cravings

Sadly (or perhaps thankfully), I haven't had much in way of pregnancy cravings, with the exception of an insatiable desire for mangoes.  
(Although I must admit this tropical-fruit-predisposition was ever-present pre-pregnancy as well. Though I have been happy to milk the baby-in-the-belly rationale for my unruly appetite for them.)

Venezuela, circa 2010

Speaking of mangoes, did you know they are the most consumed fruit in the entire world?  Here I was thinking I was so original in my fruit favorite (not an apple, orange or banana), but alas - I'm just like everyone else.

I've also been consuming unthinkable amounts of watermelon and strawberries.

A few weeks ago I was in the car on the way to a meeting with a colleague who told me that according to Chinese wisdom, the three worst things a pregnant woman can eat are - you guessed it - mango, watermelon and strawberries.  
I didn't comment on the fact that she was telling me this after having watched me eat breakfasts consisting of these exact three evils for the past 6 months.  

One of the most surprising things about being pregnant is how opinionated people are about what things are good and not good when you've got a babe in the belly.  We've had people tell us I should absolutely avoid nuts at all costs or end up with a severely allergy-ridden child destined for peanut-butter-sandwich-free lunches, and then we've had others tell us nuts must be consumed at least once a day to avoid the exact same fate.  

Sorting through the (often-conflicting) advice and trying to determine which rules are actually worth following versus not can be somewhat overwhelming.  

For anyone who is expecting (or thinking about it at some point), I highly recommend disregarding most all pregnancy books in favor of one: Expecting Better.  Written by an economist, the book goes through all the hard facts, studies, and data to give you all the evidence you need so you can decide what you do and do not want to do while preggers.  The book gave me the confidence I needed to feel comfortable disregarding all sorts of traditional pregnancy rules while deciding to adhere to a few.  Mango consumption remains intact. :)

xoxo
KK