At 18 weeks, I’m finally not throwing up anymore. It’s a real relief, especially knowing mothers who suffered much longer and worse than I did.
But even though I’m not sick, I still have some really strong preferences and aversions to foods. This phenomenon amazes me. How can I love, love, love something until I’m pregnant, and then suddenly the smell makes me want to hurl?
For some reason, I can’t touch pesto or peppers. It’s a shame, because we planted a little vegetable garden this year, and I couldn’t stomach half of what we grew. Last night, however, I made up a batch of fried green tomatoes from the last fruits of those plants and, wow, those were good! I think it was the tartness combined with that fried taste. Come to think of it, anything tart or sour tastes delicious. I’m usually not a sour cream fan, except for right now I can’t get enough of it. And vinegar–delicious!
I also can’t stomach sweets, whatsoever. I’ve always had a sweet tooth–especially for baked goods. Just thinking of a thick, delicious slice of carrot cake usually makes me swoon. But five minutes after I eat anything sweet, I feel horrible. I get a metallic taste in my mouth, and I start to feel queasy. I know this is probably temporary thing, and that’s good–because I can’t imagine going the rest of my life without being able to eat sweets. Eek!
I do notice I’m craving more protein. In fact, I would say that I need it to feel at my best. So it’s scrambled eggs most mornings, and more trips than usual down the meat aisle at the grocery store. I’m also finding citrus fruits, hummus and butter on anything delicious.
Since I do most of the cooking in our house, my poor family has to live with my picky tastes. But I think my husband likes the addition of more meat in our diet, and our two-year-old has developed an uncanny love for butter on anything–or by itself, if I would let him.
How about you? What foods do you love and hate when you’re pregnant?
