Pepperoni, pickles, and Peanut Butter

[pendell]

This is a question for those of you in the playground who have
gone through the joyful experience of being the host body for human spawn,
or have helped someone through that.

Do you really crave stuff like that? Seriously? Why, why, WHY?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[FujinAkari]

I haven't been pregnant, but my sister has, and I read a lot about it both during her pregnancy and in some of the Psychology Classes I had to take.

Effectively, "why" is because there is -some- nutrient that is prevalent in whatever it is that you're craving that the body needs. I'm not a nutritionist, but lets say the baby needed more iron, you might suddenly want pepperoni (meats tend to be high in iron.)

It isn't at all unusual for a pregnant person to want a -part- of something rather than the whole thing (e.g. Pepperoni, rather than the actual pizza) because they're looking for some specific nutrient. Additionally, my sister actually got a craving for grass at one point... I guess she ate grass as a kid and knew that it had something she wanted... lol

[Shatteredtower]

Grass is a new one on me. I've seen cravings for chalk, but that's a calcium thing.

[Chronos]

I don't anticipate ever getting pregnant without some major medical advances, but...


It doesn't actually sound too bad.

[ericgrau]

^ Bingo. It's for nutrients, which the baby takes freely whether momma is ready or not.

Grass is very high in a wide variety of nutrients. Wheat grass is famous for such but rye grass from your lawn will work alright, as will any other kind of grass. It's also high in fiber and has little or no calories, which is why it isn't normally a food for us. Cows like it b/c they can digest the fiber and convert the cellulose into carbs. We can't.

Pickles are high in salt, indicating a general mineral deficiency. Unfortunately you only get sodium from the pickles, so it won't end the problem. Sea vegetables are salty, high in both sodium and 20 other minerals, and are a better answer. In nature salty foods almost always have more than just sodium, hence the mix-up.

Peanut butter is very high in unsaturated fatty acids. These form the membrane of every cell in the body, and also coat skin and hair. Normally they aren't used for calories unless you eat a ton, so the calorie & fat value of peanut butter is misleading. Ditto for all nuts and oils. Which is why fat-free salad dressing is such an incredibly stupid incarnation of commercialism taking advantage of a market.

Excessive amounts of peanut butter plus any amount of ice cream could be used to supply fat/calories.

EDIT, b/c I didn't want to repost: All berries are very high in nutrients. Especially organic stuff like vitamins and antioxidants, but I bet minerals too. If you really want a healthy diet, just learn it from some pregnant women and screw all the fads and newsapers, heh.

[Evil DM Mark3]

When my mother was pregnant with my sister she ate insane amounts of strawberries. Some cravings are due to the fact that the body is undergoing bigger chemical changes than pretty much any other time. Most are, however, the body attempting to get nutrients and can be very strange as the brain is no more aware of the exact chemical breakdown of food than we are.

[Remirach]

I once worked at all call center with a pregnant woman who had a constant desire for flour. Just regular white cooking flour. Every day she'd bring a sandwich-sized tupperware container and eat it with a spoon in between calls. It was her third pregnancy, and she swore she'd been that way with her other two children as well.

I've heard of people eating clay, too.

[funkyhomosapien]

Pregmant women like to pretend to crave weird stuff because it is pretty much their best opportunity to gross people out and make them jump through hoops for them. Hehe, pretty good prank, actually.

[Drider]

Pregmant women like to pretend to crave weird stuff because it is pretty much their best opportunity to gross people out and make them jump through hoops for them. Hehe, pretty good prank, actually.

That does kinda make some sense...

[herrhauptmann]

Pregmant women like to pretend to crave weird stuff because it is pretty much their best opportunity to gross people out and make them jump through hoops for them. Hehe, pretty good prank, actually.

Next pregnant lady I know with a sense of humor, I'll convince her to try the same...

[Ravenwind]

Having just given birth a few weeks ago. . . the answer for me, personally, is no. Not many cravings at all. I did really want Mexican food throughout, but that's actually kinda normal for me.

And when I got diagnosed as a gestational diabetic and had to go on an extremely regimented diet as a result, I have to admit, I *realllllly* wanted a milkshake, and that became my running joke of what I'd have the instant the kid and the placenta both fell out. ;)

[Inhuman Bot]

Pregmant women like to pretend to crave weird stuff because it is pretty much their best opportunity to gross people out and make them jump through hoops for them. Hehe, pretty good prank, actually.

