The vendor down the street must think I opened a lemonade business or I’m doing some crazy daily lemonade detox! I usually love sour food such as citrus fruits, pickles, sour vinegars and molasses and sour candies, but I never thought I could peel and eat 2 to 3 fresh whole lemons all at once without a single grimace (I’m sure you’re frowning just at reading this) daily! A week ago, I started this lemon snack crave. So randomly throughout the day I bite and munch into pieces of lemon generously sprinkled with salt and I strangely enjoy the experience! It’s an elixir to my “morning” sickness that strangely never occurs in the morning by the way! Instead, it only kicks off towards the end of the day.

If you’re pregnant and you’re having a lemon & salt craving, here are some facts.

Pros:

• Lemon smell helps ease pregnancy nausea.
• The juice of a lemon alleviates dry mouth and helps prevent dehydration when water is harder to gulp.
• This snack is zero in fat and very low glycemic while providing many important nutrients. Lemon is an excellent source of vitamin C, is rich in fiber and a good source of other vitamins and minerals like B-complex vitamins and Calcium.
• I’m usually an anti-salt foodie and campaigner because sodium can rise blood pressure and lead to serious heart diseases. However,  in general during the early months of pregnancy, the circulatory system expands rapidly so blood pressure is likely to drop. So adding a little salt from time to time might not be too bad.

Cons:

• During pregnancy, many women suffer from heartburn and digestive problems. The excessive acidity in lemons may trigger or exacerbate these symptoms.
• Help!! Teeth sensitivity!! Also citric acid may damage the enamel of your teeth.

Bottom line, you should always listen to your body and follow its signals. Cravings are sometimes signals of your body’s needs!