Managing Sweet Cravings During Pregnancy: Alternatives to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

Chocolates, candies, and cakes, oh my! If you thought you had an insatiable sweet tooth before becoming pregnant, you might be surprised by what a little bun in the oven does to your cravings. Pregnancy cravings can often lean toward sweet food and even some weird cravings (pickles and peanut butter, anyone?), but it’s important to remember balance.

Indulging in the occasional confection during pregnancy is normal. After all, you’re working hard to help your baby grow; you deserve a sweet treat now and again. However, continuously neglecting your nutrition can sour your health—and your baby’s health, too.

Discover how to follow a balanced diet when sweet cravings during pregnancy won’t quit. This Sneakpeek® blog offers healthy snacks and satisfying sugar alternatives, sweet craving management tips, and more to help tame your little sugar monster.

The Impact of Sweet Cravings on Pregnancy Health

If you’ve been pregnant before, food cravings are likely a familiar foe: They impact between 50% to 90% of pregnancies. While some cravings won’t significantly affect your health, most revolve around processed, sugary foods, which can create complications.

Why are you constantly craving sugar during pregnancy? Is it because you’re having a girl? (Hint: probably not.)

Researchers still don’t understand exactly what heightens your sweet tooth during pregnancy, but they have a few theories:

• Hormonal changes – Hormones control many of your essential internal functions, including reproduction, appetite, and metabolism. During pregnancy, your hormones shift drastically to support the health of your baby. This shift may also affect the types of food you crave—leaning heavily toward the sweeter side. But some women report craving spicy food while pregnant, too!
• Increased need for calories – During pregnancy, your body requires more energy to keep both you and your baby healthy. Where does that energy come from? Calories! Some theories suggest that when your body needs high-energy foods, you tend to crave sugar. Sugary foods contain high amounts of simple carbohydrates which offer quick (albeit short-lasting) bursts of energy.

While you may feel a hankering for sugar, what your body actually needs are complex carbohydrates and proteins. Fruit, meat, nuts, whole grains, and fiber all satiate pregnancy cravings while supporting a nutrient-rich, healthy diet for you and your baby.

Eating too many sugary foods during pregnancy can lead to unhealthy gestational weight gain (GWG). If left unchecked, GWG can lead to:

• Obesity (for you and your baby)
• Gestational diabetes
• Preeclampsia
• Premature birth

These potential risks might seem scary, but fortunately, the tips and tricks below may help you maintain a healthy diet, gestational weight, and curb cravings.

Healthy Alternatives to Satisfy Sweet Cravings

Giving in to sweet food cravings is a bit of a slippery slope. Indulging your cravings may sate you temporarily, but once you’ve burned through the little energy it offers, the craving will come roaring back in full force.

Sweet cravings don’t have to control your pregnancy. These nutritious alternatives can help you and your baby feel fully satisfied.

Fruit-Based Alternatives

Some diets tend to villainize carbohydrates. Not all carbs are the same, however. There are two main distinctions:

1. Simple carbs – Your body can quickly break down simple carbs into glucose for short bursts of energy. They’re considered “simple” because they lack other nutrients that slow digestion for sustained bouts of energy. Simple carbs come mainly from added sugars found in processed foods and beverages. They create the classic “sugar crash” or steep drop in energy shortly after consuming sugary foods.
2. Complex carbs – These carbs provide energy along with other important nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which your body needs to thrive. Since they haven’t been processed, the body takes longer to digest them. This allows you to feel more full while eating less, compared to simple carbs.

Sugary foods contain simple carbs; fruits, on the other hand, feature complex carbs. Fruits that will satisfy your sweet tooth without the sugar high (and inevitable energy crash) include:

• Red grapes
• Dates
• Pineapple
• Figs
• Apples
• Pears
• Blueberries
• Peaches

However, always remember to give your produce a rinse before eating it. This helps to remove any harmful pesticides or bacteria that may lurk on the surface.

Protein-Rich Snacks

Carbs keep you energized—protein helps you grow. The little bun baking inside you needs to do a lot of that, making protein one of the most important nutrients for a healthy pregnancy. And it can satisfy hunger masked as sweet cravings, too.

Find delicious, protein-rich healthy foods to snack on throughout the day such as:

• Greek yogurt
• Chicken breast
• Lean ground beef
• Eggs
• Salmon
• Legumes, including black beans, lentils, and edamame
• Nuts, including cashews, pistachios, almonds, chia seeds, and nut butters

There are some types of protein doctors recommend avoiding while pregnant, however. These include seafood with high mercury content, such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish, as well as raw and undercooked meat, including seafood, beef, poultry, and eggs.

Satisfying Cravings with Whole Grains and Fiber

If you’re craving sugary snacks during the day (or night), you may just be hungry.

During pregnancy, you have to eat more to stay energized and help your baby grow. Sugary foods may satisfy you for a little while, but once you burn through those simple carbs, you’ll be right back to standing in front of the fridge. Instead of scooping yourself a heaping bowl of cookie dough ice cream, or grabbing a handful of sugary cereal, reach for foods that will keep you full.

