Dry fruits benefits during Pregnancy
When you find out that you are pregnant, you need to change your eating habits for the better. During pregnancy, a woman’s body requires more minerals, vitamins and other essential nutrients to ensure proper and healthy growth of the child. This is the reason that you should follow a balanced diet along with including some special foods in your daily routine. Dry fruits are one thing that is very healthy during pregnancy, but you should consume them with care. Remember overdoing anything is harmful, and the same applies to any of the foods that you eat during pregnancy.
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Safety of eating dry fruits during pregnancy–
Nuts and dry fruits are storehouses of minerals, vitamins, amino acids and fibre, and hence they should be included in your diet if you are pregnant. contain essential vitamins like B1-B9, k, C, H and E. The best part about dry fruits is that they make you feel full and satiate hunger very well. Usually, during pregnancy, many women tend to feel excessively hungry and munching on dry fruits is the best thing that you can do. However, as mentioned above the consumption should be in moderation as too much of dry fruits can lead to complications.
Benefits of eating dry fruits and nuts during pregnancy-
- Many women complain of constipation during pregnancy, and dry fruits and nuts are the best solutions for that. Women face illness during pregnancy due to the hormonal changes and eating dry fruits is good in this situation. This is because they are very rich in dietary fibre and hence resolve the problem of constipation to a very great extent.
- The body’s requirement for iron increases during pregnancy both for the mother and the child. Dry fruits like dates and figs are full of iron and so are most nuts. This is the reason that dry fruits and nuts should be included in your daily diet during pregnancy.
- Vitamin A is necessary for the development of the baby’s teeth and bones and dry fruits and nuts are a rich source of vitamin A.
- Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, and it also enhances the immunity of the body, which is very important in pregnancy. Dry fruits are also rich in Vitamin C which makes sure that you get your enough quota of this essential vitamins during pregnancy
- It is vital to control your blood pressure during pregnancy, along with doing something to enhance your muscle control. Both these problems are taken care of with dry fruits and nuts because they are rich in Potassium.
- Magnesium found in the right quantity in dry fruits and nuts ensures that your baby’s bones and nerves develop properly
- During pregnancy, the body needs extra energy and the natural sugars found in dry fruits provide this boost. The best part is that as these sugars are natural, they are easy to digest and do not have harmful side effects like refined sugar
- Dry fruits like dates and prunes work to strengthen the uterine muscles, which ensures that if your delivery is a natural one, it will be smoother than otherwise. At the same time dates and prunes also reduce the post-delivery bleeding
- If the mother consumes dry fruits and nuts during pregnancy, then the chances of wheezing and asthma in the baby are reduced to a great extent
- The development of cells and lungs in the baby requires a good dose of vitamin E, and as mentioned above, dry fruits and nuts are a storehouse of not only vitamin E but also other essential vitamins. Vitamin E also regulates the blood sugar of the mother and prevents the baby from developing asthma
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The precautions you should take-
- You should opt for sun-dried fruits instead of ones which are processed in a factory. Fruits which are dried in a plant usually contain a toxin called acrylamide, which is found in food which has been heated for a long time. This toxin is a carcinogen, and it is also harmful to fertility
- You should avoid the dry fruits which have added sugar. The natural sugars in dry fruits are okay, but some brands add sugar, and they should be avoided completely
- Sometimes packaged dry fruits have preservatives which contain sulphur dioxide. This toxin is harmful during pregnancy, and it can also cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems
- Dry fruits and nuts are very high in calories; therefore, you should be careful of your intake. Ideally, you should consume about 100 grams of dry fruits and nuts in a day. This will ensure that you do not consume excessive calories which may lead to weight gain
- If you are buying from local vendors, then you should check for bugs, dirt or mould
- It is best to store dry fruits in a clean and dry container and keep them in the refrigerator to avoid them getting spoilt
All in all, with the right precautions, dry fruits and nuts can do wonders for you during pregnancy both for the mother and the baby.
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