When you are going through hard times, it seems as if the difficulties pile up and keep coming, one after another. And so you could say, "When it rains, it pours."
Sometimes, however, the opposite is true. Everything in life may be going your way; everything you touch seems to turn to gold. The good times keep on rolling, and again, you might say, "When it rains, it pours."
What about when you're pregnant and you have those cravings -- you know where you "need" chocolate chip ice cream at 2 am or you want to eat pickles more than anything else in the world. Oh but wait, you have probably been told...Watch your salt intake! We are afterall supposed to monitor the sodium in our "diet."
And when you are pregnant you do want to be extra careful and make sure you are eating as best as you possibly can. So should you heed that advice and limit how much salt you eat? Or should you throw caution to the wind and take advantage of being pregnant and giving in to those salty cravings?
Well, there's another saying: Everything in moderation.
So don't throw the baby out with the bath water (pun intended). When you're pregnant, you actually NEED salt. You DON'T want to cut it out of your diet. My childbirth instructor, who has also served as our midwife, joked that a pregnant woman should always have a hard boiled egg and salt shaker in her purse!
Okay, why is salt so important when you're pregnant? Several reasons actually: it works to balance out those hormones, can reduce water retention and swelling, and even help prevent problems such as toxemia and pre-eclampsia.
But don't take my word for it. Here are several excellent articles about salt intake during pregnancy.
Salt Consumption During Pregnancy
Salt and Swollen Feet
Salt: Is It Safe During Pregnancy?