Not only during pregnancy, but kiwi has health benefits that are good for the human body. Although, you should definitely make this fruit a part of your daily diet during pregnancy, along with some exercise. Kiwi is wholesome with a lot of vitamins and minerals. It is important to take a healthy diet during this crucial phase of your life. Your baby's develoent depends on what you eat and how you function. If you don't eat properly, you and the newborn both will get nutrient deficient. Every parent wants to take care of their child by making all the efforts they can. Eating kiwi is beneficial for you and your baby in all the trimesters. Onlymyhealth spoke to Dietitian Swati Bathwal on how kiwi and pregnancy are connected and beneficial for you. Therefore, in this article, you will get to know some details about the nutrients of kiwi and it's benefits during pregnancy verified by the expert.
Kiwi benefits for pregnant women
You might be thinking, why you should eat kiwi when you're pregnant? Grown in New Zealand, kiwi has many health benefits and is also good in taste. It contains elements like vitamin C, A, E, K, folate, potassium, iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and choline that are good for your body, especially during pregnancy. Here are some benefits of kiwi during pregnancy:
1. Helps your blood clots
Eat a whole kiwi or include it in your salad, and you will see good results. Vitamin K is a healing nutrient which helps with blood clots too. Kiwi is very rich source of this vitamin and you should consume it a lot in the last trimester. It will help in gaining vitamins for your body to benefit during and post delivery.
Also Read: Know the Possible Risks of Late Pregnancy From Gynaecologist
2. Iron absorption
During and after pregnancy, absorption of iron is significant to prevent anemia. The iron levels in your body should be appropriate for the baby too. Therefore, Vitamin C, that is present in kiwis abundantly is your friend to absorb iron. It is good both for mom and the baby. An upper limit for vitamin C is 1700mg in total in the day. Talking to OMH, Dr. Swati said that 2 kiwi fruits meet the requirements for vitamin C in the day by providing 70mg vitamin C each. Women who are allergic or sensitive to kiwi fruits, can swap for Indian fruits like oranges, Amla, mausambi and lemon for vitamin C.
3. Prevents neural tube defects
You can add kiwi to your diet for preventing neural tub defects in your baby. A kiwi has a good amount of folate or folic acid present in it. You should consume kiwis right after you get to know that you've conceived.
4. Improves bowel movement
There are many hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy. They can cake your digestion power very weak. Kiwi is a fruit which can save you from the problems of constipation and diarrhea. It has high amount of fiber which improves your bowel movement and helps your digestive system.
5. Maintains blood sugar
You will enjoy eating kiwi as it will fulfill your sugar cravings, without high sugar content. Compared to other fruits, kiwi contains less amount of glucose. Being so tasty along with low sugar content can save you from the risk of gestational diabetes. It is a huge risk during pregnancy, but kiwi help your body in maintaining the blood sugar levels.
6. Helps in baby's bone and muscle development
Calcium is also a very essential nutrient for you and your baby and kiwi is a good source. The development of your baby's teeth, bones, muscles and even heart partly depends upon the intake of calcium rich food items. In fact, if you're lactose intolerant and can't consume dairy, kiwi is the best alternative you could ever have.
TIP FROM DIETITIAN SWATI BATHWAL: According to dietician Swati Bathwal, making a kiwi punch using kiwi fruit juices and some mint leaves and ginger is very healthy. It will help in reducing nausea too. One can also make a kiwi sorbet, add it to smoothies or in a fruit salad.
Also Read: Weight Management Tips: How To Make Kiwi Smoothie For Weight Loss?
These were some very major health benefits of kiwi in pregnancy. There are many more specific fruits and vegetables that you need to consume more and more if you are pregnant. In fact, kiwi can even be consumed to help you in your weight loss journey. However, don't confirm if you're allergic to the fruit or not.
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