Guest blogger Oz Spies, who started blogging while pregnant with her son Axel, spends her days working in the nonprofit sector, chasing after a very active baby boy, and trying to find time to paint her toenails, walk the dog, feed the cat, and kiss her husband. You can read more at Knocked Up.

In pregnancy, there are two kinds of cravings: the ones you’re willing to indulge, either because they’re healthy or because you’re hormonal and the only thing that will keep you from crying is half a cheesecake. Then there are the unhealthy ones that you try your best to suppress. Sometimes suppressing them feels like you’re wrestling a pack of wild badgers while blindfolded and balancing on a spinning log on Class IV rapids, but you still try.

For me, jalapenos fall into category number one. I am obsessed. Getting a turkey sandwich (pressed on the Panini maker until steaming, of course)? Slice me up a few jalapenos. Ordering a salad? More peppers, please. A turkey burger? My fabulous husband knows to throw a few jalapenos on the grill. Perhaps jalapenos aren’t in the same healthy category as apples or yogurt, but at least I’m not eating a Peanut Buster Parfait every day. I figure a little spice is good for the fetus. It keeps him or her on his little budding toes, and, with any luck, gets the kid ready to love going out for Mexican food.

Have you been to Mad Greens? I’m just a little obsessed. Even before pregnancy, I hit them up once a week. Now, it’s not uncommon for me to visit four days in a row. My current love is a Mad Greens salad, almost any one of them will do, with two scoops of jalapenos. Doesn’t matter if it’s a salad with apples or one with mozzarella, I still want those jalapenos. The people who work behind the counter at Mad Greens know me, and I imagine they’ve started calling me Pepper Girl behind my back. (Note to Mad Greens management: if you’re looking for a spokesperson, I’m your girl. All I need are a few free salads a week, and I’ll keep on talking you up. Just don’t be stingy with the jalapenos.)

In my category number two? Diet Coke. If I look on the package and can’t recognize multiple ingredients, I figure it’s fake food I should avoid, especially while pregnant, and Diet Coke certainly fits that category. During the first trimester, it was easy for me to avoid. Like coffee and sausage and my husband’s pizza with prosciutto– which I made him eat outside because it was so repugnant to me – it just turned me off. I didn’t even want to be in the same room as a Diet Coke, or tiramisu for that matter. Anything slightly sweet made me feel sick. Given that I’m known for a hefty sweet tooth, this was an almost welcome change. Unfortunately, it did not stick around.

Now that I’m in the second trimester and the queasiness is subsiding, a little Diet Coke doesn’t look so bad. In fact, I’ve found myself aching for a glass of sweet caffeinated unidentifiable liquid bubbling on ice.

My method for overcoming the craving? I picture a can of Diet Coke being poured on a tiny baby’s head. Seriously. Really, picture that yourself – start with a chubby little cherub cooing on a thick rug, suddenly drenched by cold brown liquid from a silver can. Imagine the howls. Makes you want to keep away from the Diet Coke, doesn’t it? Well, it works for me about 2/3 of the time, and the other 1/3 I just think, “Quit your whining, baby! A little aspartame never hurt anyone!”

So, tell me about your pregnancy cravings. What did you indulge in? And what did you try to resist?