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Handling Pregnancy Food Cravings

By Colette Bouchez

From our provider:

Depending on what foods you crave during your pregnancy, you can indulge a little - or a lot. Certainly if you're craving yogurt and fruit shakes, or bowls of oatmeal, you can probably eat till your heart's content! But what if all you can think of is that premium, high- fat strawberry ice cream? Experts say concentrate on what it is about this snack that's making you feel satisfied.

Try a substitution
Is it the sweet taste, the creamy consistency, the strawberry flavor? Or maybe it's just the idea of eating something cold that satisfies those cravings. Once you lock in on the nature of what you crave, substituting a low-calorie, somewhat healthier food may be easy - like exchanging that bowl of ice cream for low-fat strawberry yogurt, or fresh strawberries with a low-fat dessert topping.

To help keep your pregnancy on track AND satisfy those food cravings, here are 10 healthy "food fixes" to satisfy your taste buds and pamper the Diva in you!

Healthy food fixes
Craving: Ice cream
Try: Non-fat frozen yogurt, sorbet or sherbet.

Craving: Cola/sodas
Try: Flavored carbonated mineral water/lime.

Craving: Doughnuts/pastry
Try: Whole grain bagel with fresh fruit jam.

Craving: Cake
Try: Low-fat banana or zucchini bread.

Craving: Sugar-coated cereal
Try: Whole grain cereal or oatmeal with brown sugar.

Craving: Potato chips
Try: Low-sodium, low-fat chips, popcorn, pretzels or veggie chips.

Craving: Sour cream
Try: No-fat sour cream or non-fat plain yogurt flavored with herbs.

Craving: Sundae toppings
Try: Fresh berries or bananas.

Craving: Canned fruits in heavy syrup
Try: Fresh fruit, frozen unsweetened fruit packed in water or fruit juice.

Craving: Lunch meats
Try: Low-fat or fat free versions; substitute turkey bologna or hot dogs for beef variety or try soy dogs.

Craving: Whipped cream
Try: Ice cold no-fat milk whipped with a hand-held immersion blender.

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About the author: Colette Bouchez is the author of Your Perfectly Pampered Pregnancy: Beauty, Health, and Lifestyle Advice for the Modern Mother-to-Be.