Just conceived and considering a total revamping of your diet and lifestyle in order to ensure you welcome a healthy baby into your arms? And for this, you need to ensure you have a wholesome diet rich in all the minerals and proteins that are required for a healthy pregnancy and normal delivery. Fresh vegetables are a must-include in your pregnancy diet due to their high nutrient content. Having said that, you may worry that all vegetables are safe during pregnancy. In this article, we discuss all bitter gourds during pregnancy.
Bitter gourd is found to have immense health benefits during this sensitive period of your life and would be ideal for incorporating into your pregnancy diet. So, is bitter gourd safe during pregnancy? What benefits does this vegetable have? Scroll down to know more.
In This Article
- What is Bitter Gourd?
- Bitter Gourd During Pregnancy is it Safe to Eat?
- Bitter Gourd For Pregnant Women is it Harmful to Eat?
- 12 Amazing Health Benefits of Bitter Gourd During Pregnancy
- Risks of Eating Bitter Gourd During Pregnancy
- Ways to Eat Bitter Gourd For Pregnant Women?
- FAQ’s
What is Bitter Gourd?
Bitter gourd is also called bitter melon or balsam pear and is extensively available in different parts of the world. This vegetable, as the name suggests, has an extremely bitter taste, but is loaded with minerals and vitamins that are excellent for your health. This beautiful veggie has amazing medicinal properties that are ideal for many health issues that are common in men and women all over the globe.
It is often advised to people suffering from many ailments and is widely used as a natural drug, especially in South-East Asia. India, too, boasts of its use as a medicine for various diseases.
Bitter Gourd During Pregnancy is it Safe to Eat?
Bitter gourd is rich in nutrients that are good for the health of your baby. But, there are some schools of thought which believe that bitter gourd may be harmful to pregnant women. The jury is still out on this one, so it is your choice to add bitter gourds to your diet plan or else avoid them entirely in this phase.
Bitter Gourd For Pregnant Women is it Harmful to Eat?
As you are aware now of the benefits bitter gourd contains, you should also know about the risk factors it carries. Eating too much bitter gourd during pregnancy can cause stomach issues. If you are consuming this vegetable for the first time too, it can cause abdominal cramps and gas inside your stomach.
In some people, bitter gourd has the potential to cause toxicity due to the alkaline components in it, which can cause symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, redness of the face, and weakness of muscles in pregnant women.
Karela can lower our blood sugar level due to its anti-diabetic property. Consuming karela juice can lower blood sugar levels significantly. Before eating this vegetable during pregnancy, you should seek advice from your gynecologist regarding the impact it might have on your blood sugar levels.
12 Amazing Health Benefits of Bitter Gourd During Pregnancy
1. Loaded with Folate
Folate is one element that is vital during pregnancy to ensure your fetus stays protected from neural tube anomalies. Bitter gourd has excellent levels of folate that meet almost quarter percent of the requirement of this mineral for a pregnant woman.
2. Helps to Keep Digestive Tract Disorders in Check
Hemorrhoids and constipation are two of the most common woes that the majority of pregnant women grapple with during this phase. Bitter gourd contains lots of fiber that helps combat both these issues.
3. Averts Diabetes
Bitter gourd has been proven to have excellent anti-diabetic characteristics that make it ideal for women who are prone to gestational diabetes. It is rich in polypeptide-P and Charantin that work to combat gestational diabetes in women.
4. Rich in Dietary Fiber
Loaded with dietary fiber, bitter gourd provides you with a full feeling after eating. This makes it easier to reduce the food cravings that you experience while you are pregnant.
5. Excellent Antioxidants
Bitter gourd is a rich source of Vitamin C which is an antioxidant and is ideal for combating dangerous bacteria.
6. Boosts the Immunity System
Bitter gourd is also helpful in providing an excellent boost to your immunity system, especially during pregnancy with its rich antioxidant traces.
7. Helps to Control Bowel Movements
This wonderful veggie is found to be excellent in ensuring proper peristalsis in your system that automatically aids in controlling your bowel movements and even your digestive system.
8. Packed With all the Necessary Nutrients
Bitter gourd is loaded with all the required nutrients that are essential for the proper development and growth of the fetus. It includes zinc, potassium, manganese, magnesium, niacin, pantothenic acid, and pyridoxine, all nutrients vital for the proper growth of your baby. This ideally makes it a super veggie perfect for consumption during this crucial pregnancy period.