Since it can be hard to pick sarcasm up over the internet, are you being sarcastic?

Or do you just not know much/anything about how the human body works?

[funkyhomosapien]

Since it can be hard to pick sarcasm up over the internet, are you being sarcastic?

Or do you just not know much/anything about how the human body works?

Yeah, I'm totally stupid, and when I say things that are obviously jokes I mean them seriously, thanks for asking.

[Lissou]

I've never been pregnant, but it has happened to me on occasion.
For instance, I never have added sodium in anything I cook. So from time to time, I just crave soy sauce or anchovies, because I need sodium.

I can imagine that it would be even stronger when there are two people who need the nutrient rather than one.

Although I think people tend to really exaggerate it. My mom only craved "normal" things, like strawberries and stuff, never weird mixes.

[Tricia]

The best explanation behind it is that *everyone* has these kinds of cravings...it's just that pregnant women are expected to have them, and are also more likely to have someone that will get this for them, so they're more often to actually go through with these cravings, and not just settle for, say, just the peanut butter.

It makes sense to me, at least, because I've never been pregnant, and I've had some really weird cravings before.

[keilyn]

As Kazumi is beautifully illustrating, a lot of women really do go a little crazy when pregnant (myself being no exception). In addition to the various nutrient deficiencies that may give expectant moms cravings (desires for non-food items such as grass and clay are called 'pica', and can happen to anyone, for any other geeks that care), I firmly believe hormones also play an important role. You're in emotional high-gear, your senses are enhanced (including smell which plays a BIG role in taste and cravings), and yeah, you're pregnant, which means you can get away with stuff you normally don't.

I huffed Irish Spring soap (it smelled -awesome-), which was not something I could help, but I ate more than my share of Snickers bars and pop, which I could have helped but really didn't feel like.

[Setra]

Yeah, I'm totally stupid, and when I say things that are obviously jokes I mean them seriously, thanks for asking.
You'd be surprised how many people say things that are so ridiculously stupid that you KNOW it has to be a joke, and yet they are serious.

This is the internet, it's full of idiots. Don't blame him for not being sure. On the flip side I would rather do the opposite, thank him for giving you the benefit of the doubt instead of flat out calling you an idiot like much of the internet might.

[Evil DM Mark3]

You'd be surprised how many people say things that are so ridiculously stupid that you KNOW it has to be a joke, and yet they are serious.

This is the internet, it's full of idiots. Don't blame him for not being sure. On the flip side I would rather do the opposite, thank him for giving you the benefit of the doubt instead of flat out calling you an idiot like much of the internet might.

This is why smilies where invented.

Literately. This is EXACTLY why they where invented. I am not kidding.
19-Sep-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman :)
From: Scott E Fahlman <Fahlman at Cmu-20c>

I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:

:-)

Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark
things that are NOT jokes - given current trends. For this, use

:-(

[Inhuman Bot]

Huh, that's very interesting.
Where did you find that?

[Evil DM Mark3]

The almighty WIKIPEDIA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoticon#History)!

[Holammer]

I usually stack dozens of ingredients upon my sandwiches. But seriously, I don't find the though of a peanut butter sandwich with pepperoni and pickles odd at all. Pepperoni and pickles are fine together and the texture and taste of peanut butter should be just fine.
Now... I've spent some time in kitchens and the most bizarre I ever saw/tasted was a spicy licorice sauce together with fish. It was oddly delicious but nothing we can serve really. Mostly because the guests and people in general simply find the combination of certain foodstuffs revolting.

[Ascension]

My best (male) friend used to dip peanut butter Ritz Bits sandwiches in pizza sauce all the time when we were kids.

[Warren Dew]

Peanut butter is very high in unsaturated fatty acids. These form the membrane of every cell in the body, and also coat skin and hair. Normally they aren't used for calories unless you eat a ton, so the calorie & fat value of peanut butter is misleading. Ditto for all nuts and oils. Which is why fat-free salad dressing is such an incredibly stupid incarnation of commercialism taking advantage of a market.

The rest of your post is spot on, but this part isn't quite correct. Cell membranes are made of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, not unsaturated ones, so peanut butter would not be good for that. There could be other reasons to crave peanut butter, though, like lysine, perhaps.

