Life
13 Moms Share Their Crunchy, Nut-Free Pregnancy Craving Solutions
Pregnancy cravings are a funny thing. Foods that never crossed your mind suddenly become irresistible, and bizarre combinations become scrumptious. Cool Ranch Doritos and orange juice, anyone? Throughout my first pregnancy I had a number of different cravings but, when I look back, I realize that many of them were crunchy. So I asked other moms what their crunchy pregnancy cravings were, because we're all in this together and sharing our stories can make us all feel less like weirdos.
When I was first pregnant with my son, I may have been nauseous and miserable but I could not get enough salt. If I could have had a salt lick (like they give to horses so they can get essential minerals) I would have been delighted. The best place I found to obtain aforementioned salt tended to be in crunchy foods — various potato and corn chips, vegetables dipped in salty dressings, and crackers. As long as I could get as much salt into my system I was happy and, fortunately, the crunchy was super-satisfying as well. Eventually my tastes shifted and wanted sweets, but at that point I'd gotten so used to all things crunchy I kept it going.
But how did other moms satisfy their deep, insatiable need for crunchy things? These 13 women were kind enough to share their crunchy, non-nut cravings:
Zimra
"Jicama!"
Writer's note: If you've never had, or perhaps heard of, jicama, get on that. I discovered jicama when I lived in Los Angeles and it's delicious.
Kimmie
"Fritos, veggie sticks, [which are] basically potato chips with vegetable coloring to make you feel better about eating poorly, kettle cooked chips, and popcorn. I have a problem."
Heidi
"I vividly remember calling my husband absolutely hysterical one night saying if I didn’t get cheese curls right that instant I would die. They were the only thing I could really stomach the first 20 weeks or so of my pregnancy."
Jane
"Pickled daikon radish."
Erin
"I ate Taki's, a Southern delicacy that consists of a fried, rolled up corn chip covered in a lime hot-cheeto dust. And I ate them with chopsticks so I wouldn't get the neon dust all over myself."
Jill
"Dill and sea salt Triscuits, with old cheddar melted on top with some salsa and green olives."
Writer's note: I was confused by what "old cheddar" meant and Jill clarified: "We have mild, medium and old cheddar here (among many other types of cheese), old cheddar has a more crisp taste, where mild is very... mild. We only buy old cheese." We being "Canadians."
Rhiannon
"I once ate an entire plate piled with dill pickle slices at my annual credit union BBQ at Knotts Berry Farm. I went back like four times to refill my plate. I was barely showing and I’m pretty sure I got a few side eyes walking around with a massive plate of pickles. I had hyperemesis gravidarum and most things I ate would come right back up. But on that magical unicorn day I managed to eat about 4 plates full of pickles with ease, and not have them come flying back up as fast as silver bullet takes off."
Sandra
"Pickles, fried pickles, good tortilla chips, and kettle corn. I loved anything with salt!"
Shannon
"Ice cold milk and any type of cereal I could find. I'd eat a bowl while getting ready to go out for dinner."
Cassy
"Honey BBQ Frito Twists or white cheddar popcorn."
Marcie
"I bought every cereal ever made. This is an actual photo of my fridge."
Sarah
"I was obsessed with Tostitos Thin and Crispy Cantina-style chips and salsa. Like, that specific brand, type, and texture — the super thin chip, which was also super salty and still a little greasy. Like, if a tortilla chip mated with a potato chip, they'd create a Tostitos Thin and Crispy Cantina style chip. There were times I'd eat a whole bag in a day or two. And I really liked the cantina salsa, too — that thinner, spicier salsa you get for free on the table at Mexican restaurants. I lived on that stuff."
Cynthia
"I ate so many Sea Salt & Vinegar chips one night that I lost my ability to taste anything salty or vinegar-y for days. Days. Imagine craving something so intensely, but no matter how much of it you eat you never can taste it. A pregnant woman's un-sated cravings can be a dangerous thing. "
Check out Romper's new video series, Bearing The Motherload, where disagreeing parents from different sides of an issue sit down with a mediator and talk about how to support (and not judge) each other’s parenting perspectives. New episodes air Mondays on Facebook.
