Sweets in pregnancy

Pregnant women's tastes change. Some refuse their favorite dishes for the entire period of pregnancy, and sometimes even for the period of breastfeeding; others begin to like things that they did not like before or after pregnancy. Taste whims completely concern sweets.

Unfortunately, pastries with butter creams, buns with butter and jam are quite high in calories, but not very nutritious. Excess carbohydrates from such sweets are stored in the fatty tissues of the mother and child, which can subsequently complicate the birth process. Therefore, it is better to get carbohydrate energy from citrus fruits, bananas, corn, wholemeal flour. Eat fruit salads, cocktails, homemade juices.

• In the second trimester, pregnant women with a sweet tooth would do well to switch completely to fruit and vegetable sources of carbohydrates. Frozen berries, dried fruits, candied fruits, and nuts are also suitable. It is better to add honey instead of sugar.

The good question "Can I eat sweets during pregnancy?" suggests a half-joking answer: if I can't, but I really want to, then I can. Every woman who has experienced the joy of motherhood knows about situations when it is simply unbearable to refuse something tasty. At least a piece, at least a sip. Probably, there will be no harm from any food in minimal doses - the same piece of cake or chocolate candy. But there is an opinion that a woman is drawn to sweets during pregnancy if she is bored, sad and has few endorphins in the blood. The attention of relatives, communication with friends, family holidays that bring positive emotions can improve the mood much better than any sweets.

Why do you want sweets during pregnancy?

There are many versions of taste changes (sometimes even to the point of perversion), from scientific to folk (“the child wanted it”). In fact, why do you want sweets during pregnancy? We mean constant, obsessive desires.

A popular answer is that people want sweet treats when they are nervous, stressed, or have some dental diseases (caries, periodontitis). This is especially true for thin women, to whom nature seems to suggest that the body needs nutritional and energy reserves. The desire for flour, fatty, and sweet foods is especially acute at the beginning of pregnancy. Following the voice of nature, it is useful to choose products that provide the necessary energy and are digested not instantly, but over a period of time.

• The ideal sweet option during pregnancy is muesli.

There is an opinion that the taste preferences of the expectant mother are an unconscious but important signal for the future father. A responsible man will definitely fulfill any whim of his beloved, even if it is “I don’t know what, but I really want it.”

But if a pregnant woman’s whims border on risk for her or the baby, the issue of taste should be discussed with an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Sweet tea during pregnancy

If a woman has always drunk tea, then she should not deprive herself of such pleasure in this position. The amount of sweet tea during pregnancy should be included in the general two-liter norm of liquid drunk. In addition, it should be of high quality, from natural ingredients, without flavorings.

It remains to be clarified which tea is better and whether there are any prohibitions on certain varieties.

The restriction only concerns the concentration – strong black or green tea can harm the fetus due to the caffeine content. Lemon, milk, and honey improve the properties of the drink.

• Black tea is rich in vitamins B, C, and microelements.
• Green tea lowers blood pressure and has a positive effect on tooth enamel.
• White tea contains beneficial calcium.
• Yellow tea is irreplaceable for toxicosis.
• Red tea (from currant and raspberry leaves) is a good remedy for colds.
• Useful decoctions of herbs and berries.

The right tea will help with nausea, swelling, indigestion. Warm, hot - for every taste. Tea with honey is especially useful - it will replace those sweets during pregnancy that do not benefit either the woman or the baby.

Aversion to sweets during pregnancy

There are legends about the taste quirks of pregnant women. This is caused, by common opinion, by hormonal and psychological reasons.

It also happens the other way around, that even the thought of something makes a woman sick. In particular, there is an aversion to sweets during pregnancy. What to do?

• Even if it is a necessary product, spare your stomach and do not force it to accept something unacceptable. Try replacing sweets during pregnancy with something similar in composition and usefulness. Perhaps the aversion is caused by a sharp or too piquant smell - offer it less aromatic food.

In the first weeks, disgust is caused by early toxicosis. If malaise, nausea and weakness appear in the morning, have breakfast in bed (tea with a bun, a cracker). If disgust is strong, up to dehydration and weight loss, you should share the problem with your doctor, and if necessary, undergo treatment in a hospital setting.

Confectionery sweets are rich in fats. If a woman previously received them in moderation, then with a larger portion, the body, out of habit, sharply increases the production of bile. It, in turn, irritates the intestinal mucosa, which causes nausea. Salvation is in healthy nutrition.

[ 1 ], [ 2 ]

If you want something sweet during pregnancy?

If you want something sweet during pregnancy – eat to your health! The key word here is “health”, that is, the expectant mother should choose only what is good for her condition from the abundance of sweets. For example.

• Homemade ice cream, pastilles, fruit jelly, juices, yogurts with frozen fruit, oatmeal cookies. Many women willingly share recipes on social networks.
• Natural honey (if there are no contraindications).
• Various dried fruits.
• Marmalade, marshmallow, prepared without unnecessary ingredients.
• Chocolate (a little dark).
• Berries, fruits, sweet vegetables, juices and salads made from them.