With respect to the "it's just an excuse" theory - some pregnant women I know have craved things during pregnancy that they normally dislike, so it wasn't an excuse for them.

[Setra]

A pepperoni and pickle sandvich doesn't sound all that bad actually. Maybe with some lettuce and tomatoes too.

[busterswd]

sandvich

Ha, tf2?

Also the pepperoni and pickles doesn't sound that bad, but the peanut butter throws it out of whack.

[Setra]

Ha, tf2?

Of course :smalltongue:

Honestly his sandvich makes me hungry, it looks really good. :smallconfused:

[dogmac]

Kazumi, Kazumi, Kazumi....

Surely that pregnancy magazine has pointed out that...

a) it's been shown that eating peanuts in pregnancy increases your childs chance of developing a nut allergy. Avoid the nuts!!

b) Pepperoni and other deli meats have a large risk of salmonella, and so are off the menu

c) Pickles are OK though :P

When I was pregnant, I craved fried egg rolls with HP sauce. I suspect it was because I am a vegetarian, and so I needed extra protein.

[pendell]

I've never been pregnant, but it has happened to me on occasion.


Um ... I don't understand this sentence. Could you try again, for poor ol' stupid me?


As Kazumi is beautifully illustrating, a lot of women really do go a little crazy when pregnant (myself being no exception).


Ermmm .. crazy how? What does that mean?
[/QUOTE]

Many thanks to all who have answered. I have learned something new.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[keilyn]

Ermmm .. crazy how? What does that mean?


A pregnant woman's hormones tend to go completely nuts. The same reason that hormone imbalances can give you depression, bipolar, and other mental disorders, means that expectant women have a harder time controlling their emotions and, sometimes, thought processes. Some women, especially those with certain previously stated mental conditions, can have it even worse.

My husband fondly remembers coming home to my pregnant self bawling over the kitchen sink, and upon asking what the matter was, I sobbed to him that I had no idea. Anyways, it just makes me smile to see Kazumi harnessing her 'prego-rage'. Heck, it makes me smile to have a pregnant char in OotS at all.

Sorry about all of the 'baby geekery'- my dad's an OB/GYN (baby-delivering doctor) and it's been around me all my life.

[Evil DM Mark3]

With respect to the "it's just an excuse" theory - some pregnant women I know have craved things during pregnancy that they normally dislike, so it wasn't an excuse for them.My Aunt craved cabbage. She hates cabbage. She still did whilst pregnant. She really wanted it, despite the fact the taste was unpleasant.

Oh and as for the health concerns of the sandwich, remember this is a fashion pregnancy magazine, revealing what is "in" for pregnant women to crave. The Cabbage Soup diet has been "in" several times. It still give any decent dietician a fit.

[chibibar]

My mother tells me that she has different craving when she had me and my sister. She eats a LOT more greens which she didn't like and fruits for my sister.

BUT, many of my friends who were pregnant usually don't get weird craving if you are on a balance nutrient diet type. My sister is on proper balance of diet due to her doctor made sure my sister eat the right stuff. My sister do take nutrient regularly (being a marathon runner) so she doesn't get weird craving too much outside the normal (sweets, she doesn't eat too much sweets normally)

My wife on the other hand doesn't have a very balance diet so she might start craving veggies and fruits when we have our first child. :)

[Green-Shirt Q]

Pepperoni, pickles and peanut butter. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that they all start with the letter P?

[David Argall]

Advice for both sexes: Don't worry about it much. While it is unlikely that it is really helpful, it is going to be very rarely harmful.

Advice for the male: Supply it. At the least, this is when she needs assurance of your support and as long as she is asking for something you can pick up at the deli, you are both better off getting it.

[ericgrau]

The rest of your post is spot on, but this part isn't quite correct. Cell membranes are made of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, not unsaturated ones, so peanut butter would not be good for that. There could be other reasons to crave peanut butter, though, like lysine, perhaps.

With respect to the "it's just an excuse" theory - some pregnant women I know have craved things during pregnancy that they normally dislike, so it wasn't an excuse for them.

Actually little spots of cholesterol and a mix of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. But mostly the unsaturated fat. I'll go look it up to double check, but regardless "essential fatty acids" are unsaturated fats, i.e. oils, and they're "essential" just like the other nutrients and thus still subject to cravings.

If I don't edit this post within 2 minutes then I didn't find anything within that time and had to go back to work.

