G for guavas, G for good health… Besides the fruity aroma and oh-so-delicious taste, guavas also have a rich nutritional profile. These are beneficial for everyone – kids, elderly and even expectant mothers. However, it’s always apprehensive as to what must a pregnant woman eat and avoid. Considering that, guavas during pregnancy are absolutely safe and healthful.
For every woman, the pregnancy phase is an unforgettable one. It is challenging but also rewarding. If you’re a soon-to-be-mom, you have to dedicate yourself towards taking proper care so you and the baby remain healthy. And, nothing makes more difference than what and how you eat along with an active routine. The two go hand in hand!
Talking of food, you cannot gulp in just anything available out there especially when it comes to fruits. For instance, experts recommend not binge-eating unripe papaya during pregnancy since it is rich in latex that may cause harm to the fetus or even induce a miscarriage in severe cases. It is said to trigger uterine contractions that may be damaging. But, there also are fruits that help – guava is one of those. Guava during pregnancy is usually harmless. So, let’s explore more of its details below so you exactly know how safe is guava during pregnancy and are there also any side effects or not.
Guava During Pregnancy – Is It Safe?
It’s generally safe to consume guava during all the stages of your pregnancy. It is a nutrient-rich fruit that keeps away several health hazards. But, make sure that you aren’t binge-eating guava and using just the ripe fruit.
Having it in a controlled quantity is the answer to how safe guava is for a pregnant woman. The recommended quantity is mostly 100-125 grams approximately to prevent any adverse effects. Also, you may use the white pulp and not the red one since the former is more nutritious during pregnancy. Have guava as an evening snack or in your breakfast – but not every day. You can also pick up alternatives such as strawberries or oranges in case you are allergic to guavas or just don’t find them elsewhere.
Health Benefits of Eating Guava During Pregnancy
Guavas are exceptionally healthy during pregnancy. These are low in fats, high in water content and suffice several nutritional needs of your body. Without a second thought, you can easily make it a part of your pregnancy diet. But first, check out more of its health benefits during pregnancy:
1. Prevents Anemia
Iron deficiency during pregnancy is the most common cause of anaemia in women. Therefore, the iron content in guava makes the fruit ideal for anaemic women even during pregnancy. The fruit increases your haemoglobin levels to effectively prevent the symptoms of anaemia.
2. Strengthens Immunity
Being loaded with B vitamins along with Vitamin C and E helps improve the immune system of expectant mothers. Antioxidants, as well as anti-toxins in guava, make it a beneficial fruit to reduce pregnancy-related discomforts, dental issues, ulcers and more.
3. Aids Digestive Health
Laxative properties in guavas help regulate your digestive health. Some women experience irregular bowel movements in the entire phase. So, regularly having guava helps prevent related difficulties.
4. Is A Muscle Relaxant
The hormonal imbalances and all the changes happening in your body make you reluctant to the happenings around. So, you need to stay relaxed during this phase. Doctors do advice some nerve and muscle relaxants. However, talking of a natural pregnancy diet, even guavas relax your body – all thanks to the presence of magnesium in them. It makes your brain feel less foggy and stress-free.
5. Controls Diabetes
Guavas help maintain the blood sugar levels to keep away the symptoms of type 1 as well as type 2 (gestational) diabetes.
6. Good For Heart
Being a high potassium fruit makes it great for your heart health. It is also loaded with Vitamin C as well as sodium to regulate your blood pressure levels and increase the good cholesterol. This consequently prevents the risk of contracting several cardiovascular diseases and any related fluctuations.
7. Keeps You Hydrated
It is so important to stay hydrated throughout this phase (also otherwise). And, the easiest way of doing that is having at least 3-4 litres of water every day. But sometimes it isn’t possible to gulp in too much water all day. So, what helps, even more, is adding water-rich fruits like guavas to your daily diet. Getting fluids through your meals is a good idea. It prevents dehydration and also gets rid of the harmful toxins in the body.
