(From Live Science)
It may seem logical that if you crave certain foods during pregnancy, that craving is just your body’s way of telling you what it needs. But giving in to cravings may do more harm than good, a recent study finds.
The more often women in the study gave in to such cravings, the more likely they were to gain too much weight during their pregnancy, according to the study, published in the journal Appetite.
Previous research has shown that the more weight you gain during pregnancy, the harder it is to lose that weight after giving birth. And experts agree that gaining too much weight during pregnancy is the biggest contributor to postpartum weight retention. But studies have found that between 40 to 60 percent of women gain too much during this time.
In the study, the researchers wanted to see if there was a link between having these cravings during pregnancy and weight gain. The most commonly craved foods were chocolate, pizza, cookies and ice cream. And the more often women reported craving a food, the more likely they were to give in to the craving, according to the study. Read more