EDIT: wikipedia "confirmed" that the cell membrane contains all 3 substances mentioned, plus steroids. I didn't have time to find the % of each. Regardless, EFA's (essential fatty acids, i.e. oil) are an essential part of the diet whereas cholesterol and saturated fat can be synthesized by the body. And, besides cell membranes, a lot of pet lovers can tell you their importance for skin and hair.

[Mythlor]

Next pregnant lady I know with a sense of humor, I'll convince her to try the same...

First off, pregnant women do not have a sense of humor. Go a head and make jokes in-front of them and they will run you through with a sword. The Giant is not far off on this point.

Second, my wife craved cream cheese. I caught her eating a whole tub of the stuff. No crackers, nothing else. I couldn't watch. I don't wish pregancy on anyone, unless they want it.

[Nevrmore]

Huh, I've seen a lot of people in this thread post other common things pregnant women crave, but no one's posted the blood of the innocent, yet?

I mean, when my wife was pregnant with Damien, that's all she drank left and right. Blood of the innocent for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I guess she just needed more iron in her diet.

[pendell]

What was wrong with blood of the guilty?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[AlexanderRM]

Since it can be hard to pick sarcasm up over the internet, are you being sarcastic?

Or do you just not know much/anything about how the human body works?
I read that as saying that some people pretend to crave weird stuff. I don't think he was actually denying that real cravings exist, just that not ALL cravings are real.





On the general topic- I don't think the food she was asking for was actually a joke on pregnancy cravings, note the name of the magazine she got this advice from. I think the joke is about these strange recommendations (I think I've actually heard something about eating things that being with a certain letter, though I'm not sure if that was also a joke... I think that was an RL story about a nurse who said that, but I'm not sure) that make ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE logically.

In fact, she specifically said that she didn't actually crave that, if anyone here actually read the comic carefully.



Also, on a similar note- I was wondering about the effects of magical potions on fetal development. You know, like how drugs (most famously, alcohol) and various other chemicals (such as mercury) can cause birth defects. Except that the effects of the potion are actually GOOD. I wonder if it would be along the lines of how Obelisk fell into the cauldron as a baby, and wound up having super-strength permanently.
If that were so, then it's odd that pregnancy magazines don't recommend things like, for example, potions of Fox's cunning, so maybe there are some side effects...

[chibibar]

I read that as saying that some people pretend to crave weird stuff. I don't think he was actually denying that real cravings exist, just that not ALL cravings are real.





On the general topic- I don't think the food she was asking for was actually a joke on pregnancy cravings, note the name of the magazine she got this advice from. I think the joke is about these strange recommendations (I think I've actually heard something about eating things that being with a certain letter, though I'm not sure if that was also a joke... I think that was an RL story about a nurse who said that, but I'm not sure) that make ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE logically.

In fact, she specifically said that she didn't actually crave that, if anyone here actually read the comic carefully.



Also, on a similar note- I was wondering about the effects of magical potions on fetal development. You know, like how drugs (most famously, alcohol) and various other chemicals (such as mercury) can cause birth defects. Except that the effects of the potion are actually GOOD. I wonder if it would be along the lines of how Obelisk fell into the cauldron as a baby, and wound up having super-strength permanently.
If that were so, then it's odd that pregnancy magazines don't recommend things like, for example, potions of Fox's cunning, so maybe there are some side effects...

Interesting..... I guess if you drank a magical potion, its magic could "weave" into the baby's genetics or something similar to gain residual effects. That would be interesting. I guess that could work since the fetus is constantly developing and growing inside so maybe some potion could have residual effect if it is a long last potion (i.e. last one day etc etc... a short term potion magic would dissipate too quickly before it can be incorporate into the fetus' genetics.

[Valley]

Pregmant women like to pretend to crave weird stuff because it is pretty much their best opportunity to gross people out and make them jump through hoops for them. Hehe, pretty good prank, actually.


In fact, if you ever read The Second Sex, that is one of the serious suggestions for why women feel cravings when pregmant. It is one of the only times men will give them whatever they want. The rest of the theories, for example - that the baby needs special material that the normal food can't give it - can't, to my knowledge, be supported by any study.

So while you may have posted it as a joke it is, in fact, one of the theories about why pregmant women have cravings.

[Chronos]

And all it requires for it to be true is a grand conspiracy on the part of half of the human race, that none of them has ever confessed to. Yeah, that's perfectly plausible.

