Eating right during pregnancy is something that is extremely important both for the health of the mother and for the health of the baby.
When the mother doesn’t get enough of the essential nutrients, both the health of mother and baby are compromised.
So while you may think that you are eating well, you might be missing essential vitamins that your body, and baby, might need.
Let’s take a look at one powerhouse food that people love to have, pomegranate, and how eating this during pregnancy could benefit you and the baby.
Eat the Real Thing
Let’s start with that basic fact. Eating pomegranate as fruit is more beneficial than taking its extract.
When you subject your body and your baby to something that may or may not have been reviewed by the FDA, you don’t actually know what is in there. You don’t know if the ingredients are pure and the amount that you are actually receiving.
So instead of taking the chance on something that you may not know what else is added to it.
What it Contains
Pomegranates contain a lot of essential vitamins and nutrients, which can be beneficial in maintaining a healthy and well-nourished body when it is requiring so much of you.
Let’s see what it has to offer.
Fiber: A half cup of pomegranate, which is a relatively small amount, contains 5g of fiber and essential nutrient to helping to prevent you from being backed up.
According to Livestrong[1], pregnant women should be consuming about 25-30g of fiber per day, and this can be part of the daily intake. Plus it tastes really good as well.
Iron and Vitamin C: Many pregnant women experience iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy. This can lead to low birth weight or even prematurity.[2]
This is obviously something that women want to prevent, so stocking up on this fruit can help maintain your iron levels.
Vitamin C helps to absorb the iron so the two work in conjunction with each other.
Calcium and Folate: Calcium is extremely important during pregnancy. As stated earlier, if the mother doesn’t eat enough calcium it can essentially damage her teeth because the baby will take what they need.
Pomegranate contains 9 mg of the 1,000 that you should be getting per day and 33 of the 800mg of the folate you need per day.[3]
Antioxidants: Pomegranate also contains antioxidants, which help to prevent damage to the placenta during pregnancy.
This means that it helps to repair damage to the cells by free radicals and it also can potentially prevent the risk of injury to the brain.
Amazing Benefits of Pomegranate
There are some amazing things that pomegranates can offer to a pregnant woman.
They are packed with vitamins and nutrients that are needed for a healthy life and pregnancy, but it also has additional benefits; one of them is keeping the skin beautiful and glowing.
It naturally helps repel the effects of acne and rashes.[4] Additionally, they can help to prevent high blood pressure, which can be a dangerous consequence during pregnancy and result in an emergency delivery.
One final consideration is the prevention of “mom brain” which is when moms and pregnant women are continuously forgetting things. This fruit can help to boost brain cells and help with memory as well.[5]
Be Aware
Of course, as with everything, there are certain things you want to consider while ingesting pomegranate during pregnancy.
As stated earlier, the extract might not be the best form because you don’t know what’s in it.
One of the ingredients that can be in the extract is the rind of the pomegranate[6], which has been reported to bring on contractions.
Obviously, this isn’t something that you want to take a chance on so using the extract might not be safe for that reason.
Also, ensure that you check if there are any interactions between pomegranate and daily medications that you may be taking.
As with anything when pregnant you just want to ensure that you are eating well and getting all the proper nutrients. It’s something that can’t be stressed enough.
So many women have their children and realize that they have additional problems because they were lacking somewhere in the nutrient department. Children take everything from their mothers, including their health if necessary.
But as for pomegranates, eat away, they are great for you.
References
- LiveStrong (Mortensen, K; 2017, Aug 14). Pomegranate Fruit During Pregnancy. [Link]
- See above #1
- SF Gate. Pomegranate for Pregnant Women. [Link]
- Style of Life. (Hayait). Tip 15 Reasons to Consume Pomegranate During Pregnancy. [Link]
- See above #5
- See above #4
