Cranberry During Pregnancy
Contents:
- Caloric Content and Nutrition Value of a Cranberry
- Advantage of Cranberry During Pregnancy
- Contraindications to Eating Cranberry During Pregnancy
- How to Use Cranberry During Pregnancy
- Prophylaxis With Using Cranberry
Cranberry in Pregnancy
Cranberry is a shrubby plant of evergreen dwarf shrubs group. Cranberry bush has very flexible stalks growing to thirty centimeters in height. Cranberry leaflets are of oblong shape, covered with ash-white plaque from the underside. The cranberry blossoms with purple flowers. A fetus – berry, round, extended, brightly red color, on taste sourish. The fruit is a berry that is red when ripe and bitter sourish as fresh.
Collecting of berries is carried out after the first frosts for conservation of all medicinal properties of cranberry.
Cranberry drink, kvass, jam, stuffing for pies, kissel, a cranberry in salad, and even in the form of candies – in any kind this berry influences an organism as medicine.
The frozen cranberry may be stored for a long time.
Caloric Content and Nutrition Value of a Cranberry
Caloric content of cranberry berries makes twenty eight kilocalories on hundred grams of a product. And their nutrition value makes half of gram of proteins, two tenths gram of fats, and nearly four grams of carbohydrates.
Advantage of Cranberry During Pregnancy
Cranberry is excellent medicine in any diseases of urinary tract. The matter is that cranberry juice is capable to block bacteria, stopping their distribution over the organism. During the use of cranberry juice, strains stop inhabiting bladder walls. Besides, when some pathogenic microorganisms gain antibiotic resistance, the cranberry becomes for them the only pernicious medicine.
Due to the chemical composition berries of cranberry belong to the category of unique therapeutic substance of homeopathic medicine. Cranberry contains the following elements: calcium, magnesium, boron, silver, iodine, iron, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, mineral substances, vitamins of V, C, PP and K groups, such organic acids, as apple, quinic, lemon, benzole.
During pregnancy some problems with teeth often arise – such as caries or gums inflammation. And cranberry is most opportunely here, as the only harmless agent capable to save future mothers from these problems. This berry is the excellent antibiotic decontaminating the oral cavity for hundred percent as it destroys even streptococcal bacteria, with which another antibiotics fail to cope.
Thanks to flavonoids contained, cranberry increases elasticity of blood vessels, improves process of digestion of vitamin C in mother's organism during pregnancy.
Cranberry also strengthens immune system of the organism. And it is just pressing need for pregnant women.
Edemas and swellings accompany pregnancy rather frequently. They occur because of disturbance of adaptive mechanisms of the body. Cranberry drinks help the organism of future mother to improve tissue reactions to all inner changes. In order that pregnancy should proceeded without edemas and swellings it is necessary to drink not less than two liters of cranberry drink a day.
Cranberry drink and juice are excellent prophylaxis of such complication in pregnancy as stopping of fetal development. The cranberry is capable to normalize uterine placental circulation.
Contraindications to Eating Cranberry During Pregnancy
There are some contraindications to eating cranberry and taking cranberry medicines during pregnancy.
- The cranberry can't be used when future mother has digestive tract diseases (stomach or duodenal ulcer, gastritis with the increased acidity level) or chronic liver disease and urolithiasis.
- And reception of cranberry drugs along with sulfodrugs isn't allowed at all.
- Contraindications to use of cranberry during pregnancy
- It's not every pregnant woman who can eat cranberry without care, as this berry has some contraindications.
- Cranberry can cause allergic reactions in the form of dermal eruption or irritation of skin.
- It contains organic acids. Therefore at gastritis with acidity, stomach or duodenal ulcers it is better to refuse cranberry.
- And if the pregnant woman has heartburn, it is necessary to use cranberry with care in order to avoid increased stomach acidity.
How to Use Cranberry During Pregnancy
Pregnant women can eat cranberry fresh or added to tea. Future mother can also drink cranberry juice or drink.
Fresh Berries
Fresh berries of cranberry are easy to keep and eat during the whole pregnancy period. They can be frozen. And it is possible to store them in water, because the berries will keep fresh as if they are just have been pulled from a berry-bush.
For storage of cranberry in water it is necessary to wash up fresh berries, to put them in a wooden container, to fill in with water, to cover by a lid with inlets, to put something heavy over to give weight for the pressure and to store in the cool and dark place.
At eating cranberry pregnant women need to remember that they don't have to do that on an empty stomach not to injure mucous coats of digestive tract organs by acids.
Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice is often used for treatment of hypertension or headache (as a fomentation for compresses), as a wound healing agent, for prophylaxis and treatment of infections of kidneys and urinary tract.
It is desirable for pregnant women to dissolve cranberry juice with water. And after drinking of juice it’s better to rinse mouth with warm water to prevent enamel from damage.
Fruit Drink
Medical experts recommend women to drink cranberry drink during pregnancy in case of infections of kidneys and urinary tract, emotional instability and tiredness.
There are several methods of preparation of cranberry drink. Let's consider the variant where it isn't necessary to boil it, because boiling leads to loss of vitamins.
Prophylaxis With Using Cranberry
Cranberry is excellent prophylactic remedy during pregnancy against cystitis, urethritis, or pyelonephritis. In order to avoid such diseases during this period it is enough to have a glass of drink from cranberry berries in a day.