The next time you find yourself staring blankly into your pantry, look for healthy foods with these two ingredients: whole grains and fiber.

Whole grains are complex carbohydrates that fill you up and provide long-lasting energy. Some popular whole-grain options include:

• Whole-wheat breads, pastas, and cereals
• Brown rice
• Whole oats
• Quinoa
• Corn (and popcorn!)

Also consider adding some high-fiber foods to your diet, such as:

• High-fiber fruits and veggies including dates, raspberries, peas, broccoli, and greens
• Legumes such as kidney beans, black beans, lentils, and split peas
• Whole grains like the ones listed above

Fiber has additional pregnancy benefits to curbing cravings: It wards off high blood sugar and high cholesterol, improves digestion, and keeps you regular.

Tips for Managing Sweet Cravings

Substituting sweet foods for healthier alternatives can effectively satisfy your cravings while promoting nutritious habits. Here are some more ways to keep pregnancy sweet cravings at bay:

• Eat regularly – Consider scheduling your meals evenly throughout the day, and sprinkle in a healthy number of snack breaks, too. This will keep you feeling full and make you less dependent on sugar for a quick energy fix.
• Mix sweet cravings with the healthy stuff – Feel free to treat yourself a little while supplementing healthier alternatives for a sweet and satisfying snack. For instance, try topping a small portion of ice cream with a healthy portion of berries, or sprinkling cinnamon sugar on apple slices. Also, consider lower-sugar alternatives to your favorite sweets: You can easily swap milk chocolate for dark, or ice cream for frozen yogurt.
• Move your body – Simple exercises like walking, yoga, and even stretching can reduce levels of the hormone ghrelin, which regulates your appetite. It can also alleviate stress, another possible cause for sweet cravings.

• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate – When you crave sugar, you’re likely hungry. And sometimes, when you feel hungry, you’re actually thirsty. Drinking water can help many health issues, including sweet cravings. Water helps dilute sugar in the blood, evening out sugar highs and lows which trigger cravings.

Finally, consider the other possible roots of your sweet tooth. Could your cravings be connected to something more than hormonal pregnancy changes? Stress, boredom, and pre-pregnancy habits can all contribute to prenatal sugar cravings. Consuming sugar can ease these feelings briefly, but you need something more sustainable to lower stress and boost mood—starting with a nutrient-rich diet.

When to Indulge: Moderation and Smart Choices

The good news is you don’t have to completely swear off sweets or continuously fend off an incessant sugar itch. You can allow yourself little indulgences—in moderation, of course.

Indulgences are often unplanned; they are indulgent, after all. When pregnant, though, impromptu indulgences can quickly add up, especially when you aren’t keeping track of them.

Indulge smarter by planning and tracking your sweet treat time. Consider celebrating special occasions or pregnancy milestones—like learning the sex of your baby—with a small indulgence.

Additionally, try to satisfy your sweet cravings with foods you’ll truly savor. Rather than spending your allotted indulgence on freezer-burned ice cream or stale cookies, save it for a slice of cheesecake at your favorite restaurant or a piece of your mother’s homemade pie. That way, you won’t simply stave off your craving—you’ll fully satisfy it.

Gender Prediction with The SneakPeek Test®: Know Early, Plan Ahead

Another pregnancy-related craving you might currently be facing? Learning the sex of your baby. Luckily, you can satisfy your curiosity sooner than ever with SneakPeek.

The SneakPeek At-Home Gender Blood Test provides a fast and accurate answer about your baby’s fetal sex as early as 6 weeks into your pregnancy—over 3 months sooner than your 20-week ultrasound. Simply collect a small blood sample from the comfort of your home using our patented, virtually pain-free Snap technology and send it to our lab. You’ll receive your results as soon as the next day.

Learning your baby’s sex is one craving you can healthily indulge. Join the over 1 million parents who trust SneakPeek, and order your test kit today.

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At SneakPeek, our commitment is to provide accurate, up-to-date, and reliable information to empower our readers. Our content is thoroughly researched, reviewed by medical experts, and fact-checked to ensure its credibility. We prioritize the well-being and education of our readers, and our editorial policy adheres to the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in all our articles.

This post has been reviewed for accuracy by:

Haley Milot

Haley Milot, a highly skilled laboratory professional, currently serves as the Associate Director of Lab Operations at Gateway Genomics, the parent company of SneakPeek. Her extensive experience in laboratory management, spanning over seven years with Gateway Genomics, showcases her expertise in quality assurance, quality control, and the development of laboratory procedures. Haley's background includes pivotal roles in DNA extraction and purification, real-time qPCR, and specimen accessioning, underscoring her comprehensive understanding of laboratory operations and diagnostics. Her adeptness in managing complex laboratory functions and her deep knowledge of medical diagnostics make her a vital contributor to SneakPeek's innovative approach to prenatal testing.

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