Strawberries during pregnancy. Benefits, possible contraindications. Can pregnant women eat strawberries? Is it possible for pregnant women to have strawberries in the 2nd trimester
During pregnancy, a woman always wants something special. Someone wants to eat only yogurt, someone has a desire to eat as many citrus fruits or grapes as possible. And some just need as many strawberries as possible during pregnancy.
But what about the ban on the use of fruits that have a red color? Many argue that such fruits will definitely negatively affect the body, both of the woman and her baby.
Strawberries during pregnancy
Based on folk signs and beliefs, strawberries during pregnancy, in large quantities, are harmful. But this opinion, in fact, applies to all people, regardless of the state of pregnancy or its absence. This is due to the fact that the berry is an allergen. Therefore, if you overeat it, you can definitely observe rashes on the skin.
- Strawberries are enriched with a large amount of vitamins, micro and macro elements and acids;
- It is also useful because ascorbic acid is present in it. There is no need to buy a vitamin in a pharmacy or waste time looking for good quality oranges in the middle of a hot summer. Vitamin C protects blood vessels, strengthens the immune system, works as an antioxidant;
- The composition of the berry includes both beta-carotene and vitamins A, E. They help improve vision, regulate cell division;
- And vitamins B 1 and B 2 improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system and strengthen nerve endings;
- In addition to everything, it contains vitamins B 9, B 12, PP, nicotinic acid, H, B 7, K - phylloquinone, fluorine, copper and manganese.
The question immediately arises: “Is it possible to eat strawberries during pregnancy, especially since people say that it is not recommended to eat it?”
Since strawberries can fully replace citrus fruits, which is extremely important for a pregnant woman, the berry should be consumed, but not in large volumes, as, in principle, all other products. After all, anything can cause an allergy. Especially in such a position as when carrying a child.
To eat healthy foods and not worry about whether you get enough vitamins and minerals, read a book about nutrition during pregnancy. In it you will find not only a nutritious diet, but also receive specific recommendations on how to eliminate many pregnancy diseases without drugs: Secrets of proper nutrition for a future mother >>>.
The benefits of strawberries
Strawberries can be included in the diet of a pregnant woman. Its composition enriched with vitamins helps to alleviate and prevent many diseases and unpleasant moments with a woman's body:
- If you do not eat strawberries during pregnancy, the immune system will weaken, and the body will not be able to produce antibodies against pathogens. The fruits are an excellent antiseptic. They work especially well if stomatitis of any complexity occurs, and also normalize the work of the stomach and intestines;
- During pregnancy, swelling often appears. Some women experience swelling right away, but most develop swelling in the third trimester. Strawberries stimulate the kidneys, due to which, excess fluid is introduced (for more information about this period, see article 3 trimester of pregnancy >>>;
- Such a phenomenon? how toxicosis visits many women during pregnancy. Strawberry juice or a berry milkshake will ease nausea and help fight it. For other ways to alleviate this unpleasant symptom, see the article Nausea During Pregnancy >>>
- Hypertension and atherosclerosis will not disturb during the gestation process, since the microelements that make up the berry reduce pressure, act to lower lipids (they are the creators of atherosclerosis plaques);
- Anemia. This condition almost always goes along with metabolic disorders. During pregnancy, both pathologies often accompany women. But strawberries will help correct these conditions. Read more about anemia during pregnancy >>>;
- Constipation, and then hemorrhoids accompany pregnant women all the time. The fruits strengthen the large and small intestines, thereby protecting the woman from the problems associated with these diseases;
- The benefits of strawberries during pregnancy and that it helps to strengthen the myocardium, can slow down heart palpitations.
The harm of strawberries for a pregnant woman
Given the vitamin composition and the huge number of advantages of this berry, it must be borne in mind that it also has contraindications for use.
