Pink or Blue, Do Cravings Give a Clue?
This article is based on myths, wives’ tales, and one small, random study that links food aversions to gender prediction. Please do not run out to buy anything that labels your tiny fetus by a specific gender after reading this.
So you pee’d on a stick a few weeks ago (or this morning) and are dying to figure out if you are having a boy or a girl, right?
Everyone expects to experience pregnancy cravings, and many myths link certain cravings to growing a specific gender.
Sweets, Dairy, and Fatty Food Cravings = GIRL
Protein, Salty, and Spicy Food Cravings = BOY
Oh, but that is way too boring. You know we’ve dug deeper than that… The following chart was found in a 2014 published study about pregnancy cravings.
The top cravings include:
| Rank | Substance Craved | % |
| 1 | Sweets (e.g., chocolate, candy) | 25.9 |
| 2 | Carbohydrates, high-calorie, savory (e.g., pizza, chips) | 19.3 |
| 2 | Animal protein (e.g., steak, chicken) | 19.3 |
| 4 | Fruit | 18.8 |
| 5 | Dairy, high-calorie, savory (e.g., cheese, sour cream) | 17.8 |
| 5 | Carbohydrates, other (e.g., pretzels, cereal) | 17.8 |
| 7 | Fast food (e.g., Chinese, Mexican, falafel) | 17.3 |
| 8 | Cold foods (e.g., ice cream, slurpee) | 13.2 |
| 9 | Vegetables | 12.2 |
| 10 | Dairy, high-calorie, sweet (e.g., ice cream, milkshakes) | 11.7 |
The body begins changing the moment pregnancy occurs. It is believed that the changing hormones and the mother’s body depleting nutrients faster may both be the reasoning behind pregnancy cravings. (Check out more specifics on what pregnancy cravings mean)
This hormone theory is very interesting, as a woman’s body is adapting to pregnancy, and the fetus is developing it’s reproductive organs, there is a huge hormonal shift. This shift is different dependent upon the sex of the fetus. Following this rule of thought, it means that the hormonal roller coaster that triggers food cravings may be linked to the baby’s gender. Then you realize that every woman’s hormone levels are different. This would make sense as to why the craving theory is true for some mothers and false for others.
Pregnancy alters the senses – including taste. 75% of mothers alter their diet in some way while pregnant to meet their aversions or needs. Make sure you are meeting your dietary needs before consuming the sugars and bad fats you may crave. Not meeting your body’s needs can affect the growing baby and your own health.
After scouring the research and the trust-worthy blog-isphere, here are the foods linked to specific genders:
GIRL
- Chocolate
- Sweet or Citrus Fruit
- Milk
- Bread
- (Meat Aversion)
- Orange Juice
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Fried Foods
BOY
- Meat
- Beans
- Nuts
- Cheese
- Peanut Butter
- Hot Sauce
- Buffalo Sauce
- Comfort Foods
Jump over to our article summarizing EVERY.SINGLE.WIVES.TALE that can be performed to guess your baby's gender!