[Shatteredtower]

And all it requires for it to be true is a grand conspiracy on the part of half of the human race, that none of them has ever confessed to. Yeah, that's perfectly plausible.

Yeah, I can't buy into that either. Considering how many women have to drive themselves to the grocery store at 3 AM to fill such cravings, there are too many who'd get nothing out of "keeping the secret." Same for the number that have been caught trying to indulge more unusual cravings in secret.

[David Argall]

And all it requires for it to be true is a grand conspiracy on the part of half of the human race, that none of them has ever confessed to. Yeah, that's perfectly plausible.
The conspiracy is not necessary. Nor do the "conspirators" need to know why they are doing what they are doing.

Recall here that just about any human behavior can be found in animals with highly limited mental abilities. The male does not need to know he is trying to knock the female up. Nor does the female need to know she is training the male to help take care of her and the baby.



Considering how many women have to drive themselves to the grocery store at 3 AM to fill such cravings,
Nature works on averages. So the minor misfires just happen. The lady has cravings when the man is not around to help satisfy them. The lad buys copies of Playboy that don't help him a bit in getting some lass.

[Nevrmore]

What was wrong with blood of the guilty?

Respectfully,

Brian P.
She said blood of the guilty tasted like a Foot Locker smells. Wouldn't touch it.

[soozenw]

I craved raw onions. I had to eat a hamburger loaded with onions every day for 3 months. Seriously, more onion than burger.

Everything I have ever read states that pregnant women crave things that contain nutrients they are missing.

[Occasional Sage]

And when I got diagnosed as a gestational diabetic and had to go on an extremely regimented diet as a result, I have to admit, I *realllllly* wanted a milkshake, and that became my running joke of what I'd have the instant the kid and the placenta both fell out. ;)

I've read recently that cinnamon is thought to (help) control blood sugar and therefore be good for diabetes, but have also seen warnings to avoid large amounts of cinnamon when pregnant. Any idea where I'd find more information on the subjects?


Kazumi, Kazumi, Kazumi....

Surely that pregnancy magazine has pointed out that...

a) it's been shown that eating peanuts in pregnancy increases your childs chance of developing a nut allergy. Avoid the nuts!!



But then she wouldn't be pregnant. :smallconfused:



Also, on a similar note- I was wondering about the effects of magical potions on fetal development. You know, like how drugs (most famously, alcohol) and various other chemicals (such as mercury) can cause birth defects. Except that the effects of the potion are actually GOOD. I wonder if it would be along the lines of how Obelisk fell into the cauldron as a baby, and wound up having super-strength permanently.
If that were so, then it's odd that pregnancy magazines don't recommend things like, for example, potions of Fox's cunning, so maybe there are some side effects...

This was kicked around in another thread, too. I'd point out that beneficial things for the mother can have negative consequences for the fetus: anti-depressants are (essentially) across-the-board bad; meds to counteract epilepsy and similar problems are either scary or an unknown factor; and if you want something targeting a more mainstream problem (not that depression is uncommon), look into a once-commonly-prescribed anti-nausea drug prescribed to pregnant women called Thalidomide.

[Inhuman Bot]

Wait what?

Your second comment makes no sense...

[David Argall]

Everything I have ever read states that pregnant women crave things that contain nutrients they are missing.

While this is a reasonable explanation in general [You routinely crave things that have nutritional value, whether or not you are pregnant or can get so.], it is not a complete explanation. Many of the things craved either have no nutritional value, or none that the woman is aware of or needs.

Social factors [Since everybody thinks she should be indulged, she has a right, even a duty, to give in to urges she would normally ignore.] are involved to some extent.

[Enlong]

Wait what?

Your second comment makes no sense...

Think loooong and hard about what he was quoting.

[Inhuman Bot]

What?:smallconfused:

ooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........

[Alysar]

I wonder if she wanted the sandwich to be on pumpernickel.

[soozenw]

While this is a reasonable explanation in general [You routinely crave things that have nutritional value, whether or not you are pregnant or can get so.], it is not a complete explanation. Many of the things craved either have no nutritional value, or none that the woman is aware of or needs.

Social factors [Since everybody thinks she should be indulged, she has a right, even a duty, to give in to urges she would normally ignore.] are involved to some extent.

True. I ate better during my pregnancy (heathier) because I was terrified of all the weight gain. Although, the last week before my son came, I ate ice cream every day.