- So, for example, if a girl has ever had allergic rashes on food before pregnancy, then such a reaction may intensify during pregnancy. So, strawberries containing vitamin C can provoke not only red spots on the body, but also lead to more sad allergic consequences;
- It is not advisable to use it for those who have a history of problems with the stomach or duodenum. Acids can exacerbate ulcers and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- This includes colic and gastritis (even superficial);
- Hypotonics should also not indulge in strawberries.
Strawberries: how to choose the right one?
Having familiarized ourselves with how strawberries work during pregnancy, with its benefits and harms to the body of the mother and child, let's move on to the moment of choosing berries in the markets and stores.
The fact is that they often sell not natural strawberries, but a modified fruit. Naturally, such a berry can only harm, and there will be no benefit from it at all. Therefore, when making a purchase, carefully consider the choice:
- Smell the berries. They should exude a delicate aroma. If they are red, then they are ripe, and all ripe fruits always have a smell. If the strawberry is homemade, then it may have small greenish areas. You can definitely buy it, since the berry is able to ripen, while the smell is always present;
- Carefully examine the green leaves at the junction with the berry. There should be a snug fit to the fruit, and the leaves themselves without signs of wilting;
- The berry should not be wet;
- Medium and small strawberries are sweeter than any large representative of a strawberry basket.
Methods of use
- Strawberries should not be consumed on an empty stomach. Even a milkshake with the addition of 3-4 strawberries can ruin your appetite and irritate your intestines. First, have a snack with cereals, and only then drink a fortified cocktail;
- During pregnancy, consume the berry fresh (especially if it is summer in the yard);
- On winter days, you can and even need to eat strawberry jams and preserves (homemade). But you should not get carried away with them;
- A good snack between breakfast and lunch is homemade yogurt or cottage cheese with sour cream and berries. Thus, you supplement the beneficial properties of strawberries with lactic bacteria and natural calcium.
The main thing in all this is not to abuse it, but to introduce the berry into the diet no more than 2-3 times a week in small portions.
Seasonal strawberries are a unique source of vitamins! Just 100 grams of this berry contains the necessary daily dose of vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system. But pregnant lovers of garden strawberries should be careful.
What are the benefits of strawberries for a pregnant woman?
Strawberries are low-calorie and useful for a future mother and her child: it improves appetite, stimulates the cardiovascular system and protects the body from diseases.
All the benefit lies in the composition. In addition to ascorbic acid (vitamin C), this berry contains:
- tocopherol (vitamin E);
- retinol (vitamin A);
- B vitamins (including B9, folic acid);
- minerals (calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron).
Ascorbic acid participates in the formation of substances that prevent the reproduction of viruses. It also preserves the collagen fibers of blood vessels and skin, protecting the expectant mother from stretch marks and varicose veins.
For the formation of an oxygen carrier, hemoglobin, the fetus needs iron, which is better absorbed when consumed with vitamin C. If a woman eats strawberries and other iron-containing foods, she will protect herself from fatigue, dizziness and other symptoms of anemia.
Vitamin E ensures the health of the reproductive system, with its lack in women, the menstrual cycle is disturbed. The huge role of tocopherol for pregnant women cannot be overestimated: in the early stages it protects the dividing cells of the embryo from adverse factors. In addition to participating in reproductive life, this substance prevents the formation of malignant tumors, strengthens hair and nails.
Participates in the formation of the visual system of the child vitamin A. For the formation of retinol, carotenoids are needed, which are found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables, including strawberries.
Our body uses to transmit nerve impulses B vitamins. Folic acid helps the formation of the nervous system of the baby, prevents depression and toxicosis during pregnancy. And vitamin B6 helps the absorption in the digestive tract of the magnesium found in strawberries.
Magnesium- an important element on which the successful bearing of the fetus depends: it prevents premature birth from starting, minimizes the threat of miscarriage.
When carrying a fetus, the amount of fluid in the body increases by one and a half times, because of this, the need for substances that ensure the water-salt balance increases: potassium And sodium. Also, these elements are responsible for blood pressure, and together with magnesium and calcium, they eliminate cramps during pregnancy.
