You are pregnant; many congratulations! You are elated, and so is your family! As you progress with your pregnancy, there will be a gamut of emotions that you will experience. You will crave chocolates, cakes, sweets, sometimes fried unhealthy stuff, and sometimes things as absurd and weird as chalk and mud. But you must also opt for healthy foods such as wheatgrass during pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a time for uncontrollable food cravings. Since many things you crave may only be fattening or unhealthy, your well-wishers (plenty of them, suddenly) will advise you to eat healthily and eat right. While wheatgrass is a healthy and nutritious food, should it be on your things-to-consume-during-pregnancy list? Read on to know some amazing health benefits that wheatgrass can offer expecting mothers.
In This Article
- What is Wheatgrass?
- Nutritional Value Of Wheatgrass
- Is it Safe to Eat Wheatgrass During Pregnancy?
- 8 Wonderful Health Benefits of Wheatgrass During Pregnancy
- Wheatgrass Juice During Pregnancy
- Side Effects of Wheatgrass During Pregnancy
- Tips to Keep in Mind While Consuming Wheatgrass During pregnancy
- FAQ’s
What is Wheatgrass?
When you are pregnant, a lot of suggestions and food recommendations will come your way. One of them, wheatgrass – belonging to the wheat family, is rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids.
Wheatgrass is extremely popular today for multiple reasons. It is very healthy for your digestive system, aids in killing harmful bacteria and flushes out toxins from your body. Wheatgrass is available across many health stores in the form of powder, capsules, tablets, or juices.
Nutritional Value of Wheatgrass
Aside from its high chlorophyll content, wheatgrass has many vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Despite wheatgrass’ high carbohydrate content, it has no sugar and is rich in fiber.
According to the data provided by the USDA,
- Wheatgrass contains a high amount of vitamins A, K, C, and E.
- It contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron.
- It is also an excellent source of protein and antioxidants
Is it Safe to Eat Wheatgrass During Pregnancy?
Yes, it is safe to consume wheatgrass during pregnancy, but it has to be consumed in moderation! Excessive consumption of wheatgrass can induce headaches, swelling of the throat, and nausea in pregnant women.
Also, you should be careful when consuming wheatgrass. This herb grows in the soil and is consumed in raw form. As a result, there are higher chances of catching infections due to contaminated bacteria or fungus present in the grass.
Also, if you suffer from a gluten allergy, grass allergy, or celiac disease, you should stay away from consuming wheatgrass. Always talk to your doctor before including wheatgrass in your pregnancy diet.
8 Wonderful Health Benefits of Wheatgrass During Pregnancy
The antioxidant content of the plant may provide protection against oxidative stress and cell damage. Following are 8 incredible health benefits of including wheatgrass in your pregnancy diet:
1. Aids Hemoglobin Production
Pregnant women are often prescribed iron supplements to beat anemia and lower levels of hemoglobin. Wheatgrass has medicinal properties that help increase the rate of hemoglobin production in the body. Drinking a small cup of wheatgrass juice during pregnancy can help an expecting mother to overcome such disorders.
2. Helps Beat Acidity
Acidity and heartburn are very common during pregnancy. Some women are relieved of these conditions after the first trimester. However, many women continue to experience and live through them throughout their pregnancy.
An increased level of progesterone during pregnancy relaxes the smooth muscles, including those that help keep food acid in the stomach. Wheatgrass being alkaline in nature neutralizes the acid reflux and provides expectant mothers with much-needed relief from acidity and heartburn.
3. Regulates Bowel Movements
Increased levels of progesterone can lead to slower muscle contractions. This along with intake of iron and prenatal vitamins have a combined effect on your digestive system during pregnancy.
This is the reason you feel constipated and bloated during your pregnancy. Wheatgrass can be a big savior here. It is a rich source of dietary fiber and cellulose, which help in digestion, cleansing the colon, and regulating your bowel movements.
4. Improves Blood Circulation
As wheatgrass increases the rate of hemoglobin production, the oxygen uptake in the blood is also improved. This has a direct positive effect on your blood circulation. When wheatgrass is applied on the skin, it helps dilate the blood vessels which leads to clearer skin.
5. Brings the Much Sought-After Pregnancy Glow on Your Skin
As a corollary to the above, wheatgrass brings the much sought-after pregnancy glow. Some women experience dull, dry, and patchy skin during their pregnancy, because of the hormonal changes in the body.
