If only icecream and chocolate were vegetables
I have a confession to make...I like sugar and I like chocolate.
Whew! There that feels better.
I thought I could live without them for the remainder of my pregnancy. Nice try, Crystal. I did really well for about two weeks. Then the cravings hit again. No more salad cravings, though. This time all I wanted was Breyers icecream and dark chocolate (by the way, both of those things are "all natural" - doesn't that mean they are good for you?). I held off for as long as I could... I think I made it all of two hours before Jesse had to make a late night run to the store for both items. (Isn't he the bestest?)
They say - whoever they are - you are supposed to listen to your body and feed your cravings, right? Well, I'm just sure there are some nutrients and vitamins in Breyer's icecream and dark chocolate that I need right now so I'm doing the best I can to listen to my body.
What's bizarre about this is that I used to hate Breyer's icecream and avoid the stuff if at all possible. And now it's one of my chief cravings. Isn't it funny how the cravings are never generic? You don't just crave any old icecream. No, at this very moment you need two scoops of Breyer's mint chocolate chip. Nothing else will do.
Ah, pregnancy! At least I did start the day out with some freshly made carrot, orange, apple, kiwi juice and then had spinach quiche for lunch. Maybe that will counteract some of the ice cream and dark chocolate I've eaten this week. However, we all know which food items will be accounting for the extra five pounds I'm sure I've put on in the last two weeks. If only icecream and chocolate could have the same calorie count as vegetables!
By the way, I just thought I'd better note - in case anyone notices that my last post was on lack of energy - that the lack of energy thing started before the icecream cravings hit and while I was not eating sugar. I don't think the two are related. :)
posted by Crystal Paine at 3:54 PM
28 Comments:
Ice Cream and chocolate DO have the same caloric count and nutritional value as fruits and vegetables!
Or at least, I like to convince myself of that in my own delusional, I crave-everything-if-it-is-edible-all-the-time world that I live in. Thankfully, our Pick N Save closes at 11. I can't stay awake that long for late night cravings.
But I'll tell you what...I'd LOVE an Aunt Annie's pretzel, RIGHT NOW, with spicy jalepeno cheese and a huge icy diet coke.
Somehow, I just don't think my body needs that though. So I ate a granola bar and am now glaring at my cup of apple juice.
What's on deck for dinner tonight then, Ms. Crystal? Aaron had a bad day at work, so I'm making buffalo chicken pizza with green salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert (all of his favorites...)
It's ok, just as long as you don't put pickles on it.... lol
Ice cream is my major pregnancy downfall... Glad to know I'm in good company!
As far as the exhaustion goes, perhaps your iron levels are dropping? Mine always do during the 3rd trimester. I tend to go from a borderline 10.5-ish hemoglobin level (12-15 is "normal") to a risky 8ish by the time I deliver. This is even with taking a good prenatal vitamin and a prescription iron tablet, as well as focusing on iron-rich foods. I am always so tired! (I'm just grateful for the things I can do to boost my hemoglobin levels, as I can't imagine how rough those last several weeks would be without such things!)
My son loves ice cream and I blame it on the fact that was what I craved during that pregancy.
Any pregnancy pictures coming soon on the blog :) come on, weve all been there!
I came across this saying in a book recently:
"I don't understand why so many 'chocolate lovers' complain about the calories in chocolate. All TRUE chocoholics know that chocolate is made from cocoa, which is made from the cocoa bean, beans are a vegetable- enough said."
Come on, you're getting all those antioxidants! :)
I have Breyer's mint choc chip in my freezer right now. And I had to laugh the other day as I looked at the conveyer belt carrying my groceries: 3 jars of pickles and above mentioned ice cream. This only happens when I'm pregnant. LOL!
LOL =D
I can only imagine what it's like!
~Samantha
hee hee! I am so thankful that the cat is out of the bag....I am glad you are just like the rest of us pregnant mamas! I was starting to feel a little guilty, like maybe something was wrong with me when I crave chocolate and ice cream.....=)
(by the way, Breyers Rocky Road is an excellent way to fill both cravings at once!)
Love,
Heather in Pa
Hmmmm....Dr. Cheryl says that you just go right ahead and eat your ice cream and chocolate!!! I don't think that it is right to deprive yourself a dip or two once in a while.
It's funny you were craving that. I know that when I was pregnant with Samuel and I had Gestational Diabetes, I basically went cold turkey off of the sugar and UN-complex carbs. After I hit the two week mark, I was ok without them and didn't crave them anymore. I did however, replace my sweet cravings with fruit (watermelon and grapes mostly) and ate lots of protein (cheese and meat). It is weird now (1 year after having Isaac with GD) that when I get a craving is isn't for sweets - it is for meat or cheese!!!!!!!! or peanut butter by the spoonful. ODD. :-)
If I find any coupons for ice cream, I'll send them your way....or should I send a gift certificate to Baskin Robbins? HEE HEE!!!!
Crystal, this is funny- Ive been hounding your blog so much lately while working on a paper, and getting so riled up as usual, that there was nothing left to do but try to do something to bless you... so I put in an order for a gift card at See's Chocolates for you yesterday afternoon! (http://www.sees.com/) It should arrive in the mail next week- you will have plenty of chocolate! :)
Hey, it's a dairy...and it's on the food pyramid, and chocolate is good...and should be on the food pyramid, in a spot bigger than that tiny one.
