Pregnancy cravings

Women crave many things during pregnancy - some more unusual than others. Here are some of the most common cravings and some of the more unusual ones.

Women crave many things during pregnancy - some more unusual than others. It is believed that cravings may be an indication of what your body requires during pregnancy, however there does not appear to be much scientific evidence to back this. A woman's taste and smell is heightened during pregnancy, which could explain why we get food cravings.

We asked our members about their pregnancy cravings and have put together the most common cravings as well as some of the more unusual ones.

By far the most common craving our members reported was eating or sucking on ice cubes and ice lollies.

It may well be that you are feeling hot and thirsty but a craving for ice can also be a sign that you are low in iron so if you are desperately munching ice cubes it is worth getting your iron levels tested.

Our members recommend taking Floradix to up their iron intake as it is more gentle on the system than iron tablets - you can also increase your uptake of iron by eating iron rich foods such as red meat, leafy greens, dried apricots and sunflower seeds. Drinking orange juice with a meal also allows your body to take up more of the iron in your food.

Read more on anaemia in pregnancy.

So many of you told us that you just couldn't resist drinking long, cold drinks of cola during pregnancy.

A craving for cola is probably your body craving a sugar hit. Cola has also been known to settle a queasy stomach and combat morning sickness too, which could be another reason why you want it so badly. A craving for sugar can also indicate a calcium deficiency.

Try eating cubes of cheese or munching on spinach leaves with your drink of cola.

Whether it was a craving to suck lemon slices or eat oranges or a need for grapefruits, many of you told us you craved citrus fruits during pregnancy. You just couldn't get enough of them.

A much healthier craving - one that could mean your body is telling you to pack in as much vitamin C as you can.

There is an old wive's tale that craving citrus fruits means you are expecting a girl - read more fun ways to predict gender here.

Whether it was a desire to munch your way through bags of pickled onion Monster Munch or just good old ready salted crisps, many said they couldn't get enough of crisps through their nine months of pregnancy.

It could be down to a need for salt (your body lacking in sodium).

Of course - it's not the healthiest of cravings - so try swapping a bag of crisps for pretzels, popcorn or crackers instead.

Many of you crave carb filled foods - especially potatoes - whether it is a plate of salted chunky chips, a huge bowl of mashed potato or good old baked spuds.

During pregnancy there is a drop in blood sugar levels and this may be one reason why you crave carbs. Potatoes are actually a really easy thing to eat - especially if you are feeling queasy - and they are filling and nutritious too.

Boiled, baked and mashed potatoes are obviously healthier than chips - but if you crave chips why not try oven baked potato wedges as an alternative to satisfy your urge?

A tall, ice cold glass of delicious strawberry or chocolate milkshake - that's what many of you say dominated your thoughts during pregnancy. A craving for milk or milkshakes seems to be really common.

It could be your body is craving calcium, and drinking milk is actually a fab way to take in more calcium. So as long as you satisfy your dairy cravings with milk and not milk chocolate or ice cream this one's pretty healthy!

It's the old classic - a craving for a pickled gherkin or a huge jar of pickled onions - sometimes coupled with something that just doesn't seem to go like chocolate or ice cream!

Some say it means your body is craving sodium. And then of course there's the theory that savoury cravings mean you are expecting a boy.

Dime bars, dairy milk chocolate, bags of Minstrels..so many of you craved chocolate during pregnancy - and often a specific bar of chocolate that you became fixated by.

Like a craving for milk it could indicate a need for more calcium, but as many of us here at Team Netmums seem to desire chocolate most days (even when we are not pregnant) - we think this one might just be because it is so delicious!

If you DO crave chocolate try chocolate coated muesli bars, lighter chocolates such as Maltesers and Blue Ribands or perhaps a cup of hot chocolate will quell your choc craving at times too?

Dairy seems to keep cropping up on our list of common pregnancy cravings and many of you said you couldn't get enough cheese.

Again it could be a sign your body craves calcium. Cheese is high in saturated fat so choose low fat options such as Edam or go for low fat cheese spreads or cottage cheese at times instead.

Some say cheese eaten before bed gives you nightmares - we wonder how many pregnant women are having sleepless nights due to their cheese cravings?

Juicy steaks, beef burgers ... many of you said that you craved red meat during pregnancy and found yourself eating more than you usually did.

The most plausible explanation for this craving is your body telling you it needs more iron.

Netmums members also shared with us some weird and wonderful cravings they had during pregnancy. They include:

- The smell of Dettol, disinfectant and clean washing
- Sucking sponges
- Rubber (nibbling the bath mat)
- Mint sauce sandwiches
- Gherkins dipped in Marmite
- Coal tar soap
- Toothpaste
- Dime bars wrapped in cabbage leaves

Superfoods in pregnancy

Fun gender prediction tests and signs

Eating do's and don'ts