Exploring comfort food cravings during pregnancy: A cross-sectional survey study

The current study explored "comfort food" cravings during pregnancy and compared them with a non-pregnant control group, focusing on the types of craved foods, their associated sensory characteristics and emotional valence. With an online questionnaire, participants were asked about their craved foods during pregnancy or in general through open-ended questions, followed by descriptions of the sensory and affective associations of these items using the Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) method. A total of 867 women participated int eh study, distributed across the pregnancy-diet group (197 pregnant women, 288 postpartum women) and control group (382 non-pregnant) took part. While a significant portion of participants in both groups reported cravings for confectionery/sweets, these cravings were less frequent in the pregnancy group (35.9 % vs. 62.0 %, p < 0.001). Non-citrus fruits were more commonly craved during pregnancy than in the control group (29 % vs. 13 %, p < 0.001). The sensory characteristics of cravings showed that both groups favoured 'sweet' and 'salty' foods, but the pregnancy group exhibited a marked preference for foods described as 'cold' (29 % vs. 13 %, p < 0.001), while the control group preferred 'warm', 'creamy', or 'thick' foods. The most frequently selected descriptors for the Emotion-CATA were 'satisfied', 'happy' and 'pleasant' across both groups, although the control group were more likely to associate comfort foods with 'guilty' (19.5 % vs 11.7 %, p < 0.001). These findings suggest potential alterations of chemosomatosensory functions associated with pregnancy and underscore the importance of understanding these cravings. Recognising the role of comfort foods on dietary choices during pregnancy can help us develop dietary strategies that can help mitigate the negative health impacts of comfort food consumption during pregnancy and highlight the importance of emotional and psychological support during this period.