Strawberry contains calcium necessary for the formation of the teeth and bones of the child. This mineral is also an important component for blood clotting. But also strawberries contain oxalic acid, which interacts with calcium in the stomach, while forming insoluble compounds - oxalates.
Therefore, to preserve such an important building element as calcium, it is advisable to eat this berry with dairy products. Then oxalic acid reacts with milk calcium without washing out its reserves from the body.
Does strawberries harm a pregnant woman and a fetus?
Despite such a variety of useful substances, doctors recommend eating strawberries carefully. It will be safer to refuse garden strawberries for the period of pregnancy if the following signs are present:
- at least one of the parents is allergic to this berry;
- a pregnant woman has problems with the stomach, intestines or kidneys;
- there were cases of contraction of the uterus, pain in the lumbar region, lower abdomen.
If a pregnant woman or the father of a child has an allergy to strawberries, then this disease can be inherited from the parents to the fetus. Then the woman will harm the child by eating this berry during gestation.
It is better for women prone to allergic reactions to stop eating this berry during pregnancy, because in this case the risk of developing diathesis in the newborn is too high. From the 22nd week, the fetal immune system is very sensitive to an excess of substances, so from this moment on, you need to carefully monitor the diet, and if you abuse a lot of fruit, you can cause the child to become intolerant to it.
The body is rebuilt during pregnancy, so the woman no longer knows him as well as before. Even when the expectant mother did not have an allergy before conception, when eating more than five hundred grams of strawberries, itching, redness of the skin is possible. If such a reaction occurs to the product, contact your doctor immediately!
Expectant mothers should not eat this fruit with gastritis with high acidity, ulcers, urolithiasis, cystitis.
An excess of substances contained in the berry can provoke contractions of the walls of the uterus. Hypertonicity in the early stages leads to detachment of the embryo from the walls, in the later stages - to spontaneous abortion or premature birth. Therefore, it is better for pregnant women who once felt nagging unpleasant pains in the lower abdomen not to eat strawberries.
- Buy berries in season: they have more vitamins and less chemicals.
- Eat in small portions (a handful of pieces of seven).
- At the first sign of an allergy, contact your doctor immediately.
- Eat this fruit on a full stomach. Eating strawberries on an empty stomach, you run the risk of causing an allergic reaction and irritation of the stomach lining with acids and seeds of the berry.
- Wash the berries thoroughly, because they grow close to the ground.
- For better absorption, eat garden strawberries with sour cream, cottage cheese or other dairy products.
Let's summarize by answering the main question that interests all pregnant women: is it possible to treat yourself to fragrant berries during pregnancy? Answer: you can, if you really want to.
The human body constantly reports a shortage of certain substances.
Therefore, a strong desire to eat strawberries indicates a deficiency in the body of vitamins contained in this particular product. If there are no contraindications described above, then feel free to eat strawberries throughout your pregnancy, but in reasonable quantities.
The popularity of strawberries is much higher than that of all other berries. It attracts both adults and children. Let's talk about the benefits of strawberries for a woman who is in the happiest period of expecting a child.
If the pregnancy period falls on the strawberry season, then every expectant mother has a reasonable question - is it possible to eat this berry without harm to your own health and the health of the baby?
General information about strawberries
The queen of berries came to us from America, but for a long time she feels like a local resident on our continent. Strawberries are extremely healthy and is directly saturated with various vitamins and microelements.
This wonderful summer treat is fraught with such a diverse amount of substances needed during the difficult period of pregnancy that it is difficult for other berries and fruits to compete with it.
strawberries during pregnancy
Benefit
Strawberries during pregnancy will bring undeniable benefits if consumed in moderation - a couple of times a week for a few berries.
Strawberries include a fairly large amount beta carotene, and it has a very good effect on the development of fiber in the eye of a growing baby.
garden strawberry rich in fiber and pectin, and for treatment and prevention there is nothing better, because pregnant women often suffer from digestive problems.
