O Sweet Tooth, Where Art Thou?

My mom, who got pregnant with me 32 years ago, still loves to talk about how much weight she lost in her first trimester of that pregnancy. It wasn't because she was sick either (because she was also one of the rare and lucky ones who never got morning sickness in any of her five pregnancies) but rather because her sweet tooth totally disappeared. Of course, she always goes on to say that she weighed five pounds less (115) when she left the hospital than she did when she got pregnant with me. Is it any wonder that the girls in my family, who take after my dad's more buxom female relatives, have body issues?

My sister and I not only inherited my grandma's big boobs and sturdy hips, but we also got the insatiable sweet tooth from my mom's side of the family. On most days, I wake up craving sweets, and if there's any kind of pie or cake in the house, I eat it for breakfast. If I'm trying to be "good," I'll eat a huge bowl of Malt O' Meal Blueberry Muffin cereal, which has to be the most sugar-laden cereal ever invented.

And it's all downhill from there. Dessert is a required part of lunch and dinner. I'll often skip a meal just so I can have a bigger portion of dessert. And don't even get me started on chocolate. I honestly think I wouldn't be able to get through most days without a spoonful of hot fudge, eaten straight from the jar or some contraband Easter candy. These are habits I learned early, at my mother's knee, and I'm afraid that my four year-old has already discovered that chocolate tastes better than broccoli.

During my first three pregnancies, my sweet tooth remained. Maybe it abated a little bit, but more often than not I craved DQ Blizzards late at night. But this time around, something so weird has happened. I am totally ambivalent to desserts. I mean, they don't gross me out or anything, but I can take them or leave them. My mom and I shared a piece of decadent chocolate mousse cake the other day, and Annie ate half of mine, and I didn't even hold it against her! I don't think I've eaten chocolate in four days. That has to be a lifetime record for me.

Watch, now that I've publicly recognized the departure of the sweet tooth, she'll probably return with a vengeance. But until then, I'll be trying to eat good foods to make up for the Blizzard runs that I'm sure will hit me later on.

--originally published 5/10/06