Vegetarianism and pregnancy

[Jeanne]

First, I should mention that I am pregnant.

My cousin is a big 'Friends' fan and keeps asking me if I am craving meat. As I haven't eaten meat in over 10 years, I tell her that I would never crave meat. She thinks that just because Phoebe on Friends (who was a vegetarian) craved meat when she was pregnant, that this is realistic to life.

The way I understand it, a person only craves foods that they know. For example, I would never crave grits because I have never had grits before. Since I haven't eaten meat in so long, my body wouldn't really remember it. Does that make sense?

Has anyone heard something different? My cousin is not the only one who has mentioned the Phoebe/Friends thing, and it is getting old really fast. I want to be able to tell them something that they would understand and believe, but I'm not sure how to go about it.

[VoodooJoint]

I have been pregnant twice and was VERY involved in my pregnancies. By that I mean that I learned enough about pregnancy and birth that I would be able to deliver a baby. I gave birth naturally with Midwives and asked a lot of questions.

This is the explaination of cravings. When your body requires a certain vitamin, mineral, etc it will cause a craving in a food or item that you know contains such a substance, even if you have never eaten it before.

For example if your body is low on salt and calcium you may get a craving for the fabled pickles and ice cream. Pickles are high in salt and ice cream has calcium.

Other people actually will crave to eat dirt, often from a certain location (called Pica). It is because somehow your brain knows that dirt from a certain area contains salt, granite (calcium) or other minerals.

These cravings can cause you to crave meat or other foods you have never, or haven't eaten in a long time. What you have to do is figure out what it is in that particular food that you actually crave and substitute it with something else that contains it.

Such as with pickles and ice cream. Try eating pretzles and a glass of milk. If you crave red meat try eating a bowl of spinach to get that iron.

By the way, this is a little off topic but it's handy to know. Braxton Hicks contractions (false labor) is often caused by dehydration. If you get Braxton Hicks drink LOTS of water, as much as you can. They often go away very soon once you are rehydrated.

[BabyGrl]

I don't really know what to say I think it just depends on the person and the pregnancy. With my first child I craved pepper on everything. I could not get enough pepper. I never liked pepper before my pregnancy and I don't like it now. With my second child I did not crave anything. I think it just depend on your body and how you are feeling.