Pregnancy diet is extremely important because it determines which nutrients the mother and her unborn child are receiving. A healthy diet will help ensure that the expecting mother and unborn child stay healthy throughout the pregnancy. Fruits are an important part of any diet and are typically one of the foods you want to focus on during pregnancy. However, there are a few fruits which need to be avoided during pregnancy. Read on to learn more about these fruits and why you should avoid eating them while pregnant.
1. Tamarind
It can be extremely difficult to give up the wonderfully tangy tamarind fruit during pregnancy, a time when women are likely to crave interesting flavors. It’s extra difficult considering that tamarind is a classic home remedy for nausea and morning sickness. If you truly love the taste of tamarind, you don’t have to give it up entirely. You just have to eat it in moderation. Its vitamin C content is extremely high, which is why you can’t overindulge in it while pregnant. Consuming too much tamarind can suppress progesterone production which can cause miscarriage or preterm birth to occur.
2. Papayas
Papaya is many people’s favorite fruit, so it’s easy to understand why you wouldn’t want to give it up while pregnant, the time when you’re supposed to be allowed to eat all your favorite things. Unfortunately, it has the ability to raise your body temperature which is something you want to avoid while pregnant. The fruit also contains a lot of latex which can cause some unwanted symptoms, such as miscarriage, uterine contractions, or bleeding. An unripe papaya can also interfere with the fetus’ development.
Also Read: 9 Foods That Are Best Avoided in the First Month of Pregnancy
3. Pineapple
Pineapples are so refreshing and citric, that it makes sense you would want to eat them while pregnant. If you don’t want to eat them, you’ll probably want to blend them up into a smoothie or virgin pina colada if you can. But consuming pineapple can result in acute uterine contractions that can cause miscarriages to happen. This happens because pineapple contains the enzyme, bromelain which is responsible for breaking down protein.
4. Watermelon
Normally, watermelon is one of the fruits you want to keep on hand. Its heavy water content helps the body stay hydrated while flushing out toxins that have invaded the body. This is normally exactly what you want to happen, but when you’re pregnant, this mechanism has the potential to backfire. The flushed-out toxins can actually be exposed to the baby. Watermelon’s sugar content is also of some concern as it can elevate your blood glucose levels.
5. Bananas
There have been a lot of health stories over the last few years of pregnant women subscribing to a banana-based diet because of its nutritional profile. While making an entire banana-based pregnancy diet may be a little bit overboard, it is normally ok to eat them while pregnant. There are two cases when a pregnant woman should avoid eating bananas: 1) The pregnant woman suffers from allergies. 2) The pregnant woman has diabetes or gestational diabetes.
The reason these pregnant women should avoid eating bananas is because the fruit contains chitinase, a substance similar to latex that is actually an allergen. Ingesting this allergen will naturally cause an allergic reaction, which most often manifests as an increase in body heat. On top of all that, bananas tend to contain a lot of glucose which can raise a person’s blood sugar level. This can make ingesting them dangerous for pregnant mothers suffering from diabetes.
6. Dates
Dates are one of the fruits that are classified as a superfood, so you would think they would be what you want to eat during your pregnancy. Superfoods are known for containing a large surplus of nutrients, which is normally what you want while pregnant. But once again, this fruit can cause a person’s body temperature to raise due to its excessively high sugar content. It can also cause contractions which can trigger miscarriages. If dates are your thing and you don’t want to give them up, try not to eat more than one or two a day (sounds easier said than done though).
7. Frozen Berries
As a general rule of thumb, pregnant women should avoid eating anything that has been frozen for an extended period of time, which is the normal state of frozen berries. Even if they haven’t been in your freezer for long, they’ve likely been on the store shelf for a while. While pregnant, you want to eat fresh food as much as possible. Freezing berries reduces their nutrient profile and eating them can be toxic to both the expecting mother and the baby. So, try making fresh berry smoothies or juices while you are pregnant.
Eating these fruits a few times will not endanger your pregnancy so long as you eat them in moderation. If you truly want to include them in your diet, make sure to check with your doctor first and eat them only in moderation.
Also Read: Is it safe to take iron tablets during pregnancy?
