Fruits and Vegetables in Pregnancy

Contents:

• Fruits and Vegetables During Pregnancy
• Vegetables During Pregnancy
• Fruits and Berries During Pregnancy
• Conclusion

Fruits and Vegetables During Pregnancy

Fruits and vegetables during pregnancy are, undoubtedly, to be included in your diet. They contain all the necessary vitamins, microelements and dietary fiber that are important when it comes down to the health of a future mother as well as the health of her baby.

If you have a garden, it means that you have an opportunity to grow up fruit trees and vegetables. Therefore, you’ll have an opportunity to eat useful and natural fruits, vegetables and berries.

Vegetables During Pregnancy

A pregnant woman should eat vegetables every day. Pay attention to the vegetables you eat during summer and fall. The crux of the matter is that you should eat them raw. This way your organism will get as much necessary microelements and vitamins as possible.

Of course, you shouldn’t forget about the fact that some vegetables may cause abdominal swelling and intestinal upset. Some of the vegetables are forbidden to eat raw. Don’t worry, this problem is easy to solve. A well-cooked out of these vegetables side dish will be a perfect addition to the main course. If you cook vegetables on steam, keep in mind that there won’t almost be any vitamins left in them. You may stew, boil or bake vegetables but you’d better not fry them.

It’s very important to know how to eat certain vegetables. In order to avoid common mistakes, it’s necessary to know that there are two kinds of vegetables: starchy vegetables (carrot, potato, pumpkin and marrow) and non-starchy ones (cucumber, tomato, pepper, cabbage, herbs etc.). It’s not recommended to eat starchy vegetables together with animal proteins, for example, together with meat. The reason for it is that it can be quite hard for your stomach to digest and assimilate these proteins. As for non-starchy vegetables, they are, actually, the ones that help to digest animal proteins.

Potato should necessarily be included in the diet of a pregnant woman. It is rich in vitamin C (especially new potato). If you cook jacket potato, your potatoes will stay very rich in vitamin C. Before you start cooking it, do not forget to wash potatoes thoroughly.

Carrot is a great source of microelements and vitamins. That’s why a future mother should necessarily eat it. Carrot is rich in vitamin A (beta-carotene) that is required for the eyesight of a mother and her future baby. Besides, carrot improves your digestion and is a great solution if you have constipation during pregnancy. Since carrot contains fat-soluble vitamins, it’s recommended to eat it when it’s mixed with sour cream, olive oil or cream. You’d better not eat carrot before you go to bed. Carrot is quite heavy for stomach.

You should necessarily include cabbage in your diet. You are allowed to eat any kind of cabbage. Green head cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi and broccoli are very rich in vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.

Beet is a very useful vegetable if you have constipation. Beet also improves the functioning of your liver, kidneys and gallbladder. You are allowed to eat boiled beet mixed with a bit of seed or olive oil. You may mix it with some dried prune, sour cream or lemon juice.

From the very beginning of spring and up to late fall, start to eat cucumbers and tomatoes. Even though they are not very rich in vitamins and microelements, they are also useful. For example, cucumbers are known to have a diuretic effect. This is very important to know if you notice that any part of your body is swollen during pregnancy. Tomatoes contain citric and malic acid that have a great effect on metabolism and blood formation. If you have gallbladder or pancreatic gland problems, you should control the amount of tomatoes you eat. The same is recommended in case you are likely to have an allergic reaction to red foods. It should also be pointed out that you should refuse eating these foods right after your baby is born.

Fruits and Berries During Pregnancy

Actually, when it comes down to fruits and berries, there are stricter rules to follow here. Many of them should be excluded from the diet of a pregnant woman due to the fact that many of them are allergens. Still, the fact is that fruits and berries are very useful. They improve your digestion, fill your organism in with vitamins and microelements, prevent constipation and are a perfect choice for preparing various dishes and desserts.

You need to know how to eat fruits and vegetables. Otherwise, they won’t be useful. It’s very likely that fruits and berries will be harmful for your organism if you don’t know how to eat them. The main point to remember is that you are to eat them half an hour before you eat. Do not eat them after you’ve eaten. A process of fermentation may start and all the useful elements will disappear.

Apples and pears are allowed to eat during the whole year. They contain lots of useful elements. For example, iron (a preventive measure in case you have anemia during pregnancy), citric acid, pectin and tanning substance. Since these fruits contribute to the production of gastric acid, you need them before you have lunch. Apples are also useful for every pregnant woman that has problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

You need to necessarily eat watermelons and melons during summer. They contain dietary fibre, folic acid and serotonin (the hormone of happiness). Melon has a positive effect on the nervous system, contributes to the functioning of your bowel, cleans your liver and is good for quenching your thirst. You need to eat it raw. Try not to eat too much since in this case you may have an abdominal swelling. Watermelon also needs to be eat before you have lunch or dinner due to the fact that it almost immediately gets into your bowel. If your bowel is already full by the time watermelon gets to it, it will be stuck in there and the process of fermentation will begin. Watermelon is very useful during pregnancy in case any part of your body swells. When it comes down to the diuretic effect it has, no other fruit or vegetable can complete with watermelon. Besides, watermelon helps to get cholesterol out of your blood.

Conclusion

In spring and summer, nature presents us with many gifts that are, undoubtedly, very useful. They clean our organism after a long, cold winter, fill it in with vitamins and microelements after avitaminosis and get it ready for the winter ahead. A pregnant woman should, for sure, eat fruits and vegetables since it’s necessary to create certain conditions if you want your baby to be born healthy. Besides, a pregnant woman needs to get her organism ready for what she’ll soon have to experience as well as for a radical change in the way her organism works.