One thing I remember about being pregnant is loving food in a different way. I swear I could eat two whole chocolate cakes in one sitting, and probably could sleep all day too at one point. It's actually a critical part of pregnancy: to give in to your body's needs. Especially now that you're eating and sleeping for two.

So you're pregnant and you're craving for something in particular, or in a cold war with a specific dish. It's common, if not compulsory, and there's a medical name for it: Pica and in Tagalog, we call it: Pag-lilihi. So, in honor and loving memory of the great, great times of pregnancy, here is a list of the most common food cravings ever:

Chocolate
Mother of all temptations, the number one on the list and number one in my heart. Chocolate is also the number one cause of Macrosomic babies. If there's something that can match the size of your chocolate craving it's a massive newborn baby.
Macro for Big and -Somia for possessing body. Literally "big bodied", macrosomic babies weigh more than 4.5 kg at birth and are massive like that giant Hershey's chocolate bar.

Fruits or Ripe Mangoes (Manggang Dilaw)
If you're eating mangoes on a daily basis, you're pregnant! At least most of the time that's the case for Filipinos. There's something about the cool, slippery feel of ripe mango sliding over your tongue and cuddling over your palette.
Internationally, fruits in general is among the top food cravings ever. I didn't just indulge in mangoes when I was expecting, I smothered Kiwis and Kiat-Kiat Oranges as well and had frequent booty calls with a Papaya.

Ice Cream
Because you just can't wait to become diabetic while pregnant! I tried to be "healthy" about eating ice cream when I was expecting so I ate BTIC (Better Than Ice Cream) instead, it's a frozen yogurt, Pinoy Brand!
I loved the Mint and Chips flavor best. Probably all things sweet would be on this list if I expand it into top 30 list. Which brings be to our next delicacy, meant for the sweet-toothed mom.

Cake. Cake. Cake. Lots of Cake.
I'm not pregnant now but I crave for chocolate cake frequently, so when I did get pregnant I effortlessly murdered the Ultimate Chocolate Cake from Red Ribbon that my husband bought me.
If he didn't slice a piece for himself, he wouldn't have been able to taste anything. When short on money, you'd find me hovering over a box of cupcakes.

Chips, Nachos and Tacos
I put all three in one spot because honestly, if you ever get addicted to chips you'll feel the same way about nachos, and then tacos, and pregnant women can't really tell the difference.


I craved nachos during the first 5 months of pregnancy and frequented Taco Bell at Gateway, which I passed through daily on the way home. It used to be at the food court on the 3rd floor but just last Saturday, July 4, 2015 Taco Bell Live Mas store opened on the ground floor.

Good news for preggy women who don't like stairs and waiting! My alma mater's UST Tiger Cubs even dined there along with other UAAP Teams; UE Pep Squad and Adamson Pep Squad. Yummmyy hihi.

Weird Combo Foods
Ever heard a pregnant woman craving for pickles dipped in peanut butter or eating sinigang with mayonnaise? I never experienced those weird food combo cravings but I know a few who did.
My mom craved for grapes in rice when she had my sister, and a ninang of mine craved raw chili or sili for her breakfast. I remember our past neighbor craving for ginataan, except she only ate the bilo-bilo the round sticky balls.

Coffee
Yes...sweets are everybody's doom. Palpitating and awake I drank coffee thrice a day, but I wasn't pregnant...I was working. When I was pregnant, I craved Starbucks' Choco Java Chip Frappucchino.
My husband made sure I only drank one in a whole month because I already have too much chocolate cake in my system. He worried I might develop gestational diabetes and risk our baby's health and mine.

Comfort Food
Besides the usual Coke and Junk Food, there's the comfort food that you can't find anywhere else: Mom's cooking or Chocovron.You travel miles to get to a store for a single serving of Takoyaki or pester your husband to come home with a Roasted Chicken at 1 am. These random, specific, comfort food that serves as the pinnacle of Pica or Food Cravings during Pregnancy.

Pregnancy wouldn't be as enjoyable or unique an experience without the desire to ransack the fridge for "something to devour".


Disclaimer: All photos in this Post are Not Mine. They are all grabbed online via Brands' official sites and Wiki Commons while drooling. What? The images look delicious.

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Taco Bell Live Mas Concept Store is Now Open at Gateway Mall G/F, in Araneta Center, Cubao. Some of their best-sellers and my favorites are the Nachos Supreme, Chocodilla Nutella, Mexican Pork Barbecue and of course, the Crunchy Taco.
You can checkout their menu and branches here: