Can pregnant women eat eggplant? know the pluses and minuses first

During pregnancy, you must be wondering, which fruits or vegetables are safe to eat and which are not, one of them is eggplant. There are some people who say that pregnant women should not eat eggplant. In fact, it is actually okay for pregnant women to eat eggplant. In fact, as reported by Live Strong, a nutritionist and author of a book entitled The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy, recommend eating eggplant while pregnant.

To be clearer, let's see what are the benefits of eggplant for pregnant women as well as the side effects if too much is consumed in the article below.

Goodness obtained if pregnant women eat eggplant

Eggplant has many nutrients and provides many benefits for the health of pregnant women and fetuses. This could be a consideration for pregnant women to include eggplant in their diet. Here are the various benefits of eating eggplant during pregnancy, such as:

1. Keeping babies from birth defects

If pregnant women eat eggplant, it will reduce the risk of birth defects. Yes, because eggplant is one of the food sources of folic acid needed by pregnant women.

Apart from folic acid, eggplant is also rich in vitamin C, niacin, vitamin B complex, vitamin A, vitamin E, potassium, copper, manganese and iron which maintain electrolyte balance in the mother's body from dehydration.

Overall, all the vitamins and minerals contained in eggplant support the development of red blood cells as well as the development of the baby to be more perfect and functioning properly. Thus, the baby will avoid the risk of neural tube defects, such as born with spina bifida.

2. Reducing the risk of the mother developing gestational diabetes

There is a blood sugar level disorder that specifically occurs only in pregnant women, namely gestational diabetes. For this reason, pregnant women really need to control blood sugar levels in their bodies to prevent diabetes. Adding eggplant fruit in the daily menu can help the body regulate uncontrolled spikes in blood sugar.

Therefore, eating eggplant can be a preventive measure as well as a treatment for gestational diabetes.

3. Overcoming constipation and other digestive disorders

The nutritional content contained in eggplant helps the digestive system in processing food. One eggplant fruit provides about 4.9 grams of dietary fiber. This fiber can make bowel movements smoother and better, thus preventing constipation during pregnancy.

4. Increase endurance

Not only the fruit contains nasunin, eggplant skin also contains anthochyanins. Both of these substances are antioxidants that help the body to ward off free radicals and prevent the risk of cell or DNA damage during pregnancy. In addition, nasunin also prevents babies from experiencing cognitive impairment at birth.

During pregnancy, the mother must increase her immune system. Eating eggplant will boost the immune system so that the mother and fetus are protected from various diseases or infections.

5. Reducing bad cholesterol levels

Cholesterol found in food, some are bad and good. Well, eggplant has a high content of good cholesterol (HDL) so that it can reduce levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body.

So if pregnant women eat eggplant it can prevent various risks of heart and blood vessel disease, such as stroke or heart attack.

6. Lowering high blood pressure

In addition to gestational diabetes, pregnant women are also prone to developing hypertension. If you have this condition, then eggplant can help to control blood pressure to remain normal.

The bioflavoniod content in eggplant can reduce high blood pressure, improve heart health, and prevent the risk of other health complications during pregnancy.

Despite the many benefits, eating too much eggplant during pregnancy is also not good

Whatever food it is, if it is consumed too much it will definitely give side effects to the body. Although delicious, eating too much eggplant is not the right thing. Here are some of the risks that may occur if pregnant women eat too much eggplant, such as:

1. Miscarriage or premature birth

Eggplant contains high amounts of phytohormones which have the property of triggering menstruation and treating menstrual problems in women, such as amenorrhoea and PMS. However, if eggplant is eaten every day while pregnant, there will be a different reaction.

Phytohormones will trigger labor and cause miscarriage. In addition, eating too much eggplant can stimulate uterine contractions and cause the fetus to be born prematurely

2. Digestive problems

When consumed wisely, eggplant can be an antidote for constipation. However, if it is consumed in excess and undercooked, it will cause the opposite. Eggplant can increase the acidity level in the body so that pregnant women will experience indigestion, allergies, or other problems that interfere with pregnancy.