There is a fabulous article online about pregnancy cravings and the (possible) reasons behind them HERE (http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/nutrition/pregnant-cravings/).

[pendell]

While this is a reasonable explanation in general [You routinely crave things that have nutritional value, whether or not you are pregnant or can get so.], it is not a complete explanation. Many of the things craved either have no nutritional value, or none that the woman is aware of or needs.


I wonder .. James Earl Jones wrote in his autobiography that when he was a small child (he grew up poor) he and his siblings would routinely dig up and eat mud. Iron deficiency, perhaps.

So perhaps there *is* a nutritional value to some of the things you mention above .. just not an intuitive one.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[soozenw]

I wonder .. James Earl Jones wrote in his autobiography that when he was a small child (he grew up poor) he and his siblings would routinely dig up and eat mud. Iron deficiency, perhaps.

So perhaps there *is* a nutritional value to some of the things you mention above .. just not an intuitive one.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

It's called pica. Generally the craving of non food items is an iron deficiency (from what I've read), but it also tends to be more prevalent in abused/neglected children as well (which has no explanation). So if you ever crave to munch on some dirt, see your doctor and get tested for anemia. :smallwink:

[DigoDragon]

I guess my wife is a mystery of science. When she was pregnant she never had cravings AND she kept her sense of humor. :smallsmile:

[pendell]

I guess my wife is a mystery of science. When she was pregnant she never had cravings AND she kept her sense of humor. :smallsmile:

There's no mystery here. Clearly your 'wife' is actually a body-snatcher from the planet Zoombah, but she hasn't quite figured out how to imitate humans yet.

Running fast,

Brian P.

[AlexanderRM]

And all it requires for it to be true is a grand conspiracy on the part of half of the human race, that none of them has ever confessed to. Yeah, that's perfectly plausible.
Well, I've overheard multiple discussion of pregnancy cravings (IRL) and I get the distinct impression of having heard people saying that they'd never had any... and I distinctly remember someone with two children telling the story of her ONE pregnancy craving. Which supports the theory that there are real pregnancy cravings (because otherwise it would never have gotten started) but nowhere near as commonly as you'd think.





This was kicked around in another thread, too. I'd point out that beneficial things for the mother can have negative consequences for the fetus: anti-depressants are (essentially) across-the-board bad; meds to counteract epilepsy and similar problems are either scary or an unknown factor; and if you want something targeting a more mainstream problem (not that depression is uncommon), look into a once-commonly-prescribed anti-nausea drug prescribed to pregnant women called Thalidomide.
By random chance, my sister just showed me something the Encyclopedia Magica (three-volume listing of EVERY magical item, really old) while I was reading this, and I spontaneously imagined a "potion of improved fetal development" or something like that. I suppose you'd need to have a spell with that effect, unless it was a wondrous item that simply resembled a potion.
Also... now that I think about it, I wonder how much an effect the difference between magical potions and special chemicals have? I'm pretty sure that creatures between small and large sizes have pretty much the same effect from a medium-size potion... yet I don't think a Colossal or Fine creature would... and would the fetus at this point be Diminutive or Tiny? I think that at least part of the increased effect is from being in early development and not just size, but since it's a magic potion... ???

[The_Bard75]

Having 2 lovely daughters, I've had the slew of cravings.
The first one it was Bean Burritos and Blue Cheese
The second one popcorn and avacados...in fact I almost attacked a good friend just to steel his popcorn.:smallbiggrin:

[stickygoo]

My mother is fond of informing people that when she was pregnant with me, she craved Beer.... She never says whether or not she actually had any or how much...

[ericgrau]

Having 2 lovely daughters, I've had the slew of cravings.
The first one it was Bean Burritos and Blue Cheese
The second one popcorn and avacados...in fact I almost attacked a good friend just to steel his popcorn.:smallbiggrin:

Pinto beans, corn and avocados are all heavily loaded with B vitamins, including folic acid (important for pregnant ladies). Blue cheese had me stumped for a while since it seemed to have just a little of a few things and no B vitamins. Then I found out that it's super loaded with choline. Choline is often grouped with the B vitamins and jis ust as important for development.

I think you gotta accept that pregnant women crave things for nutrients or else you gotta call all of them liars... who coincidentally eat nutrient dense foods even without any understanding of nutrition.