Chrissy Teigen took to social media earlier this week to get candid about post-baby life — or at least her taste buds. On Wednesday, the supermodel-turned-cookbook author opened up about her taste preferences in an Instagram Story after welcoming her 17-month-old daughter, Estee.
Despite slathering her bagels with jalapeño cream cheese, Teigen admitted that she doesn't actually eat as much spicy food as she used to.
“Hey guys, I'm Thai and we eat the spiciest food in the world. But since Estee, I can't eat as much spicy food,” she told her followers. “I still eat it but my body rejects it. How do I get it back?”
Chrissy Teigen/Instagram
So what's going on? Does your sense of taste really change after giving birth? The answer is a bit tricky.
While it's very common for women to experience changes in taste during pregnancy, there's much less research on postpartum taste. However, many new moms have reported similar experiences to Teigen's on Reddit.
“This is a weird question, but what are your preferences? [palate] “Post-pregnancy changes,” one mom asked in an online thread, “I used to hate peanut butter.” [I] I have a baby now. I'm really happy.”
Several users agreed, saying, “Yes, with all three kids.” [my taste] “It's changed” or “I used to hate broccoli, but now I love it. I used to love ice cream, but now it's just so-so.”
“Since my first pregnancy four years ago, I haven't liked red wine or most Mexican food,” another mom added. “With my second pregnancy, I like both more, but my tastes have definitely changed!”
Like Teigen, many postpartum moms experience changes in their tolerance, especially to spicy foods: “Since I've been pregnant, I've become less brave with spicy foods,” one Reddit user reported, while another said their tolerance changes with each pregnancy.
“With my first pregnancy, I couldn't tolerate anything spicy,” the woman wrote, “even bell peppers were too spicy. With my second, my sense of taste was dulled and everything tasted bland. I started making my own habanero salsa because I desperately wanted spicy food but couldn't taste it. I started oversalting my food because I couldn't taste salt anymore. It felt really weird.”
Even after pregnancy, hormones are to blame, according to Jennifer Jorolte Doro, postpartum chef, certified birth doula, lactation counselor, and co-founder of Chiyo.
“After giving birth, hormonal changes can alter the way certain foods taste, so you may find you prefer different tastes and textures than you liked before. Fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels after giving birth can affect your taste sensitivities,” Jorolte Doro tells Delish.
“In traditional Eastern medicine, the postpartum period is seen as a time when the body 'cools down' and women avoid cold foods as it is believed to slow the body's recovery. Instead, warm, nutritious foods high in protein, dietary fibre, iron and antioxidants can aid healing during the postpartum period, restoring balance and replenishing vital energy reserves,” she said.
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