Anyone fancy chalk for dinner?

BANANAS dipped in tomato sauce, Oreos with gherkins and ice cream with chilli sauce.

Martika Ward, with her 15-month-old daughter Shanaeyah, mixed Weet-Bix, Milo and cream when she was pregnant. Picture: Sarah Harvey

BANANAS dipped in tomato sauce, Oreos with gherkins and ice cream with chilli sauce.

These are some of the bizarre food cravings singer Beyonce has been apparently eating while pregnant.

And while Ipswich mothers don't live up to these odd food needs, local women have still found themselves trying some unusual food combinations.

Martika Ward, mother of 15-month-old Shanaeyah and two older children, said she had craved sweet things above all else.

"I'd combine Weet-Bix, Milo and cream," she said.

"And then add milk and sugar.

"It wasn't as good as I thought it would be though."

Ms Ward said while she'd also craved healthy foods such as cucumbers, it was sweet things that kept her going during her three pregnancies.

"I'd go through the cupboard looking for anything sweet.

"I'd put Milo in a glass and just the tiniest amount of water to make a paste. It was amazing!"

While Beyonce is craving strange food combinations, Ms Ward said she knew of people who craved things normally well and truly off the menu.

"(One lady) would eat handfuls of yellow sand, or gnaw on chalk," she said.

Ipswich dietitian Jan Branch said pregnant women should concentrate on eating healthily.

"Overall, women should be eating a healthy diet when they're pregnant," she said.

"During pregnancy women do develop cravings. It's not because of any deficiency, it's just a part of being pregnant."

Ms Branch said pregnancy often inspired women to start eating well.

"Pregnancy is also a time when women start to eat well," she said.

"They think, 'I've got a baby, it needs to be healthy'."

Ms Branch also said the idea that pregnant women were "eating for two" shouldn't be a reason for over-eating.

"(That saying is) not technically correct. The additional energy requirements are not high."

Details for healthy eating during pregnancy can be found online at www.nhmrc.gov.au or at any doctor's surgery.

Ms Branch urged women to get in touch with an accredited dietitian or nutritionist.

Originally published as Anyone fancy chalk for dinner?