Bad cravings...

[Demeter_shima]

So...how bad would it be if I had a ham sandwich? I am ready to murder for a ham and cheese!!!

I generally would avoid cold cuts and all the typical "not while you are pregnant stuff"...but OMG...I WANT HAM...and I want it cold on chibatta bread with cheese and mustard!!!

I'm only 12 weeks along...but so far, all I want is bread and yogurt...dairy and grains...LOL

Now...I would kill for black forest ham.

Anyone else having any "bad" cravings? 

[hjdmom24]

I ate cold cuts occasionally during all of my pregnancies with no ill effects . I wouldn't make it a habit but I doubt 1 ham sandwich would be bad?  My "bad" craving is salt and fat!! Being a sweets eater this is very odd for me..I am trying to keep to healthy fats but am anxious to what I might be doing to my blood pressure with all the salt I have been having!

[AKChix0r]

We're not supposed to have lunchmeat? That's news to me! I'm on my way to have my bajillionth turkey and cheese sandwich for lunch - I say go for it. There is way too much paranoia about what you can/can't have, IMO. Then again, I about had a panic attack when I remembered tuna was a "no-no"... After I ate 1.5 cans over three days. Oops.

[SilvanaRose]

Someone might smack me for saying this but I eat what I crave. With DS I had sushi if I was dying for it, cold cuts, I licked the bowls and beaters every time I made cookies (raw eggs etc) and I did consume other 'no-go-during-pregnancy-foods' as well. He's fine, I didn't stress about it. I know others will disagree with me but seriously I think the body knows what it wants. That's why we have cravings and that's why we also have aversions. I say if you want a damn ham sandwich, eat one!! lol

[purplerose]

If I crave it, I eat it. I eat lots of turkey sandwiches(and tuna salad ones about twice a week!) I've been ordering the shaved butterball turkey from the deli at Bi-lo. I haven't heard much bad about cold cuts. I know tuna's not so great, which is why I limit myself and try to have chicken salad or egg salad instead when I'm craving tuna. Otherwise, I'm gonna eat what I want. Too many food issues during pregnancy for me to be picky LOL

My blood pressure is so low I don't worry about salt! If it starts going up I'll cut back. But I can't stand any herbs/spices right now so salt it is. I really miss garlic and onions!!! I check my blood pressure whenever I'm at a place that has the automatic ones (like the pharmacy or grocery store). Last time it was 92/58!! My parents both have high blood pressure and take medications so it weirds me out to have it so low. The cardiologist told me it'd do me some good to have some extra salt.

[purplerose]

Also pregnant women tend to get lower blood pressures, especially around the 2nd trimester.

[SilvanaRose]

I'm actually craving a ham sandwich now......exactly as you described lol. Mmmmmm....

[~pi]

You just reminded me that I had cold cuts last week. I forgot about the listeriosis risk! Oops.

If you cooked a black forest ham and then put it in the fridge and cut slices off of it, wouldn't that be OK?

[motherof5boys]

I think it is more harmful to stress out and feel guilty!

Right now your body is making another body and it is craving what it needs, and maybe that is salt.....that may be where the whole "pregnant women want pickles" thing came from!

I had 5 kids and craved and ate lots of stuff and a lot of it during all my pregnancies!

BE WISE AND GUILT FREE AND DON"T GO OVERBOARD OR MAKE EXCUSES AND GORGE YOURSELF!!  You'll regret it after the birth when you have all that extra pounds.

Enjoy this baby growing inside you. 

There are healthy things to add to your life while you are pregnant..Food, exercise, sleep and over all great health.

Love you and love your family!!

~Robin

Mother of boys ages 17, 15, 11, 9 and 7

I eat lots of sunrider to nourish, balance and cleanse and to keep down cravings and stay on the slim side!

[AKChix0r]

I'm glad that I'm not the only "bad kid." I figure that at 12w, if I've been eating whatever I want and I've only gained one pound and have super low (for me) blood pressure, I must be doing something ok!

Also, while we're confessing, I ate cookie dough at my mom's. I read about the minimal risk from raw eggs, and decided yummy trumped the tiny chance of contamination. No regrets.

[~pi]

I think the pickles thing is mainly because the acetic acid helps to make calcium more bioavailable, no? Hence pickles and ice cream. (Or my fave, pickles and cheese. Mmmm ... pickles and cheese ...)

