hi everybody,

I am in my 10 week of gestation. My case is that I do not have any craving or aversions. however i do not feel like having restuarent food which i was very fond of before conceiving. I am forced to have food in my office canteen which is good but i don't feel any inclination to have it. we are a working couple staying alone. I only have desire to have freshly cooked home meal. Although it is not always possible to have it. What my query is that inspite of unwillingness to have outside food if i have it will it anyway affect me or my baby. Roopa replied. Dear Piya

I can share my experience with you.

I also did not have any cravings as such. In fact I am very fond of eating variety of food. Yet during pregnancy I did not have any major craving. Cravings for imli and raw mangoes as shown on television r utter nonsense

Your aversion to certan foods is a way in which ur body tells you that it cannot take certain kind of foods.

Your mothering instincts make you avoid unhealthy foods. I was a coffee addict (not less than 6 cups of coffee per day) yet during pregnancy (after finding that I had conceived) i must have had a total of 3 cups decaf. I could easily resist coffee.

I had to eat in office canteen during the day.

Some points to note while having outside food:
1 Please avoid roadside stuff. Could affect ur health and hence the baby indirectly

2 Alcohol and smoking are a strict no. Alcohol can be directly absorbed through the placenta

3 Avoid Chinese food as it contains MSG or Ajinomoto. In can you have to have it, please ask the restaurant to make it without MSG. I am not too sure about the side-effects but avoid

4 Restrict caffeine (coffee, tea, aereated drinks.

5 Please avoid food with colour or soda (my canteen rice had it). Could affect ur health and indirectly the baby.

6 Reduce consumption of fried stuff and spicy stuff. I had no morning sickness as a result.....

7 Keep a control on the sugar you have.

In case u r interested in more tips on food during pregnancy u can mail to me at roopamhatre@yahoo.co.in directly.

Best of Luck,

Roopa