Wheatgrass is a very rich source of anti-oxidants. The damage brought on by free radicals is nullified by wheatgrass juice as it removes the damaged skin cells, clears the skin, improves complexion, and rejuvenates it.
6. Reduces the Risk of Hypertension
Some women develop gestational hypertension or pregnancy-induced hypertension roughly after 20 weeks of gestation. This condition could have a debilitating effect on the growing fetus.
Wheatgrass improves blood circulation and helps reduce the risk of hypertension in pregnant women. Wheatgrass also lowers cholesterol by blocking its absorption.
7. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Wheatgrass is also high in its chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll is known to help regulate blood sugar levels, avoid tooth decay and help keep hair healthy and strong. A small cup of wheatgrass juice every morning can help pregnant women cut the risk of gestational diabetes.
8. Boosts Your Immune System
Pregnancy-related side effects make you vulnerable to several ailments and diseases. Also, weight gain and an imbalanced gait could lead to falls and fractures.
Wheatgrass is known to boost the healing process, especially healing cuts and wounds. Its antimicrobial properties destroy harmful antigens in your stomach.
Wheatgrass Juice During Pregnancy
Wheatgrass juice could also serve as an excellent health drink due to the presence of blood purification components. Although excessive consumption of wheatgrass juice during pregnancy has been linked to some concerns, regular consumers may still be able to avoid any adverse effects if small amounts are consumed.
If you have not tried wheatgrass juice before, you should avoid it during pregnancy. Juice made from raw wheatgrass can contain bacteria and cause stomach problems. So, avoiding raw juice is a must. Taking advice from a gynecologist or dietitian can be helpful in deciding whether taking wheatgrass juice when pregnant is right for you.
Side Effects of Wheatgrass During Pregnancy
Too much or too little of anything could always lead to health problems. It is important to regulate the quantity of wheatgrass, in any form, consumed during pregnancy. While wheatgrass could deliver the above benefits to expecting mothers, it could also swing the other way around, and cause complications or sudden miscarriages, if not consumed in a limited quantity.
Here are some of the adverse effects of wheatgrass, especially during pregnancy:
1. Infection
Since wheatgrass is harvested from the young wheat plant, powered and consumed in the form of a juice, it could lead to bacterial infections that could prove fatal to the mother and growing fetus.
2. Nutritional Imbalance
Given wheatgrass’s purgative properties, while on hand it offers relief from acid reflux, on the other it could lead to excessive diarrhea and vomiting. This could result in a loss of vital nutrients from the body.
3. Risk of Miscarriage
The detoxifying effect of wheatgrass could take a potential wrong turn in the form of a miscarriage or damage to/complications in the growing fetus.
Tips to Keep in Mind While consuming Wheatgrass During pregnancy
If you plan to consume wheatgrass during your pregnancy, here are a few guidelines to help you.
- Wheatgrass should never be consumed raw when you are pregnant. It may contain harmful bacteria that can cause potential complications.
- During pregnancy, wheatgrass’ cleansing effects can sometimes lead to pregnancy complications or miscarriages.
- Take wheatgrass juice or supplements only after consulting your gynecologist.
As a note of caution, it is highly recommended that a pregnant woman visits her doctor and seek a medical opinion before including wheatgrass in her pregnancy diet.
The nature or form of wheatgrass, its source, the quantity of intake, and the frequency of intake should all be discussed in detail with the doctor before proceeding to consume it during pregnancy. After all, a healthy baby and a healthy mother are all the family wishes for.
Happy pregnancy to you!
FAQ’s
1. Can I Consume Wheatgrass to Detox During Pregnancy?
Check with your doctor first. Wheatgrass can relieve many digestive issues. However, overconsumption can lead to complications.
2. Can Wheatgrass Help During Pregnancy?
Yes, it can, it is rich in folic acid. This is important for the neurological development of the fetus.
3. Can Consuming Wheatgrass Cause Any Complications During Pregnancy?
Wheatgrass is from the soil. It can contain microbes and bacteria. If it is cleaned well it can lead to complications.
4. Can Wheatgrass Improve Anemia During Pregnancy?
Yes, it can. It is rich in iron. This can help increase your hemoglobin.
Read Also: Drinking Sugarcane Juice During Pregnancy – Benefits, And Precautions