This berry able to normalize blood pressure and in the third trimester many women are prone to increased pressure.
Indications
Good to eat strawberries threatened, with a lack of vitamins - for example, in early spring or early summer. remember, that the healthiest strawberries are seasonal grown in the area where you live.
Chemical elements contained in berries, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, which means it prevents uterine and the development of an extremely unpleasant disease -.
Contraindications
If at some time in your life the body has already given an allergic reaction to a fragrant berry, then absolutely no risk!
Pregnancy enhances all processes, and there is a chance of becoming covered not only with a rash, but get the strongest allergic attack in the form of urticaria or Quincke's edema.
Methods of use
Do not eat strawberries on an empty stomach. Let it be a pleasant end to breakfast or lunch.
The best option - eat strawberries with dairy products: milk, cottage cheese, curdled milk, kefir. And the benefits, and indescribable taste and fragrant aroma are provided!
Beautiful, ruddy, glossy berries charge you with a good mood, even if you just look at them, and after eating a small portion of strawberry dessert, the expectant mother is guaranteed to receive a surge of strength and vigor for the whole day.
Nice and crushed strawberries with a teaspoon of cane sugar. But you should not get carried away with strawberry and strawberry jams and jams - they contain not only a significant amount of sugar, but also the addition of preservatives and dyes is likely.
Strawberries can become part of a fasting day - just replace the afternoon snack with a bun or cake with a small amount of fresh berries and do not abuse a heavy dinner. She's low calorie and excess weight after such an afternoon snack definitely does not threaten a pregnant woman.
Also you can make a nourishing mask from pureed strawberries and prevent excessive pigmentation, at the same time improve the general condition of the skin.
By the way, the following recipe will not hurt in the piggy bank of a pregnant lady - decoction of fresh strawberry leaves you can wash the hemorrhoids for its speedy resorption.
Precautionary measures
For a future mother, health is ahead of the rest. Therefore, eating strawberries for breakfast, rinse thoroughly with boiled water and get rid of the green tails - around them the most microbes accumulate.
Don't Buy Strawberries That Look Unnatural- too large, shiny, with a small number of grains. Such attractive strawberries must have been grown using nitrates and chemical fertilizers.
Strawberries are simply designed to diversify the healthy menu of a pregnant woman. Do not refuse a delicious dessert because of fear of allergies or possible consequences. Just must be remembered that the main rule of a healthy diet is everything in moderation and gradually!
Try not to follow your own desires when they offer to eat a bucket of selected strawberries.
Cook unsweetened compote from them, whip up a smoothie in a blender or taste low-fat yogurt with pieces of fragrant berries and you will see that there will be no negative consequences, and your mood will certainly improve!
June is strawberry season. It is interesting that the strawberry we are used to is actually not a berry, but a lot of nuts located on an overgrown receptacle. And although strawberries are a false berry, they taste like real berries. Sweet and juicy, she is a favorite delicacy of many women, including those who are pregnant. We will talk about whether strawberries are useful for pregnant women in this article.
The benefits of strawberries during pregnancy
- Strawberries have a mild diuretic effect, due to which they can help reduce swelling, which is especially important in late pregnancy.
- Another undoubted advantage of strawberries is fisetin - a substance that improves brain activity and memory, which a woman in position will certainly appreciate, because with the onset of pregnancy, many are visited by forgetfulness and absent-mindedness. In fairness, it should be noted that fisetin is found not only in strawberries, but also in other berries, fruits and vegetables, such as apples and kiwi.
- Strawberries have a rich mineral composition - calcium, phosphorus, magnesium. There is especially a lot of iron in strawberries, so eating it serves as a good prevention of anemia.
- Strawberries help regulate blood sugar levels, while being low in calories, only 30 kcal per 100 grams, so it can be called a light dessert that will not bring extra pounds to the figure.
- Salicylic acid and flavonoids, which are part of strawberries, have anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties that can be useful for a pregnant woman, for example, with a cold.
