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Pregnant Woman Feels Guilty For Ordering Chicken Wings And Upsetting Her Vegetarian MIL, Asks For Advice Online
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Pregnant Woman Feels Guilty For Ordering Chicken Wings And Upsetting Her Vegetarian MIL, Asks For Advice Online

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Pregnancy cravings are not a joke, often pushing a person to eat like a star athlete at the strangest times. Of course, this is a direct result of carrying around another little person, dealing with morning sickness, and often operating at a heightened level of stress.

A pregnant woman wanted to know if she was in the wrong for ordering chicken wings after her MIL cooked for her, despite the entire family being vegetarian. Family drama ensued when the MIL found the packaging in the garbage and confronted OP. So she turned to the internet to get a second opinion.

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    Pregnancy cravings can be so intense that the woman will eat anything and everything, regardless of context

    Image credits: Amina Filkins (not the actual photo)

    A mother-to-be wanted to know if she was a jerk for getting chicken wings after her vegetarian MIL already cooked for her

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    Image source: Wide-Book-5826

    Pregnancy cravings are found all over the world but remain somewhat misunderstood

    Image credits: Amina Filkins (not the actual photo)

    While they might sound absurd to someone standing on the outside, pregnancy cravings are found all over the world, yet their root causes remain quite unknown. The leading theory, scientifically and as far as folk wisdom goes, is that women just need more nutrition. A baby isn’t free and morning sickness often leads to the pregnant person losing nutrients. However, global studies have found that the nutritional makeup of the foods women crave differs from region to region, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is the root cause. The one common thread is that the items the woman craves are generally not one’s she would typically eat and that might be considered strange to the people around her.

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    Some point to the idea that the woman is in fact trying to signal that she is pregnant to people around her. There could be an evolutionary root to this, as a heavily pregnant person tends to need some help near the end, so this signaling could be a method to recruit help from others. This behavior is visible in some species of apes, and in many cultures, it’s pretty normal to bring in family members and friends to help the woman with food and assistance. It’s important to understand that women generally aren’t faking their cravings, they do really feel like eating the strangest things and enjoy it quite deeply, even if they would never touch a specific item before or after pregnancy.

    Image credits: Tim Samuel (not the actual photo)

    We all can have a strange relationship with food at times, so it’s best to be understanding

    While a committed vegetarian might balk at someone eating meat, some pregnancy cravings go beyond food and veer into unknown territory. This is called pica, which is when a person has a deep and very real craving for inedible objects, like chalk, clay, wax, and even metal. Scientists believe its origins lie in mineral deficiencies and it’s not commonly found in the developed world. However, it is a pretty dangerous condition, as the things the person craves have basically no nutritional value and, even worse, can cause a slew of health issues. It doesn’t take a doctor to realize that ingesting nails is very dangerous. Fortunately, it’s still pretty rare and most women tend to prefer calorie-dense foods, sweets, and sometimes unusual combinations like ice cream and cheese, chocolate cake and gravy, and basically anything else one can think of.

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    One hint to its origins may be that morning sickness can at times be prevented and limited by allowing the woman to indulge in her cravings. Regardless of what thinks about meat or pickles on brownies, she is the one carrying the baby, with all the subsequent difficulties. Probably best to cut her some slack. In OP’s story, it’s a bit surprising that the mother was so quick to forget her own pregnancy experience unless she was one of those few that never had any cravings. However, craving some food isn’t exactly reserved for pregnant women, and all of us sometimes want to indulge. So it’s best to withhold judgment and try to understand.

    Readers sided with OP and recommended she not take it too personally, a craving is a serious matter

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    Justin Sandberg

    Justin Sandberg

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

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    I am a writer at Bored Panda. Despite being born in the US, I ended up spending most of my life in Europe, from Latvia, Austria, and Georgia to finally settling in Lithuania. At Bored Panda, you’ll find me covering topics ranging from the cat meme of the day to red flags in the workplace and really anything else. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, beating other people at board games, cooking, good books, and bad films.

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    Justin Sandberg

    Justin Sandberg

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    I am a writer at Bored Panda. Despite being born in the US, I ended up spending most of my life in Europe, from Latvia, Austria, and Georgia to finally settling in Lithuania. At Bored Panda, you’ll find me covering topics ranging from the cat meme of the day to red flags in the workplace and really anything else. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, beating other people at board games, cooking, good books, and bad films.

    Ieva Pečiulytė

    Ieva Pečiulytė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

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    I'm a Visual Editor for Bored Panda. I’m also an analog collage artist. My love for images and experience in layering goes well with both creating collages by hand and working with digital images as an Editor. When I’m not using my kitchen area as an art studio I also do various experiments making my own cosmetics or brewing kombucha. When I’m not at home you would most definitely find me attending a concert or walking my dog.

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    Ieva Pečiulytė

    Ieva Pečiulytė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm a Visual Editor for Bored Panda. I’m also an analog collage artist. My love for images and experience in layering goes well with both creating collages by hand and working with digital images as an Editor. When I’m not using my kitchen area as an art studio I also do various experiments making my own cosmetics or brewing kombucha. When I’m not at home you would most definitely find me attending a concert or walking my dog.

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    lenka
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    NTA. Your husband doesn't get to be neutral here. I would be sitting down with the two of them at the table and set it out very clearly. 1. You enjoy her food, you ate her food, you appreciate her cooking for you and value her input. 2. You had a pregnancy craving, you are an adult and can eat whatever the hell you like., this is no reflection on your MIL, her cooking or her food choices. 3. You don't have to tiptoe around her in your own home and don't appreciate the passive aggressive silent treatment. If she can't accept point #2 then perhaps her staying is not going to be in anyone's best interests.

    Rahul Pawa
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I know he said he's staying neutral, but he also expressed his disappointment in OP for eating meat. I think that was him picking his mom's side. It's really concerning that he is not willing to back up his partner in this situation.

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    Peppy Piplup
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wonder what Bored Panda is going to do for content now that 90% of Reddit has gone private in protest

    Load More Comments
    lenka
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    NTA. Your husband doesn't get to be neutral here. I would be sitting down with the two of them at the table and set it out very clearly. 1. You enjoy her food, you ate her food, you appreciate her cooking for you and value her input. 2. You had a pregnancy craving, you are an adult and can eat whatever the hell you like., this is no reflection on your MIL, her cooking or her food choices. 3. You don't have to tiptoe around her in your own home and don't appreciate the passive aggressive silent treatment. If she can't accept point #2 then perhaps her staying is not going to be in anyone's best interests.

    Rahul Pawa
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I know he said he's staying neutral, but he also expressed his disappointment in OP for eating meat. I think that was him picking his mom's side. It's really concerning that he is not willing to back up his partner in this situation.

    Load More Replies...
    Peppy Piplup
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wonder what Bored Panda is going to do for content now that 90% of Reddit has gone private in protest

    Load More Comments
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