Pregnancy can be a time full of ups and downs: the glow is accompanied by breakouts, the joy of becoming a parent is meshed with back or feet pains, and the motivation to eat healthy is disrupted by a surprisingly strong craving for pickles with chocolate or some other delicacy.

For this redditor’s wife, Melody, it wasn’t some weird combination of foods she was craving; all she wanted was some rotisserie chicken. However, her MIL thought she shouldn’t be eating that while pregnant and threw it away, starting a family feud and putting her son—Melody’s husband—in the middle.

Pregnancy cravings can take shape in the most random combinations of food or unexpected dishes

Image credits: DC_Studio / Envato (not the actual photo)

All this woman was craving was some good old rotisserie chicken, but her MIL interfered and swapped it for a salad

Image credits: Anna Bratiychuk / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Image credits: LightFieldStudios / Envato (not the actual photo)

Image credits: SabrinaBracher / Envato (not the actual photo)

Image credits: dadof2throwWay

Many expectant mothers experience food cravings during their pregnancy

Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Waiting for an addition to the family is an exciting time, even with all the ups and downs of pregnancy, which often include food-related conundrums, such as cravings. One of the worst things about them is that they are typically sudden, and considering that emotions tend to run high during pregnancy, it can lead to situations that need to be neutralized quickly—be it providing pickles and ice cream or whatever random foods the mom-to-be wants at that moment.

While cravings tend to differ from person to person, the majority of expectant moms seemingly mostly desire something sweet. This was found by a survey carried out by BabyCenter, which revealed that 40% of them wanted sweets, roughly a third wanted salty treats, spicy foods came in third with around 17% respondents saying that’s what they craved, and sour foods like green apples or sour candy were reportedly the go-to for one-in-ten pregnant women.

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While the exact causes of such desire for specific foods remain unclear, somewhere between 50 and 90% of women in the US reportedly experience cravings during pregnancy—from olives on cheesecake to a diet consisting of processed-cheese sandwiches only (as shared by some of BabyCenter’s respondents).

It’s important for pregnant women to follow certain dietary guidelines

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While not all cravings are necessarily unhealthy, some can be considered cheat meals among those who follow a healthy lifestyle. However, if such instances are occasional and do not entail consuming items that are on the don’ts list for pregnant women, they might not be the end of the world; everything in moderation is a set phrase for a reason.

Needless to say, eating healthy during pregnancy is crucial for the well-being of both the mom-to-be and the baby. According to the Office Of Disease Prevention And Health Promotion (OASH), following a healthy diet means meeting not only the nutrient requirements (by including whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and protein, among other things) but a necessary number of calories, too.

OSHA pointed out that women with a healthy pre-pregnancy weight should aim to consume the same amount of calories as before during the first trimester, roughly 340 extra calories a day during the second one, and roughly 450 extra each day in the third. It’s also important to stay away from certain foods—such as raw foods like eggs, meat or fish, unpasteurized juice, milk, or cheese, and raw sprouts—limit the consumption of caffeine and added sugars, and consume fish and shellfish that is high in healthy fats but low in mercury.

In his post, the OP pointed out that Melody typically followed a healthy diet, and the rotisserie chicken was more of an exception than a rule. However, his mother believed that she shouldn’t consume such foods at all, which is why she threw the food Melody went to three stores to find away and ordered her a salad. Such behavior from the MIL didn’t get her many fans among members of the online community, who didn’t shy away from expressing their opinions in the comments.

People didn’t think the soon-to-be-dad was in the wrong for taking his wife’s side, he replied to some of their comments

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