Craving salty things?
Craving salt can be an early sign of pregnancy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly recommends [1] that all adults reduce their salt intake to 1 teaspoon (5 g) per day, since excess sodium is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. You might think the same restrictions would apply for mamas-to-be, but this isn’t so.
During pregnancy, your blood volume increases by 50%. This additional production of blood and plasma requires additional resources, including salt and water [2].
A number of studies [2, 3, 4] conducted over the past 15 years have not confirmed that skimping on salt during pregnancy is healthy for pregnant moms. Rather, mothers require more salt because the body is working hard and the placenta needs sodium [2]. Salt helps control the symptoms of morning sickness and does not cause the development of edema in the first half of pregnancy [4].
The WHO agrees that “limiting salt intake is not recommended as a prevention of preeclampsia in pregnant women” [5].
So what should you eat?
Salt is necessary to support the growth and development of the placenta and the baby. So, if your body is craving salt, listen to those pangs. Consider eating pickled vegetables like sauerkraut because they provide salt and beneficial lactobacilli [6]. Herring or anchovies also satisfy that salty craving while providing a good amount of Omega-3 fatty acids [7].
