Can You Eat Gooseberry During Pregnancy?
As your pregnancy progresses, your food cravings become crazier and more insistent than before. Whlie most foods you crave for are harmless and don’t need a consultation before consumption; you need to be careful. So, if you love the tangy flavor of gooseberry and remain confused about eating the fruit during pregnancy, consider reading our post below. Here, we look at how eating gooseberry affects your pregnancy.
What Is A Gooseberry?
Indian Gooseberry or Amla is one of the most powerful rejuvenating agents, popularly known for its medicinal properties. The fruit grows in deciduous forests in and around the Indian subcontinent (1).
Is It Safe To Consume Gooseberry During Pregnancy?
Indian gooseberry is a key ingredient in numerous Ayurvedic medicines. However, the excess intake of gooseberry during pregnancy can lead to adverse effects and gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and stomach disorder.
Benefits Of Gooseberry During Pregnancy:
Here are some of the positive facets of consuming gooseberry during pregnancy:
1. Relief From Constipation:
During the sensitive pregnancy period, most women experience gastrointestinal disorders like constipation and hemorrhoids. A single serving of fresh gooseberry juice supplies almost 6.5g of soluble fiber to your body. The excellent fiber content of gooseberry helps regulate your bowel movement and overcome these common problems.
2. Lowers Blood Pressure:
Gooseberry contains a high percentage of Vitamin C that helps dilate the blood vessels. As a result, your blood pressure level remains within the normal level.
3. Maintains Proper Lipid Profile:
Researchers conclude that a regular intake of gooseberry during pregnancy maintains your lipid profile to the normal level.
4. Prevents Gestational Diabetes:
The anti-diabetic property of gooseberry prevents gestational diabetes, which is a common occurrence during pregnancy.
5. Resist Heartburn:
The intake of fresh gooseberry juice helps your body resist against heartburn and acidity during pregnancy.
6. Treats Morning Sickness:
One of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy is morning sickness and fatigue. The rejuvenating and energy boosting property of gooseberry helps you overcome such extreme fatigue and weakness during pregnancy.
7. Boosts Immune System:
The Vitamin C content of gooseberry possesses antioxidant properties and help in boosting the immunity system of the would-be mothers.
8. Treats Anemia:
The high iron content of gooseberry helps you overcome iron deficiency or anemia.
9. Purifies Blood:
Gooseberry helps purify and detoxify your blood. It supports the constant supply of blood and oxygen to your growing fetus.
10. Promotes Digestive Functioning:
Gooseberry enhances the food absorption capacity of the body and promotes proper functioning of the digestive system. Regular consumption of amlas keeps you safe from digestive disorders during pregnancy.
11. Resist Urinary Tract Infections:
Due to the anti-bacterial and astringent qualities of gooseberry helps alleviate urinary tract infections during pregnancy.
12. Controls Cholesterol Level:
Gooseberry helps in reducing the blood sugar level as well as your rising cholesterol levels during pregnancy.
13. Boosts Reproductive Health:
Indian gooseberry is highly beneficial for boosting reproductive system health (2).
Side-Effects Of Gooseberry During Pregnancy:
While consuming gooseberries is good for pregnant women, it can lead to some side effects, which include:
1. Diarrhea:
It is always recommended to consume a limited amount of gooseberry, as an excess can trigger diarrhea during pregnancy (3).
Different Ways To Eat Gooseberry During Pregnancy:
Here are some of the common ways to consume gooseberry:
1. Eating Raw:
Peel off the outer husk of the gooseberry. Rinse the peeled gooseberry with cold flowing water and dry them off using clean paper towels. Cut off the tail ends and the stem using a knife or kitchen scissors.
2. Gooseberry juice:
To make the gooseberry juice, mix 8 cups of the fresh fruits along with 1 cup of cool water into a large saucepan. Let the water boil over medium flame and cook the content for ten minutes. Pour the content into white cheesecloth and filter the juice into a bowl.
Did you consume gooseberry during pregnancy? Did your doctor advise you to consume gooseberry? Tell us below!
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