Symptoms: Hunger w/ Cravings and Aversions

I am 10 weeks along in my pregnancy and all of a sudden I am hungry ALL THE TIME! Dr. Rupe talks about this symptom in the book. Hunger, with cravings and aversions.

I'm hungry all the time but not much sounds good to me. I am blessed in that I don't suffer from extreme nausea or vomiting during my first trimester. Just a touch of queasiness from time to time. But I have lots of food aversions and honestly, they seem to come and go. One minute chicken sounds good, the next anything related to my feathered friends makes me want to puke. It makes it very challenging to eat healthy during these early stages of pregnancy.

My hope is that after I share my pregnant point of view on this symptom, Dr. Rupe will chime in with another entry that gives the facts and some good, doctorly advice on how to handle this early pregnancy dilemma.

Preparation is perhaps the most important action you can take when trying to eat healthy in your first trimester (and throughout your entire pregnancy for that matter). Since I know that chicken is hit or miss for me right now, I have to be ready with other options. What does sound good? Make a list of foods you have not been averse to and make sure you keep them around. Any kind of meat is tough for most women I talk to in their first trimester. What other forms of protein can you stomach at this stage?

I don't hear much that fruits and vegetables bother women in pregnancy so focusing on those things is a good idea. I've eaten a lot of salads (the tangy vinegar helps the queasiness) along with citrus fruits (sour is great for nausea). When all else fails look to whole grains. Toast and whole wheat pasta are mild and will give you the carbs you need for energy. Try to find some form of protein to add to it though. Cheese is a good idea. Lastly, make sure you drink lots of water to keep you from dehydrating. Water is also just a great cleansing agent. It almost resets my system to drink a tall glass of cold water. Chicken might sound yucky but after downing 8 oz of agua, it might not be so bad.

We'd love to hear your pregnancy menu secrets. What worked for you?