- The red color of strawberries is due to the substance pelargonidin, which belongs to anthocyanins. Anthocyanins, among other things, help to strengthen the retina and normalize intraocular pressure - this can serve well during childbirth, during which the eyes undergo a considerable load. Anthocyanins also have a hemostatic effect.
Harm of strawberries during pregnancy
It would seem that this berry, or, more correctly, a multi-nut, can do harm, because it has so many useful properties?
- Strawberries are a powerful allergen. Even those women who, before pregnancy, could eat strawberries in large quantities without consequences, may experience an allergic reaction to the berry during gestation. In fact, it is not the berry itself that causes allergies, but the pollen that accumulates in the pores located on the surface of the strawberry. You can reduce the amount of pollen by dousing strawberries with boiling water. In this case, the pollen is destroyed and the strawberries become less allergic, but even in this case, you should not abuse this product.
- A large amount of organic acids in strawberries irritate the walls of the stomach, which can provoke an exacerbation of gastritis, which already torments many pregnant women in the later stages. Due to such an irritating effect, strawberries are not recommended to be eaten on an empty stomach; it is better to use them as a dessert after the main meal.
- Due to the fact that strawberries grow close to the ground, there may be helminth eggs on the surface of the berries, so wash the product thoroughly before use!
Eating strawberries in early pregnancy
In the early stages of pregnancy, eating strawberries is most safe. It's no secret that strawberries are a storehouse of valuable vitamins. First of all, she is the champion in the content of ascorbic acid: only 140 grams of strawberries contain 140% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, which is necessary for a pregnant woman to maintain immunity. Vitamins A and E, present in strawberries, play an important role in early pregnancy, participating in the formation of the placenta, promoting the growth and normal development of the embryo, and protecting the expectant mother from miscarriage.
The high allergenicity of strawberries poses the greatest danger after 22 weeks of gestation, since it is from this period that the fetus is most susceptible to allergens.
But even in the 1st trimester, eating strawberries should be done very carefully. If rashes appear on the skin after eating treats, strawberries should be excluded from the diet for the entire period of pregnancy and lactation.
Eating strawberries in late pregnancy
It cannot be said that strawberries are absolutely harmful in late pregnancy. In the 3rd trimester, strawberries can even be useful due to the content of vitamins. Thus, vitamin E preserves the placenta from premature aging and prevents its detachment, and also promotes the formation of the hormone prolactin responsible for lactation. Vitamins A and E are powerful antioxidants that effectively fight free radicals. Ascorbic acid protects the body of a pregnant woman from infections, maintains the tone and elasticity of the vascular wall.
Despite its beneficial properties, strawberries are not recommended for consumption after 22 weeks of gestation due to the high risk of allergies in the mother and the development of diathesis in the future in the baby.
Strawberries when planning pregnancy
Homemade and frozen strawberries during pregnancy
Homemade strawberries are ideal for a woman expecting a baby, because they are completely natural. However, you should not eat strawberries directly from the garden - due to the proximity to the ground, helminth eggs may be on the berries, so even strawberries from their own plot need to be thoroughly washed.
Frozen strawberries retain everything and minerals, so they are just as healthy, but just as allergic, as fresh ones.
Useful video
The end of spring and the beginning of summer are associated by many with a beautiful and tasty strawberry. Its fragrant and juicy fruits are a real symbol of your favorite season. But are strawberries good for pregnancy?
Pregnant women are quite capricious in their choice of food, and sometimes they want some fruits or vegetables that are not yet in season.
Do not rush and buy them in supermarkets, because the quality and freshness of foreign delicacies are in doubt. Shining with gloss, but rather tasteless fruits look especially unnatural.
during pregnancy
For the health and safety of your own and your child, it is better to eat natural products, which in the summer months include fragrant
She won love for herself not only with her taste, but also with a large number of various vitamins and elements that make up her composition.
