Dietary changes of pregnant women: Compulsions and modifications

Abstract

Sixty pregnant women attending county‐sponsored, prenatal clinics in Maryland were interviewed about their modifications of customary diets for pregnancy (increases and decreases in usual food intake and avoidances of some foods), appetite compulsions (cravings, aversions and pica) and beliefs regarding causes of appetite compulsions. Nearly all (97 percent) reported modifying their customary diets for pregnancy. Eighty‐five percent reported cravings, aversions or both which were unique to pregnancy. Seven women practiced pica; all were pagophagic. Respondents most frequently attributed cravings to psychological/symbolic causes, and aversions to sensory/physiological causes or to unknown causes. The investigators postulate that appetite compulsions may have evolved from physiological reactions to foods under the stress of pregnancy, which later became manifested in ideas or feelings (connotative meanings) now associated with specific foods.