Pregnant or not I get my fair share of cravings, but nothing beats that relentless hankering that won’t seem to get out of your mind or belly until you satisfy it. Yup, that’s a pregnancy craving! During both my first and now second pregnancies I ate pretty similarly, never really craving anything bizarre but always pulling from both sweet and salty sides. Since I’ve been strictly gluten free for almost five years now my wants from my old gluten diet are minimal on a regular day but what I’ve noticed is that while pregnant, gluten or not I’ve wanted so many things that I just can’t have. Your will power is definitely put to the test when you’re gluten free and pregnant so I thought I’d fill you in on my top gluten free cravings or cravings that can be easily satisfied gluten free and my top gluten cravings that just in no way, shape, or form can be satisfied the same. So let’s start off with some fun, gluten free friendly pregnancy cravings that we can all enjoy safely!
5. First a sweet, than a salty snack. Okay I have to admit, I’ve always been somebody who needs to eat something salty after something sweet or vice versa, I mean can you ask for a better balance than that?!?! My favorite pairing by far has been a bite of ice cream and some baked potato chips not far behind. Some of my favorite brands that offer gluten free varieties are Turkey Hill and Herrs, both of which have convenient allergen lists on their websites and reliable ingredient labels on their products. Check these lists out here and pick out your favorites!
4. Pickles. Ah, my guiltiest pleasure in the salt department. I love some dill pickles but so many of them have gluten in them making it really difficult to indulge. One brand that I’ve always eaten has been Claussens, but in recent months Kraft’s labeling policies have changed and Claussens now may have sources of gluten thanks to the spices in the ingredients. After some lengthy discussion with Kraft they said nothing has changed from their suppliers so Claussens are still fine for now but sadly their outside suppliers can make changes at any point unbeknownst to us consumers. I’ve looked into other delicious dill pickles and I know Boar’s Head offers gluten free dills if you can find them so their on my list of must finds!
3. Salads, in all shapes and forms. Yes, not everything that I’ve been craving has been in snack form. Thankfully, I’ve been able to get my daily dose of fruits and veggies through a fresh fruit salad or perfectly assembled cobb, antipasto, or just plain old tomato and lettuce salad. I’ve always loved salads but you just never know what pregnant you will and won’t love so it’s been a welcomed craving to still want these. Sadly, my acid reflux has risen to intolerable proportions so fruit salads have taken a hiatus until the acid reflux goes away or baby arrives, whichever comes first.
2. Disney Dole Whip. Okay so I realize I’m not in Disney World anymore but I still don’t want to wake up from that beautiful dream of having some of the tastiest, pregnancy friendly treats right at my fingertips at all times. By far my favorite Disney treat, pregnant or not, is the Dole Whip but I have to say this little girl and her mommy wish that we had endless Dole Whips at our beck and call right now. With Dole Whips thousands of miles away, I’ll have to remember fondly the swirled vanilla and pineapple ice cream floating in refreshingly sweet pineapple juice!
1. Bagels, bagels, bagels. This is absolutely my number one craving; in fact I could eat a bagel for breakfast, lunch, and dinner happily at one point in my pregnancy. To be honest, I think this one developed more out of necessity and survival than actual desire thanks to some pretty nasty all day sickness. Either way, bagels have definitely become one of my staples, filling my belly for more than 5 seconds after either breakfast or lunch. Now that they’ve appeared in my local Whole Foods, my favorite go to gluten free bagels are those by Sweet Note, an authentic bagel taste and texture with a crispy outside and chewy middle.
6 months in and eating is still a challenge for me but for all different reasons. While my nausea and sickness has seemed to subside for the most part, acid reflux has become a major player these days so I really have to watch my acid inducing food intake. Besides that though, even though I’m definitely still very particular about what I eat, I’m really trying to enjoy pregnancy eating and indulge when I can in some gluten free treats here and there.
Being gluten free and pregnant is certainly not easy, especially when those non-gluten free cravings hit, but thankfully I’ve had many a craving that can be easily satisfied with a little gluten free magic. Stay tuned for some gluten cravings that are a little tougher to make disappear.
Sincerely,
Lindsay (25 weeks)