Is it possible to strawberries during pregnancy? This question arises in almost all women who are preparing to become mothers, because those who do not like these fruits are very, very few.
Gynecologists confidently answer that it is possible, but in moderation. have a positive effect on maintaining the immunity of the expectant mother and her developing baby. What exactly is strawberries good for during pregnancy?
Valuable properties of the berry
The berry is distinguished by numerous valuable properties, among which the most important are:
- High iron content, which reduces the risk of anemia (anemia), reduces the feeling of fatigue and protects against dizziness. There is even more iron in strawberries than in the well-known storehouse of this element - apples.
- A large amount of a powerful antioxidant and "vitamin of good mood" - vitamin C. After blackcurrant, strawberries take the second place in terms of its content. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system, promotes the absorption of iron by the body, and also has an antimutagenic effect.
- The presence of calcium and phosphorus are important elements, without which the normal development of the skeletal system of the unborn child and its maintenance in a pregnant woman is impossible.
- The content of various B vitamins that are responsible for certain functions of the body. So, B1 - thiamine, has a positive effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems, increases the absorption of carbohydrates, activates peripheral circulation, and prevents toxicosis; B2 - riboflavin, is responsible for the normal functioning of the heart muscle and organs of vision, B6 and B9 support metabolic processes.
- Provitamin A (beta-carotene) is involved in the formation of rhodopsin - a visual element in the retina of the child's eyes, and also promotes the growth of bone tissue.
- Strong antioxidants anthocyanins help prevent the formation of blood clots in the vessels and the development of varicose veins.
- and fiber, contained in large quantities in strawberries, normalize intestinal motility and prevent constipation.
Considering all the positive characteristics of the summer berry, we come to the conclusion that strawberries during pregnancy (no more than 150 grams per day) will be useful for the expectant mother. It is worth remembering that it is better to eat it in the morning, because the berry has a diuretic effect, thanks to which the pregnant woman will be able to avoid swelling. And what is important: you can not eat strawberries on an empty stomach.
Its components in the human body form esters and salts, the so-called oxalates. If there are too many of them, crystals form in the body fluids, forming stones and clogging the ducts of the urinary system and kidneys.
To avoid this, strawberries should be consumed as a dessert after the main meal. At the same time, it is imperative to combine it with any fermented milk product that you like (it can be yogurt, kefir, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream).
allergy to strawberries
A contraindication to the use of strawberries can be an allergic reaction not only to this berry (which is a hyperallergen), but also to any other product.
Even if you are confident in your body and have never noticed food allergies before, changes occur during pregnancy that in one way or another change the usual course of life and diet. In this regard, pregnant women often have to give up their favorite treats so as not to harm the unborn child. In order to avoid complications and diathesis in a baby, it is sometimes better for a woman in position to give up strawberries, replacing it with something safer.
It was previously noted that some of the components of the berry normalize intestinal motility. However, the berry also contains potassium, an excess of which enhances this function of the body, which can lead to contraction of the muscles of the uterus and bronchi. For a woman in position, this is very dangerous, so it is better to refrain from eating berries. If you really want to eat, then first you need to consult with an observing doctor who will tell you how much strawberries are safe for mom and baby.
Late pregnancy
Strawberries during late pregnancy are quite dangerous for both a woman who is preparing to become a mother and her child. Starting from the 22nd week of pregnancy, the baby becomes especially susceptible to everything that the mother eats.
His condition directly depends on how the woman feels. Therefore, such an allergenic berry as strawberries can be present in the diet only after agreement with the doctor and in small quantities.
Strawberries: to eat or not to eat?
So what to do if you really want a tasty berry, but there are doubts about the safe effect of its components on the condition of mother and baby? First of all, consult with your doctor: he knows the characteristics of your body and will determine by its reactions whether it is worth succumbing to temptation. In general, let's say that strawberries during pregnancy in moderate portions will cheer you up and vitality, and its beneficial qualities will affect not only your well-being, but also the condition of your child.