Pregnancy is a phase when women go through a lot of hormonal changes. As a new life is growing within a woman’s body, every attempt is made to accommodate and nurture this new life.

Cravings are considered normal. As the body is working 24 hours for 9 months, trying to protect and nurture the growth in the womb, it is but natural for the body to crave for something in order to make up for the additional calories necessary.

Cravings during pregnancy are also an indication of any deficiency in the body. Most of the time these cravings arise due to iron deficiency.

Cravings that indicate anemia during pregnancy are

1) Women who are pure vegetarians during pregnancy have an unusual craving for meat and non-veg food. This indicates that the body needs iron to support growth of baby.
2) Craving for undesirable substances and dirt especially also known as “Pica” , again indicates anemia.
3) Craving for ice cubes also denotes anemia.
4) Strange cravings like craving for paint, toothpaste, etc all indicate anemia in its severest form.

Cravings can be overpowering, doctors find no harm if a woman indulges in little bit, for e.g. indulging in chocolates or ice creams.

But indulging in harmful stuff like paint, charcoal, eating detergent powder etc can cause great damage to the baby.

Scientists are still working towards finding out the exact cause as to why women have strong cravings during pregnancy. However, they find it to be a normal phenomena and not something beyond normalcy.