Why do I crave cornstarch and ice during pregnancy?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 at 9:07 pm and is filed under Crave. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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10 Responses to “Why do I crave cornstarch and ice during pregnancy?”

  1. Mommaof2boyz! Says:
    January 9th, 2009 at 1:14 pm

    cornstarch???? wow, that’s a weird one, but I’m pretty sure that your cravings aren’t genetic.
    Since oyu guys all ate the same things growing up perhaps you all desire the taste??
    I used to crave Chinese food..as soon as I had my son I made my hubby go buy me some. Turns out I couldn’t eat it right away anyway form nausea, but it was funny.

  2. ღஐ Queen B ஐღ Says:
    January 12th, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    This is what I found about Pica
    A complete medical evaluation to discover the cause of the persons craving a foreign substance. This will include, blood and urine tests. In some cases the doctor may want a chest xray to see if any foreign matter has entered the lungs.

    Treatment is dependent on the cause of the pica. Anemia and zinc deficiency may be treated with supplements. Often pica is treated with counseling and behavior modification techniques. Some doctors/psychiatrists are advocating the use of psychotropic medications to treat pica associated with OCD.

    I think that everyone craves different things during pregnancy. Its normal

  3. Nicole D Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 12:41 pm

    It could be mild anemia. I would ask your health care provider to check your iron levels. It also could be as simple as needing cooling off from all of those pregnancy hormones and your body might need something in the cornstarch. At least it isn’t detergent or gasoline. ;o)

  4. Mandy S Says:
    January 16th, 2009 at 4:51 pm

    It’s Pica. Pica is defined as a craving for non-food items. Cornstarch and ice both fall under those catagories, even though cornstarch is in your pantry and ice is just frozen water.

    With the ice, two things could play a major factor in it. It’s June, and is freaking hot in a lot of the world. If you’re trying to cool off, that’s one thing. But also, cravings are actually the body’s way of telling us what it needs. Most people nowadays attempt to fullfill cravings by eating processed or unhealthy food. You could crave dairy because your body needs calcium or vitamin D, but a lot of women would attempt to fullfill that craving not by having a few servings of milk or cottage cheese or something, but by having ice cream.

    Craving ice is weird, because it’s just frozen water. For some reason, though, people who crave ice don’t crave water. I’m not sure why, but craving ice is a major indicator that you need to find out if you’re becoming anemic. If you are, taking an approved iron supplemant can curb or eliminate ice cravings.

    EDIT: You know this, I’m sure, but as SOON as you think you can take your vitamins without getting ill, start taking them again. Good for you, good for baby. :-)

  5. gracie Says:
    January 17th, 2009 at 11:12 pm

    It’s definitely a mineral deficiency…. And yes, it can be hereditary because your diet is mainly hereditary! Try a trace mineral supplement! You’re cravings will go away guaranteed!
    Congrats!
    Very Best Wishes!

  6. Mommyof3 Says:
    January 20th, 2009 at 11:32 am

    Not sure about cornstarch, but my doctor said when you crave ice, your iron is low.

  7. hot black babe Says:
    January 22nd, 2009 at 1:49 am

    actually a lot of women crave cornstarch during pregnancy and i believe that doctors say it’s because of a mineral deficiency or anemia….the craving is definately NOT weird or unheard-of. my mother and a few other women in my family (and a few friends) also crave cornstarch during pregnancy.

    and i also have friends who craved (the smell of) detergents, gasolines, and cleansing solutions!

    -hbb

  8. BraxOwl Says:
    January 23rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    You need to talk to your doctor. Your diet is deficient in some area, and your body is trying to make up for it. It probably is Pica-it does not have to be something that you crave all of the time, and you do not have to crave all of the substances that are signs of Pica. Please DO NOT eat cornstarch!

    I crave ice (pregnant and not). It is a sign of anemia. My iron is so low that I am having an iron infusion (iron adminstered by IV) once a week for three weeks. NOT FUN. Catch it early and it can be corrected with diet and vitamin supplements.

  9. cole96815 Says:
    January 25th, 2009 at 1:32 am

    It sounds like Pica to me. You are craving non nutritious things. It doesn’t need to be dirt or the others you may have heard of. Look into your diet for deficiencies.

    Are you taking prenatal vitamins? Calcium, iron, folic acid are a few very important nutrients. Dark green leafy vegetables, cheddar, low fat plain yogurt are some sure bets for a couple needed nutrients.

    You can look on the nutrients on the packaging for the % of your daily recommended intake plus probably we need even more when pregnant. I try to find the items with the less fats sugars and artificial ingredients or processing that contain the ingredients I am most likely to be lacking.

    It is a challenge sometimes.

    You may just feel like some nice cold ice because it’s refreshing too. I know I do and I don’t think I could be deficient because I eat good foods and take the prenatal vitamins. It can be pica though.

    The cornstarch craving sounds like pica, because it is not really a food product it is used in foods to thicken. There are calories in cornstarch and very small amounts of calcium and iron. It is not nutritiuous. You really should get your diet checked into by a knowledgeable doctor or nutritionist. So it can be determined wether you are missing an important nutrient in your diet.

    Good job at listening to your body. It talks even louder when there is a baby involved.

  10. AshReneeM Says:
    January 25th, 2009 at 12:24 pm

    I crave ice, ice water and popcicles! I just really want something that’s cold and refreshing. I’ve been checked and I’m not anmenic or anything like that. But I’d still talk to your doctor about it.

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