8. Rich In Folic Acid
Folic as well as ascorbic acid in guavas help in benefitting the circulatory system of the pregnant woman. These two also develop the nervous system of the unborn child.
9. Curbs Morning Sickness
This is a major problem with most of the expectant mothers, especially during their first trimester. Morning sickness is experiencing nauseous feeling along with vomiting due to a massive change in the hormonal levels. Thus, fruits like guavas keep your body well balanced. And, it is the Vitamin C content in guavas that helps with reducing morning sickness in pregnant women.
10. Flushes Out Toxins
Guavas are rich in essential antioxidants that help get rid of toxins in the body. These contain several other phytonutrients to maintain your overall well-being. This, in turn, protects you any kind of free radical damage along with reducing the oxidative stress in the body. So, you can either have the fruit as it is or drinks its juice – both work well.
11. Helps With The Growth Of The Fetus
The fruit is loaded with vitamins A, B, C and E along with minerals such as thiamine, copper, magnesium, calcium, potassium, as well as phosphorous. Therefore, being a storehouse of several vitamins and minerals make it an ideal fruit to help with the development of the fetus.
12. Improves Vision
Guavas aren’t significantly enriched with Vitamin A as compared to carrots, but, they contain an average amount. And, this essentially helps in improving and enhancing the vision of both the mother as well as the baby.
13. Relieves Constipation
Constipation is said to cause at least 72 different types of bodily ailments and it badly affects you overall. Therefore, dietary fibres are certainly beneficial. Being a powerhouse of soluble fibres make guava good food for stomach-related problems particularly constipation. The seeds act as a laxative to further relieve the issue. Therefore, frequent consumption of guava effectively helps prevent the discomforts of constipation during pregnancy. Guavas are also helpful in eliminating the manifestations of a few other digestive disorders like dysentery and diarrhoea. The anti-bacterial properties of the fruit help in disinfecting the digestive system to further strengthen you overall.
14. Takes Care Of Your Skin
Another benefit of consuming guavas during pregnancy is for improving your skin health. It is a potent antimicrobial fruit. Not only are guavas rich in tannins and antioxidants but they also have detoxifying properties to keep your skin clear and glowing.
15. Promotes Thyroid Health
Since guavas are a great source of copper, having them helps regulate the thyroid hormone. The fruit basically controls the production as well as the absorption of the same. This plays a significant role in strengthening your metabolism too.
Side Effects Of Guavas During Pregnancy
In general, there aren’t any harmful side effects of eating guavas during pregnancy. However, what all you eat in this phase, just be a little more cautious. Experts recommend not having anything in abundance nor lowering the quantity too much. Food on your plate needs to be of the right portion and also be eaten in the correct manner. Otherwise:
- Excess consumption may cause loose motions due to high fibre amount in guavas
- Unripe guavas might cause dental problems
- Not having them fresh may lead to allergies.
- Avoid having any supplemental sources of guavas to which may deteriorate your health.
- Also, organic guavas are better since the inorganic ones can possess the risk of developing infections like listeriosis which primarily affects people with a weakened immunity along with pregnant women as well as newborns.
Choosing The Best
When picking up guavas, make sure they are ripe and not half-ripe or unripe. These are best for pregnant women.
Eating The Right Way
To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, ensure that you eat guavas in the right way. Peel the fruit and have it raw. You can even sprinkle some red chilli powder or rock salt for better taste as well as digestion. Having unpeeled guava can lead to skin irritations and even diarrhoea. So, just be careful! Also, while some fruits require de-seeding for easy consumption, it’s not possible nor necessary with guavas. You can have them with seeds and it’s safe for pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a wonderful phase. And, you taking proper care makes it even more worthwhile. However, it is always better to discuss with your doctor as to what you must be eating and what needs to be avoided. This ensures you are consuming things the wrong way. And, if you choose to consume guavas during pregnancy, have the fruit in its natural form and not too much. It’s nutrient-dense and will provide you with the needed energy. Take Care!
No Comments