The more and more I read this blog I realize more and more that even though you and I differ so much, and may never see eye to eye, we share so much in common, and I actually have come to want children through reading this blog.
I believe this is why differences sometimes work positives, and can affect positive change, not only indifference.
Jessica
I'm not pregnant, and I STILL crave dark chocolate and Breyer's mint chocolate chip ice cream! ;)
Crystal,
My Mom used to send my Dad to a 24-hr. deli for roastbeef sandwiches (with this special mustard they made) in the middle of the night when she was carrying me. My father was like your husband, just do anything for his wife! Yes, you are blessed!
Ruth, PA
Well, dear girl, while you're on a brand name kick, you should really try Edy's mint chocolate chip. I ended up with both of them (Breyer's and Edy's) in my freezer at the same time the week after my third child was born, and Edy's wins hands down! :^)
You are tired because you are growing a baby! I know, I am growing one, too.
Last night at 8:08 my dear husband took me to the grocery store for two bags of 3 Muskateers miniatures and 2 boxes of triple chocolate Dove Bars. The cashier laughed seeing this 35 week pregnant lady buying all that chocolate.
At least I am craving milk and apple juice, too, and I only want turkey or tuna for breakfast lately.
Pregnancy is so weird!
Blessings!!!!!!!!!
Don't feel guilty about indulging a little, especially since it sounds like you have been eating well throughout the pregnancy and staying healthy. Think of all the calories your body burns every day--your growing a baby! With both of my pregnancies I developed some intense cravings once the morning sickness had subsided and I could eat again! The first time around it was tomato and miracle whip sandwiches, and also kiwi fruit. This last time I was so hungry for spinach salad with strawberries on top and of course, ice cream (with pretzels on the side). :-) I found it best to go ahead and indulge in a measured portion of the fattening stuff, like ice cream, rather than denying myself and then pigging out at some point. Really, ice cream does have calcium! Have you tried the Healthy Choice flavors or lower fat versions? I know, not quite as good, but then you wouldn't have to worry about it! I did gain a bit more than I thought I would, but now with nursing on demand and keeping up with two little ones, the extra pounds have melted off rapidly and I'm pretty much back in shape.
Wow, MM, maybe you could start a trend - that of people sending me chocolate when I rile them up. I think I'd have enough chocolate to last me the rest of my lifetime! ;)
Seriously, though, thanks for your input and sorry I've been short on blogging time and unable to dialogue much this week. Someday we're going to sit down and have a good long chat over a cup of tea. And maybe you'll even find you like me, afterall. :)
Homemakerang - I really need to TAKE a picture of this preggo mama since I've not done any preggo shots yet. I guess that's what happens when it's your second pregnancy! Not that I'm terribly excited at the turning-into-hippo look I have going (though it is a all for a most wonderful cause, so I won't complain!). I'm hoping to have Jesse take a picture this weekend, though, since my sister has been hounding me for pictures since she can't see me preggers and she promises me that this baby will feel left out if I don't have the whole collage of hippo pictures to show this child someday. :)
Crystal, you do know chocolate is made from beans. Right? LOL
When I was pregnant with my second child I craved apples. Ate 3 or 4 a day. By the end of the pregnancy it had to be apple pie with a big scoop of ice cream on it.
And HomemakerAng, how can I read you blog again? I miss it. :>(
woohooo, Preggie Pics!
I really think it's okay to spoil yourself a bit :) You deserve this at the moment!
Ahh! After I read this post, I wanted to eat a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a couple of Hershey's Kisses. :-)
Oh! And I downloaded your podcast. Good stuff. Actually, our voices are rather similar.
Crystal,
Hate to break it to you honey, but there is no way on this earth that you could ever look like a hippo...pregnant or not. You have a teensy-weensy frame and I'm sure you're just adorable when pregnant, maybe not your "norm" but certainly not hippo-like! =) Hang in there, like you said, that precious little life is so worth all the discomfort and awkwardness....=)
Heather in pa
Chocolate cravings are a sign of magnesium deficiency. Here is a quote (taken from http://www.mgwater.com/calmagab.shtml):
A diet high in dairy and low in whole grains can lead to excess calcium in the tissues and a magnesium deficiency. The source of menstrual cramps may be coming from eating too much cheese, yogurt, ice cream or milk, combined with insufficient whole grains and beans. Or it could come from taking too much calcium without enough magnesium. Modifying your diet and increasing your magnesium supplementation may allow your menstrual cramps to disappear.
Premenstrual chocolate craving is a phenomenon that has puzzled a great many women who are not controlled by this overwhelming urge at other times of the month. Yet chocolate, which is highest in magnesium of all foods, is often a sign of magnesium deficiency. If your diet is high in calcium you may have poor calcium absorption as well. The answer is not to eat more chocolate, but to increase your magnesium by eating more whole grains, nuts, seafood, and green vegetables, and by increasing your magnesium supplements. Your chocolate cravings will vanish when you have enough magnesium in your diet.
It's also possible that you're craving ice cream because your body is putting a ton of energy into feeding your fetus and thinks you're not getting enough calories. Humans are wired to crave fat and sugar (good survival food), and all the more so when we're investing a lot of energy in something (not to mention preparing for an energy-intensive future event!) And dark chocolate is in fact quite good for you. I would say go for it-- if these cravings are unusual, it's your body trying to tell you what it needs.
I always knew if I was craving weird things, that maybe I was short on something in that food rather than the food itself! I craved strange things like winter squash and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (which I do not like usually). I figured i needed something in them!
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