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This might impact your diet and nutrition. If left unaddressed, it might affect your weight or make you nutrition-deprived. Nausea or morning sickness comes with aversions as the body protects the foetus from potential toxins. The most common food aversions include meat, eggs, caffeine, onion, or garlic, because of their strong smell, texture, and taste.
Food Aversions During Pregnancy
Food aversions during pregnancy are caused by hormonal shifts, sensory sensitivity, and the need to protect the mother and the baby from toxins or bacteria.
- Hormonal shifts: Pregnancy hormones, hCG, oestrogen, and progesterone rapidly increase. The elevated hormones increase sensitivity to smells and taste.
- Heightened sensory sensitivity: Nose and tongue become very sensitive. Fragrances that once were neutral can feel overwhelming. Fish, egg, meat, or coffee may become intolerable.
- Protective role: Studies say that food aversions are a protective mechanism. During pregnancy, especially at the early stages of foetal development, food aversions help you avoid toxins or pathogens that could affect the developing foetus.
Food aversions are most common in the first trimester due to the new sensations, and they might settle in the second trimester. For some, aversions may repeat in the third trimester.
Types of Food Aversions
Women often avoid foods that have too strong a smell, different textures, or intense flavours due to sensory sensitivity.
- Strong-smelling foods: Foods like fish, onions, garlic, oily foods, cabbage, broccoli, or cauliflower carry a deep smell which can trigger gagging at the whiff of it.
- Protein sources: Red meat, poultry, eggs, and tofu can trigger disgust due to their gamey smells or textures.
- Beverages: Coffee, tea, milk, and carbonated drinks may taste too acidic, bitter, and have a strong aroma for some, making them intolerable.
How Food Aversions Impact Nutrition
Food aversions are not dangerous or something to worry about during pregnancy. It's just an evolutionary protective mechanism. But avoiding certain foods can disrupt your diet. When you avoid nutrient-rich foods, it can lead to gaps that might affect the mother and the baby.
Nutrient Gaps: Meat, eggs, and vegetables, despite their smell and texture, are loaded with important nutrients. Avoiding meat or eggs may increase anaemia risk and poor tissue growth, as they are loaded with iron and protein.
Vegetables are filled with folate, vitamins, and fibre for digestion and neural tube development.
Cutting dairy and fish can risk bone health due to a lack of calcium, and a baby’s brain growth due to a lack of omega-3 fatty acids.
Coping Strategies for Food Aversion
Food aversions are a protective mechanism, so it's good to listen to your body during pregnancy. So it's okay to avoid foods and eat what you crave in moderation. If you can get nutrients from other sources, then it's fine, but try not to overdo it. Let's see some of the coping strategies to deal with food aversion during pregnancy.
- Eat small, frequent meals: Don't fill your stomach all at once. Eat frequently in small portions every 2-3 hours. This helps stabilise blood sugar and avoid overwhelming your stomach. Large meals can disturb digestion, increasing aversion.
- Cold or room-temperature foods: Hot foods often have a stronger aroma than cold or room-temperature foods. Cold foods release less aroma and are easy to tolerate. You can try yoghurt, smoothies, or a chilled fruit bowl.
- Bland foods: If the food aversion is strong, you can opt for bland foods. Though bland foods can not offer complete nutrition, they help maintain calories. Plain rice, toast, roti, simple soups, or potatoes help reduce nausea.
- Hydration: Stay hydrated always. Drink at least 2-3 litres of water consciously. If plain water causes nausea, infuse water with lemon, mint, or fruits. Coconut water or diluted fruit juice also adds hydration.
- Mindful Eating: Stress can increase nausea and food aversion. Eat in a calm environment, chew slowly, and enjoy the food with all your senses. After eating, walk for a few minutes.
Food aversions during pregnancy are common and temporary. If aversions increase even for tolerable food, instead of normal weight gain, you are losing weight, vomiting frequently, and aversions increase in the third trimester, check with your doctor. It's healthy to listen to your body and prioritise nutrient-dense diets. Consult your doctor for a safe, personalised nutrition plan and supplements.
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FAQs on Pregnancy Food Aversions: Why They Happen and How to Cope
- Is it normal not to crave food during pregnancy?
Food cravings are not necessary during pregnancy. Food cravings are not that common, or they must have pregnancy symptoms, as the media portrays. 10-50% of pregnant women don't have any cravings. You might experience food aversions. Increased sensitivity might lead to avoiding commonly desired foods. - Can food aversions indicate gender?
Food aversion may indicate gender, but it's not consistently proven. Some research says aversion to coffee, meat, or strong smells may indicate boys. If aversion is less intense and avoiding sweet, citrus fruits or strong-smelling foods might indicate girls. However, these are myths. - What trimester has the most appetite loss?
You might not feel hungry or lose your appetite in the first trimester. It's the time when your senses are heightened, and you lose your appetite due to morning sickness, nausea, and vomiting. In the second trimester, appetite often returns as hormones settle and your body gets used to the sensation.