Pregnancy is a crucial stage in a woman’s life as it involves the health of the baby too. Pregnancy is a phase in which you become picky about everything you eat. If you are looking for healthy eating options and stumbled upon tofu, you may not be sure about including it in your pregnancy diet. You may be looking for answers about its safety during pregnancy and this is where we can help you.
Tofu, the soy-bean curd is becoming very popular these days and is a widely used food ingredient in Southeast Asian cuisines. It is known to be a rich source of protein. It comes with a lot of benefits, especially for vegetarians. But is it safe to eat tofu during pregnancy? Will it harm your baby in any way? If these questions are bothering you, then read this article to get some answers.
In This Article
- Is it Safe to Eat Tofu During Pregnancy?
- Amazing Benefits of Eating Tofu During Pregnancy
- Risks Associated With Eating Tofu During Pregnancy
- FAQs
Is it Safe to Eat Tofu During Pregnancy?
It is not uncommon for pregnant women to question any food they put on their plate. In fact, it is very important that they do so, because there are many food items that cause problems during pregnancy, problems ranging from minor indigestion to major risks such as miscarriage.
Now coming back to Tofu. It is safe to eat tofu during pregnancy. However, like all food items, make sure you eat it only in moderation, perhaps one or two serving (one serving is half cup tofu) daily. This is because while Tofu comes with many benefits, it does have few side effects too. Let us consider both.
Amazing Benefits of Eating Tofu During Pregnancy
Tofu comes with amazing benefits. Here are some of the amazing benefits of eating tofu during pregnancy:
1. Very Good Source of Proteins
Tofu is considered a very good source of protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids. Around 100 gm of Tofu contains 8 g of protein, which is 16% of the daily requirement. We all know how important protein is for the growth and development of your baby in the womb. So tofu is a good source for this.
[Read: How To Get Proteins In Pregnancy In A Vegetarian Diet?]
2. Alternate Source For Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial in more ways than one. It helps in the brain development of the fetus. It also helps prevent blood clots and reduce the impact of bad cholesterol. Now, fishes are a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids. However, if you are allergic to fish, or do not like its taste, then tofu is a great substitute.
3. Calcium-Rich
100 gm of tofu will take care of 35% of your daily calcium requirement. That’s nearly half! And calcium is very important for the bone development of your fetus. It also strengthens your bone, as your body goes through a number of pregnancy-related changes.
4. Strong in Other Essential Metals and Minerals
Tofu is also rich in manganese, copper, iron, and selenium. Each of these nutrients plays a specific role in pregnancy.
- Manganese helps in relaxing muscles. During pregnancy, it helps in preventing the uterus from contracting prematurely, thereby avoiding the risk of preterm labor.
- Copper is important to form red blood cells. This means that you need copper during your pregnancy to develop your baby’s heart and blood vessels. It also helps in the skeletal and nervous systems.
- Iron helps make extra blood for you and your baby. It also helps in circulating oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, and also to your child’s body.
- Selenium is an important nutrient for thyroid function.
Another important point in favor of tofu is that it has a great texture, and does not have any strong taste. This is good news for pregnant women who are having problems with strong smell and taste.
[Read: Know Everything About Your Baby’s Skull, Skeleton, and Bones Development]
Risks Associated With Eating Tofu During Pregnancy
As always, there are factors that you need to be careful about consuming tofu during pregnancy:
- Avoid eating tofu if you have problems related to the thyroid. This is because tofu contains a substance called Isoflavones which can mimic the action of estrogen in your body. This can interfere with thyroid function if consumed in excess quantities. As the fetus depends completely on the mother’s thyroid hormone in the first trimester, overconsumption of tofu can hence result in serious problems during pregnancy.
- Some studies link the overconsumption of tofu to breast cancer.
- There is also some research that connects tofu and other soy products’ consumption during pregnancy to early puberty and infertility in the girl child and urological birth problems in boys. However, this has been seen as true only in animal studies and there is no research linking the same effect to humans.
In any case, all the above problems are associated only with the overconsumption of tofu during pregnancy.
Looking at the ample benefits, it is a good idea to add tofu to your pregnancy diet. Some of the ways of including tofu are: adding it to your stir fries, soups, salads, stuffed paranthas, etc. Since it is low in fat, it can be a good substitute for paneer, cream cheese, and eggs.
So, in conclusion, our verdict is clear. It is alright to consume tofu, but make sure you do not eat it in excess. Your pregnancy diet should be well-balanced with a variety of food items and not just one.
Read Also: Craving For Cheese During Pregnancy – Is It Safe?
FAQs
1. How Much Tofu Is Safe To Have During Pregnancy?
Having one to two servings of soy every day is fine when you are pregnant. half a cup of tofu is one serving.
2. Can Pregnant Women Eat Cold Tofu?
Shops store tofu in the refrigerator since it is perishable. It is a “high risk” vegan dinner and a possible danger since it spoils at room temperature. As a result, stay away from cold tofu when pregnant. Tofu is less dangerous to consume while pregnant after being cooked. Eat only cooked and hot tofu from restaurants since cold tofu may get contaminated with microorganisms.
3. Is Tofu Safe In Early Pregnancy?
During the first three months of pregnancy, tofu consumption poses no special risks. The moderate use of soy products during the first trimester of pregnancy is generally seen as safe.