9. Ideal For Weight Watchers
As bitter gourd has plenty of dietary fibers and curbs your hunger pangs, it is ideal for women who do not want to gain too much weight during pregnancy.
10. Loaded With Vitamins
Bitter gourd also contains adequate quantities of various vitamins like Vitamin B2, B3, and B1 apart from minerals like thiamine and riboflavin.
11. Packed With Calcium
This veggie also has traces of beta carotene and calcium too, both of which are important for pregnant women.
12. Rich in Iron
Bitter gourd also has considerable traces of iron that makes it really a good supplement during pregnancy and helps keep
pregnancy anemia at bay.
[Read: Is It Safe To Eat Cabbage During Pregnancy?]
Risks of Eating Bitter Gourd During Pregnancy
Although bitter gourd is a wonderful vegetable to be included in your pregnancy diet due to the excellent benefits mentioned above, make sure you consult your gynecologist before adding this to your diet, especially if you have never eaten the vegetable before. Given below are some of the risks associated with having bitter gourd.
1. Preterm Delivery
Too much consumption of bitter gourd can trigger uterine activities that can even cause early labor in some women.
2. Stomach Issues
Overeating of bitter gourd can cause various stomach issues like abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Some people are also sensitive towards the effects of the seeds of bitter gourd.
3. Can Turn Toxic
Bitter gourd also contains traces of alkaline compounds, including Morodicine, Resins, Saponic Glycosides, and Quinine. These elements can toxify your body and cause severe stomach aches and vision problems.
Ways to Eat Bitter Gourd For Pregnant Women?
Bitter Gourd can be eaten in a variety of ways, especially if you love the unique bitter flavor of this vegetable. Here are some interesting ways to incorporate bitter gourd into your diet.
1. Curry
Cook your usual curry and include the Bottle gourd as an ingredient in it. You can also cook it by using coconut milk or yogurt to add more texture and flavor to the dish.
2. Mix Vegetable
Mixed vegetable curries are an excellent way to include multiple vegetables in your diet to make them healthy and flavourful. You can give a twist to your standard mixed vegetable curry by adding bitter gourd to the medley.
3. Karela Fry
Are you feeling too lazy to cook and want to whip up a quick meal for yourself in this phase? Then Karela Fry is the perfect dish for you too. Cook bitter gourd with your favorite spices and add potato or onion or just bitter melon, and that’s it. Have this as an accompaniment with chapatis or rice.
If you have never eaten bitter gourd to date, it is better to refrain from including this veggie in your diet as you cannot predict how your stomach may react to this new veggie. Ensure that you ask your doctor whether bitter gourd can be consumed before you start consuming this wonderful vegetable during this crucial period.
[Read: Capsicum During Pregnancy]
FAQ’s
1. Are Bitter Gourds Risky During Pregnancy?
Yes, they are. They can cause iron deficiency. They can even harm your good red blood cells.
2. Can Bitter Gourd Cause Heartburns?
Yes, it can. It contains vicine which can cause heartburn and muscle fatigue. Some women may have adverse reactions to this.
3. Can I Eat Bitter Gourd When Pregnant?
Yes, if you are craving for t, go ahead. However, ensure you don’t overconsume. Limit your intake to once a week.
4. Can Bitter Gourd Cause Indigestion During Pregnancy?
Yes, unfortunately, it can. A pregnant woman’s digestive system is already sensitive. Bitter gourd can trigger indigestion, diarrhea, and stomach aches.
5. Can Bitter Gourd During Pregnancy Cause Miscarriage?
Many people believe it can. it is very nutritious too. Consult your doctor before you can add this to your diet.
6. Can Eating Bitter Gourd When Pregnant Cause Gas?
Yes, it can. It is a gas-inducing vegetable. Consume in moderate quantities.
7. Can Bitter Gourd Help With My Gestational Diabetes?
Yes, it can. They can help regulate your sugar levels. Do check with your doctor for quantity recommendations.
8. Can I Get Cramps by Eating Bitter Gourd During Pregnancy?
Yes, you can. They contain toxic components. These elements can cause discomfort or even cramps in some cases.
Read Also: Carrots During Pregnancy: Benefits & Risks
