Cravings + Food Aversions

Before I got pregnant I'd always heard about the crazy cravings and unpleasant food aversions that seem to plague the majority of pregnant women, and now after 16 weeks of pregnancy, I can confidently say I know what these women are talking about. When a food craving strikes you need it NOW...there is no waiting and there is certainly no trying to reason with your husband in the grocery store aisle. Up until recently, I think I had mostly been experiencing food aversions rather than real cravings thanks to the 1st trimester sickness that so fondly stayed with me for 9+ weeks. I've gotten a few questions from friends about my cravings, so here's a look at what I've been craving in case you're curious:

• Strawberries (one weekend I polished off TWO cartons of strawberries in one sitting!)
• Apples (but they have to be Granny Smith)
• Salad
• Crackers + Cheese Slices
• Cereal (for awhile I was craving only Cinnamon Toast Crunch, then it went to Cheerios, and now it's back to Cinnamon Toast Crunch again) 

And now for a few cravings I am not so proud of...

• Chocolate Chip Cookies 
• Chocolate Milk (this is the only way I can get milk down, so I suppose it's not such a bad craving)
• Spaghetti-O's (I mean, are you kidding me?! I cannot believe I actually want to eat these things!)
• Mozzarella Sticks (I had this craving around the holidays and made Rob take me to Sonic more than a few times)
• Buffalo wings (although, I do have to be careful about hot sauce now that heartburn lurks around every corner)  
• Chicken Alfredo (I ordered this for lunch the other day at Olive Garden and I cannot stop thinking about it...so yummy!)

And my last set of cravings are unfortunately ones that I cannot give into due to the many food restrictions placed on pregnant women :(

• Deli Ham Sandwich
• Hot Dogs  - I want a hot dog on the grill SO bad that words cannot even describe it!

My cravings seem to change weekly (sometimes daily) and I can no longer plan my meals in advance it seems. I never know what I want to eat until right before, which makes grocery shopping a huge challenge.

Now, let's talk about my food aversions. When I say food aversion, I mean I literally cannot even look at it without my stomach turning. 

• Mexican Food (this one breaks my heart because I am normally a huge Mexican food fan...Before I was pregnant I could literally eat it every night of the week and not even think twice. That is no longer the case.) 
• Provolone Cheese (especially melted...GAG!)
• Ground Beef (again...GAG!)
• Actually, most meat in general just turns me off unless it's chicken and is in some sort of format I am specifically craving (i.e. buffalo wings, chicken alfredo, etc...)

I'm sure I'm forgetting some things on this list, and I'm also quite sure that this list will continue to change as my pregnancy progresses, but I thought it would be fun to document some of these foods before I forgot. After all, I'm learning that "pregnancy brain" is actually a very real thing ;)