Food Cravings During Pregnancy - Pregnancy Journey

Oh boy it has been a journey with food & cravings during the pregnancy that needs a whole article, I will try to keep it short though and divide this into three parts according to the trimester (the third one will have the update as soon as its done).

The first trimester

As I have written before my first trimester has been magical & with no nausea or vomiting, and I am grateful. Food wise it has been quite a trip. Sounds easier than it was to experience but I could not make up my mind what I wanted to eat. At the same time I knew that I needed to eat not to feel nauseous and I couldn't just skip meals. It seemed like there was nothing that could spark my taste buds... As a last resort I started to make chicken broth & veggie soup. I soon realised that I loved it and it was so easy to eat, I would have it at the ready in the fridge and I would have at least two bowls for lunch or dinner. I loved that it's easy to eat, I could choose if I wanted more veggies, less chicken or more broth itself. I will not be lying if I said that it kept me alive during the first 12 weeks.

Another little food craving that has never been this strong before is yoghurt. Or kefir, because I would have both! My ultimate go to would be: tomatoes, cucumbers and a bit of onion diced and mixed with A LOT of kefir or natural yoghurt. Added a bit of salt and pepper and here is a salad, very much Lithuanian, except they would use sour cream instead. But I love a juicy salad so kefir (which btw in Spain is very solid) was just the right choice.

So the first trimester food wise was pretty basic.

The second trimester

In all the aspects, health, food, mood & all, second trimester has been a blast. I really do not have much to say apart that I have felt totally ''normal'', energetic, happy and according to my husband I should stay pregnant forever, haha. I would not necessarily eat a whole lot more than usual but I have a really good appetite most of the time, so I did not notice the difference too much & then it started getting closer to the third trimester....

Third trimester

I have read & heard how thing change in the third trimester, but I thought girls were exaggerating, it surely couldn't be such a bit difference. Until maybe around week 25-26 it all started to develop. I feel hungry more often, and I know it says that due to the growing belly the portions of food you eat should be smaller or you just simply not able to ''fit in'' bigger meals, well I can tell you thats a lie. Yes, I do feel way bigger after the meals, but it is not stopping me from eating a lot. Sometimes it feels like I have just had food but I want something more and I don't know for sure what that ''something'' is.

Another huge change was the love for sweets, cakes, ice cream... all of it. I have never been a sweet tooth, but the last month or so I really crave it. I would have chocolate in my bag at ALL TIMES!! I remember I did not have anything sweet once on a train ride and wow that was a struggle, I made sure I went and go some chocolate in the little shop on the train because it's like I couldn't live one more hour without it.

This journey of wanting sugar continues and of course I am trying to control it a bit, but also not going to tell myself not to have anything sweet, because that goes against my understanding of balance. I will maybe try not to have too much or if I had ice cream after dinner one night I would choose to eat a piece of fruit the other. But overall my strategy is try not to stress about it too much. Not the cravings, not the weight gain, I believe it is all a part of the process!