Common Dietary Myths
Now That I'm Eating For Two, Can I Eat Twice As Much As Before?
In short, no. Falling for the myth of eating for two is likely to result in excessive weight gain, which is not good for you or the baby. The body becomes more energy efficient during pregnancy in order to meet the energy needs for pregnancy so you only need to eat slightly more e.g. the odd extra slice of bread or one or two healthy snacks each day.
I've Been Having Strong Food Cravings - Does This Mean I Am Deficient In Something?
Cravings or aversions to food vary between women and even between pregnancies in the same woman. We don't really know why food cravings or aversions occur, but they are likely to be caused by hormonal changes to taste and smell rather than any specific deficiencies for vitamins or minerals. For many women food cravings or aversions are unlikely to be harmful but if the craving is for unusual things, such as coal or matches then it is important to discuss this with your midwife.
Eating spicy food will bring on labour. Is this true?
No. Eating spicy food close to a due date may cause tummy upsets but that is as close to bringing on labour as you might get. So if you enjoy spicy foods you are safe to carry on eating these throughout the whole of pregnancy.
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