While we don’t know the exact cause of food cravings during pregnancy, hormones, cultural factors, and nutritional deficits are a few components thought to potentially play a role (via Frontiers in Psychology). Houston Methodist adds that pregnant individuals may also be drawn to certain foods that help alleviate uncomfortable symptoms, such as nausea or vomiting. As it turns out, however, Hailey Bieber is far from alone in her newfound love of pickles. “I have many pregnant women coming in saying that they’re craving foods like watermelon, pizza or even pickles,” OB-GYN Dr. Elizabeth Mosier told Houston Methodist. Similarly, researchers from the scientific review cite an early study in which pickles were among the most common food cravings experienced by pregnant adolescents.
As for the egg salad, experts at The Mother Baby Center point out that many soon-to-be parents find themselves reaching for eggs. So while not uncommon, experts point out that there are cases in which a craving for eggs during pregnancy may be your body’s way of telling you to up your protein intake, which helps promote red blood cell production during pregnancy.