Can I Eat Hot Cheetos While Pregnant? 3 Effective Ways To Beat Your Cravings

During pregnancy, many women experience cravings for certain foods. However, they also need to be careful about what they consume to protect their unborn baby’s health. One popular snack that some pregnant women crave is hot Cheetos, but can I eat hot Cheetos while pregnant?

It is generally safe to eat hot Cheetos while pregnant, but they should be consumed in moderation. Hot Cheetos contain high levels of salt, fat, and artificial flavorings, which can be harmful in excessive amounts. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure and water retention, while excessive fat intake can increase the risk of gestational diabetes and other health problems.

Additionally, some pregnant women may experience heartburn or acid reflux from consuming spicy foods like hot Cheetos. If you have any concerns or experience discomfort after eating them, it is best to consult with your healthcare provider.

In summary, if you are pregnant and craving hot Cheetos, it is okay to indulge in them occasionally. However, it is important to consume them in moderation and be mindful of any potential negative effects on your health and that of your unborn baby.

Why Do Pregnant Women Crave?

Many people understand that it’s a common trait among pregnant women to want strange food, out of the blue.

Some men think their spouses are just trying to be annoying. How would they understand that we need to eat hot Cheetos in the middle of the night because we developed a sudden craving for them?

Different theories have tried to describe exactly why women crave the things they do during pregnancy. We’ll look at some of them below.

1. Hormones

A particular school of thought believes that pregnant women’s cravings are influenced by changes in the levels of their hormones. This seems plausible since there’s usually an increased level of hormonal activity in the woman’s body during pregnancy.

However, this fails to explain why women crave to eat things they never liked or ever ate before they got pregnant.

2. Heightened sense of smell and taste

Another school of thought says that women crave different kinds of food during pregnancy because of their unusually heightened sense of smell and taste. This explains why pregnant women crave things they previously would never touch or think of as part of the menu.

All that matters to them at such times is that they are drawn to this smell and taste more than any other thing and they just need to get a bite of it.

3. Nutritional deficiencies in the body

A more convincing school of thought believes that women’s cravings during pregnancy are governed by nutritional deficiencies. This means that the body pushes pregnant women to crave what the body needs but lacks.

For example, according to a study in 2014, women take spicy foods to cool off from high temperatures. The body needs to cool off from the heat. Another example is the craving for chocolate while stressed. Chocolate helps in the secretion of Serotonin which makes you happy.

The body makes you crave chocolate to reduce stress. There are many more instances of the body using cravings as a signal for what it needs but lacks. 

Can I Eat Hot Cheetos While I’m Pregnant?

Everyone can eat hot Cheetos as long as there’s moderation. Hot Cheetos is a spicy chip. It’s a spicy food capable of bringing tears to the eyes of anyone whether pregnant or not. Mothers have been asking questions over the years whether or not they can eat hot Cheetos as they tend to crave them so badly.

The good news is that you can eat hot Cheetos. A pack of Cheetos won’t hurt you. It’s not going to have any effect on your baby, but it might affect your comfort if taken in excess.

Pros And Cons Of Eating Hot Cheetos While Pregnant

1. Satisfaction

If taken in moderation, hot Cheetos have no adverse effect on your health or your baby. The one thing about satisfying your pregnancy cravings is the happiness that comes with it. If eating Cheetos will make you happy now, go for it. Enjoy the crunchy sound and spicy taste.

Expecting mothers generally crave more spicy foods and they get excited when they get it. I remember once I so craved ice cream. I got some for myself and stashed my loot away somewhere deep inside the fridge. I thought about it all day at work. I couldn’t wait to get home.

Once I got back home, I rushed to the fridge and dug into where I hid it, but alas, it wasn’t there. I was in horror. What happened to my bowl of ice cream? My hubby finally confessed he had eaten it up. I burst into tears, uncontrollably. He was in shock.

He offered to buy me another bowl right away, but I wanted that very one I had kept. No substitute will do. How we resolved that issue will be a story for another day.

2. It can enhance your baby’s taste in the future

Eating Cheetos and other spicy foods can expand your baby’s taste. Your baby eats what you eat via the amniotic fluid. If you expose them to a variety of flavors, it influences and broadens their taste. Your baby is likely to have similar tastes to what you often craved during pregnancy.

3. Increase your overall health

Eating Cheetos and other spicy foods can increase your overall health. Capsaicin, the chemical in pepper that gives it its sharp bite, has anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that spicy foods increase immunity and aid your overall health.

Cons of Eating Hot Cheetos

If taken in excess like everything else, hot Cheetos can be problematic for a pregnant mom.

1. It can bring about heartburn 

Heartburn is already a common feature in pregnancy. Especially during the second and third trimesters. Eating hot Cheetos with other spicy foods can increase the risk of heartburn.

Due to the pressure of the growing baby on the abdomen, the cardiac sphincter is subject to low pressure and tends to eject spice into the digestive tract.

The risk of this happening is high when hot Cheetos are not taken in moderation. 

2. It can cause abdominal pain 

Hot Cheetos like other spicy foods are not known to cause stomach ulcers. Capsaicin – the chemical in the spices helps in healing stomach wounds like ulcers.

Spicy foods, however, can increase inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms in people diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.

3. It can make morning sickness worse 

This occurs during the first trimester. Hot or spicy foods have a strong influence on the release of stomach acids. Stomach acids can worsen nausea and vomiting.

4. It can cause diarrhea

Spicy foods have been known to cause stomach irritation and digestive issues. The problem with diarrhea is that it dehydrates you. Hence, when you eat hot or spicy food, you need a lot of water.

Also, if you’re eating spicy foods for the first time, try a little to test your endurance.

How To Beat Your Cravings During Pregnancy

 Beating your cravings is crucial to stay healthy during pregnancy. Everything you crave is capable of causing you harm later.

 For example

1.  Red meats are associated with heart disease

2.  Sodas are associated with gestational diabetes

3.  Lemon erodes the tooth enamel

4.  Chocolate is filled with fats and calories, etc.

Tips To Beat Your Cravings

1. Eat a balanced diet all-day

It is established that your body makes you crave what it needs to function. If you want to make sure your body does not control you or bully you into wanting something so badly, give it everything it needs to function constantly.

This way, you give your body what it needs and you’re not struggling with a craving

2. Give in to your cravings moderately 

A balanced diet might not always help. It’s crucial as an expecting mother to give in to moderation when it comes to your cravings.

If you feel like eating a whole store of Cheetos, resist it and take a single bag.

3. Look for alternatives 

Getting alternatives to satisfy your cravings might help beat your cravings. When you understand the benefits of your cravings, you can find alternatives like Vegetables, Protein, Grain, Fruits, dairy products, Fats & oils, and so on.

Why Am I Craving Hot Cheetos While I’m Pregnant?

Hot Cheetos are spicy food. Women tend to crave spicy food during pregnancy for two main reasons;

1. Heightened sense of taste

You seem more fascinated by the smell and taste of spicy foods and that’s normal. 

2. Body requirement or nutritional deficiency 

According to a study in 2014, pregnant women crave spicy food to cool off. The study observed that under high temperatures, the pregnant body wants to eat something to make it sweat. This sweat happens to cool off the heat in the body.

What’s In A Bag Of Cheetos? Are They Safe For Me As An Expecting Mother?

The ingredients of hot Cheetos are not very safe but are in tiny quantities. They, however, do not pose a lot of harm to your baby when taken moderately. This includes;

1. Artificial coloring

This is an artificial additive added to hot Cheetos to give it its fascinating color. Over the years, lots of artificial colorings have been banned and declared dangerous to babies’ health as they have been seen to be capable of impacting behaviors in children.

2. Artificial flavors

These are also synthetic additives that help give Cheetos its taste. However, in 2018, 6 artificial flavorings were found to cause cancer when tested in the lab. The flavorings banned are: 

• Benzophenone

• Ethyl Acrylate

• Eugenyl Methyl Ether

• Myrcene

• Pulegone

• Pyridine

It’s hard to state whether the ones present in Cheetos are safe or not safe

3. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Monosodium Glutamate is a common flavor enhancer in many foods. It replicates the umami flavor. Monosodium glutamate is very good as a flavor enhancer, but it has some toxic side effects found to be related to it. 

Is Spicy Food Safe During Pregnancy?

Spicy foods pose no threat to you as a pregnant woman. Matter of fact, it helps boost your immunity and overall health.

Does Spicy Food Induce Labor?

Contrary to the popular superstition that spicy foods induce labor, medical studies have found no relationship between the time of labor and spicy foods.

Myths About Spicy Food

1. Harmful to baby

There’s a myth about spicy food affecting the shape of a baby’s head or baby’s health. The myth even goes as far as predicting that spicy foods during pregnancy are capable of blinding the baby. This is fictional and has no scientific backing.

Spicy foods cannot affect the fetus to the point of harm. Capsaicin, the chemical in peppers, has anti-inflammatory properties.

2. Can induce labor 

Many people have a superstitious belief about how people are advised to take spicy foods to hasten childbirth and ease the pain and discomfort of pregnancy.

The truth is that this has no scientific backing and no correlation to the time of labor. This does not disprove that it could happen after taking spicy foods; it only identifies that it’s a mere coincidence.

3. Eating spicy food can make a baby move in the womb 

This is another belief that has no scientific backing. A further study revealed that babies tend to move during mealtime regardless of the food. This is because the baby and the mother eat the same thing (only that they get theirs via the amniotic fluid).

Babies are more active during feeding because that’s when they feed too. This goes against the myth that it was the spicy food that made them move. Babies move during mealtime regardless of the kind of food.

4. Craving spicy foods like Hot Cheetos predicts gender

Another myth about spicy food is that the gender of the baby can be predicted by observing the level of craving of the mother while pregnant. This myth states that mothers who crave spicy food a lot tend to be with a male child.

Nevertheless, it has not been proven. A situation where the gender and level of craving check out is just coincidence.

Can Hot Cheetos Cause Miscarriage?

There’s no direct link between hot Cheetos and miscarriage. Taking hot Cheetos does not in any way have a connection to the baby inside of you.

Hot Cheetos can affect the comfort of the mother during pregnancy in terms of abdominal pain and heartburn but have nothing to do with the baby or cause a miscarriage.

What Food Should I Avoid While Pregnant?

• Alcohol

• Raw meat

• Processed meat

• Caffeine greater than 200mg

• Soft cheese

What Food Should I Take While Pregnant?

1. Legumes

This includes Peas, beans, and soybeans. They are good sources of iron, protein, Folate (Vitamin B9), and Calcium. These are important for you and your baby’s health. 

2. Dairy product

This includes milk, cheese, and yogurt. Every pregnant woman is expected to stay healthy. It helps them keep the mother and the baby well. Dairy products are good sources of calcium, B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc.

3. Water

It is very important to stay hydrated as an expecting mother; this is to keep the activities in your body as smooth as possible. 

Other foods to be consumed include Eggs, berries, lean meats, grains, etc.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, pregnancy cravings are an exciting and unique experience for expectant moms, but it’s important to be mindful of what you consume during this period. Hot Cheetos may not necessarily be harmful to you and your baby, but consuming them in excess can be detrimental to your health. As a general rule, ensure that you consume a well-balanced diet that provides all the nutrients you and your baby need. And if you have any concerns about what to eat or avoid during pregnancy, it’s always best to consult your healthcare provider for guidance.