I agree that in general, cravings are worth satisfying, although I also know that sometimes, it doesn't fix the issue. For example, most people want more carbs when their blood sugar is higher. And craving dirt and chalk (pica) is generally a sign of mineral deficiencies, not that you need to go eat compost. :-)

I've been craving salt as well, but I also have low-ish blood pressure, so I don't worry about salt. I do try to have my salt on things like sliced tomatoes, rather than eating ramen noodles for lunch every day (which I would totally do if they had any nutritional value aside from calories.)

[sunanthem]

It hasn't really hit yet like my last 2 pregnancies.. but I'm an ice cream freak when I'm preggers. Not good, not doing anything good for me, and just adding more weight but dang, I love ice cream!

And shoot, lunch meat isn't all that bad.. at least your getting some protein.. I've had midwives tell me to keep munching lunch meat for pushing protein, etc. although I'm not a huge fan of it to begin with.

I also licked the spoon when we made blueberry struesel muffins this weekend.. I thought that was a required part of baking- licking the spoon...

[RosemaryS-F]

Sour gummies--I've given in twice; usually I try to have a tart apple, which definitely knocks out the craving, so it must just be sour fruit.

[StephandOwen]

I'm another "eat whatever I want" women. I had a sub from subway over the weekend and it was so yummy!

This baby has been all about the sugar, specifically caramel. Caramel covered french toast, caramel corn, apple slices with caramel dip..... Mmmmmmmm.....

[Amy May]

With tuna, albacore has the highest mercury levels.  I read that moderate amounts of tongol (white tuna) is fine though, meaning 2 servings per week.  I had white tuna today and yesterday, which was delicious.  A few weeks ago I wanted tuna so badly, and all we had was albacore.  And I ate it anyway.  I don't eat nearly enough seafood to be concerned about mercury (less than 1 serving per month), even if it was higher in mercury.  But since then, we've been diligent about getting white tuna. 

I think the issue with lunchmeats is listeria, and it is because they are uncooked and not-reheated, and possibly due to the packaging issues.  In theory, that's also why you shouldn't eat soft cheeses (feta & blue cheese), and shouldn't drink raw milk.  In the US, it is pretty hard to get unpasturized feta though, unless you go out of your way to find it.  

This afternoon I had a scoop of potato salad leftover from a lunch meeting at work.  It had probably been on the counter for less than 2 hours or so, including the meeting.  Probably not the best idea, but I'm not worried.  I also agree that stressing out about what we're "not allowed" to have can be as detrimental as eating potato salad that hasn't been chilled to 39 degrees.   

My other not so healthy pregnancy craving has been cadburry creme eggs. What?  You mean eggs aren't high in protein and vitamins B-6 & B-12?!?!?

[purplerose]

My other not so healthy pregnancy craving has been cadburry creme eggs. What?  You mean eggs aren't high in protein and vitamins B-6 & B-12?!?!?

Oh eggs are VERY healthy for us!! I'm going to pick up a few next time I'm out! Those at least have calcium, and that stuff in chocolate that's good for you and the people around you when you eat it.

[sunanthem]

why did you have to say apples and caramel dip.. omg.. I want some now.

[mingus]

The thing with lunchmeat is the risk of contracting listeria, as Amy May said. The risk is very small, but moderation has nothing to do with it. The first time is no less risky than the 100th time. It's just how many times you take the risk. The odds of a fetus being infected with listeria are very low, but the consequences can be huge. That said, I probably have taken greater risk of accidentally harming my baby by going skiing several times while pregnant. It's just about how you feel about which risks you choose to take. This contrasts somewhat with risks that are more dose dependent like mercury in tuna, caffeine, or even alcohol - with these things it is overdoing it that is a problem, even though that means different things to each person and for each item of contraband.

As for me, I had a craving for a week for this tiramisu that I make every once and a while. I made it last night. I cut the kaluha in it to less than 1/4 cup for the whole recipe. It used the same amount of espresso as usual. It is really yummy.

[StephandOwen]

Originally Posted by sunanthem 

why did you have to say apples and caramel dip.. omg.. I want some now.

Come on over! I keep quite the supply of apples and caramel dip these days Though I will say that my motto of "everything in moderation" is working this time. I don't gorge on the foods I'm craving, but I don't not eat foods just because they're "not healthy" either. I just ate the rest of the caramel corn (see- a box of it lasted us 3 days AND dh ate probably half or more of it.... I was very good about moderation! LOL!). I'm trying not to go downstairs and cut up an apple for a snack.....

[RosemaryS-F]

I just read that if you reheat the lunch meat it is fine.