Sweets during pregnancy are no less important food than first and second courses, cold appetizers and other items of the usual menu. Such a desire is not a whim, it is needed by the expectant mother for both energy and emotional comfort. It is quite possible to charge yourself with energy and positivity with the help of healthy food.

Sweet taste in mouth during pregnancy

A sweet taste in the mouth during pregnancy is just one of many changes. In most cases, it occurs due to increased sugar in saliva, urine, and blood. This is due to the fact that the pancreas has to double the task, and it does not have time to cope. This condition during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. Causes:

• overweight pregnant women;
• large fruit;
• polyhydramnios;
• late pregnancy;
• defects in previous pregnancies;
• pancreatitis;
• chronic diseases of the digestive system.

As a rule, after childbirth, the woman's condition stabilizes. However, the problem must be eliminated to avoid complications. A specialist will select medication, and the patient is required to do the following:

• don’t eat sweets – they are not always appropriate during pregnancy;
• reduce starchy foods;
• avoid fatty foods;
• move more.

It's good if everything goes well without hospitalization. But sometimes you have to finish treatment after the baby is born.

Feeling sick from sweets during pregnancy

Some people want more, others feel sick from sweets during pregnancy. Why and how to avoid this?

Many products have a sweet taste, not all of them are healthy. Nausea appears either from banal overeating, or in connection with pathologies of various organs of the digestive system (stomach, liver, pancreas, gall bladder).

• Sweets during pregnancy, as in a normal state, are necessary for life. In natural products, with reasonable dosage, it does not cause unpleasant sensations. But if you eat a lot and at one time, then problems cannot be avoided.

Moreover, you can't get carried away with sweets filled with dyes, preservatives, thickeners. And if you eat such chemicals, literally, "for two", then no digestion will cope. Unpleasant consequences are possible immediately after abundant intake of such delicacies.

It is not difficult to overcome nausea and the fatigue and discontent that accompany it. You need to enrich your body with sweet substances using fruits, berries, juices, compotes, honey. But if the painful feeling does not disappear, you cannot avoid contacting a specialist.

Popular wisdom says that nausea from sweets foretells the birth of a girl.

How to replace sweets during pregnancy?

Recommendations on what to replace sweets with during pregnancy may seem unusual at first glance. In fact, in practice they justify themselves.

• A hearty protein meal (eggs, cheese, lean meat) reduces cravings for sweets.
• Mint (chew), mint water (rinse mouth), tea with mint eliminate the aftertaste, you don’t want sweets for a while.
• If sweets are just a habit, replace it with a more suitable activity.
• Instead of store-bought treats, eat homemade jams, dried fruits, and honey.
• A small portion of ice cream or chocolate will satisfy a pregnant woman’s desire no worse than a box of chocolates or half a cake.
• Sometimes your appetite instantly disappears after carefully reading what store-bought sweets are made of.

During pregnancy, sweets should not only satisfy physiological hunger, but also be enjoyed. Then the meal, especially breakfast, will bring much more benefit.

Allergy to sweets during pregnancy

It is estimated that a third of pregnant women are susceptible to allergies to sweets. The cause of an unhealthy reaction to such food is the fermentation of undigested residues, provoked by sucrose. With a tendency to allergies, decay products in the blood increase the adverse effects of allergens. Since provoking substances can accumulate, and the pregnant body is not always able to resist them, the signs of a reaction usually appear after some time.

Symptoms of allergy to sweets:

• redness of the skin of the arms, legs, face, neck;
• itching;
• edema.

Quincke's edema, anaphylactic shock, and suffocation are life-threatening.

To eliminate the problem, it is not necessary to completely give up sweets during pregnancy. It is important to identify the allergen product and exclude it from the menu. Honey can also cause a reaction, but pollen, not sucrose, is to blame.

If you notice a reaction, you should replace all sweets with assorted fruits and see a dermatologist. If necessary, he will prescribe antihistamines. And in difficult cases, he will hospitalize you.

Who will be born if you want sweets during pregnancy?

Boy or girl? – that is the question that worries parents from the first weeks. From the physiological side, there are no differences during pregnancy, and doctors do not give separate recommendations to future mothers of daughters or sons. Although some nuances are still observed.

• Modern tests allow you to determine the sex of the fetus from 14-18 weeks. After 24 weeks, almost everyone undergoes an ultrasound examination, which is considered almost infallible. But even this diagnostic is not 100% and always leaves a chance for a surprise. Perhaps some parents are right, not wanting to guess the eternal secret of conception before the hour.

But most are not so patient and try to predict the sex of the future offspring by various signs, including those related to appetite. Popular opinion about who will be born if you want something sweet during pregnancy is unanimous: who, if not a girl, can “want” something sweet in the womb? The same answer when a pregnant woman prefers fruits, especially oranges.

There are no scientific generalizations of various signs yet, at least in accessible sources. But it is believed that hormonally it is easier to bear a daughter than a son: it is easier for the mother's body to adjust.

In a normal family, they rejoice at the addition of a child regardless of gender, as long as the mother and child are healthy. Small portions of sweets during pregnancy, if it is proceeding normally, should not harm health and a happy resolution of the burden.