets that are healthier for your body and will contribute to your baby’s proper development.
So, by realizing these things, you can keep your body happy while making sure you are doing it favor with nutritious, sweet food it can benefit from.
