Bananas in Pregnancy

Bananas in pregnancy - an excellent alternative to purchased desserts, is it? What is the use of a popular exotic fruit, and whether there are any contraindications in its use?

These questions can bother future mothers who are "in an interesting situation." The fact is that the beautiful period in the life of every woman, the bearing of a child, always introduces her own corrections into the pregnant woman's diet. You have to be careful with the choice of foods, because mistakes in the mother's nutrition will certainly affect the health of the child. Faced with the usual products as if for the first time, a caring mother wonders: "Can I eat this now?" The subject of this doubt often become bananas.

Can you banana during pregnancy?

Bananas during pregnancy can and should be eaten.

Conversations about the fact that bananas contribute to weight gain are far-fetched. If, observing the measure, eat one or two bananas a day - this does not affect the weight of the fruit, but the energy of the future mother will add. In addition, in the early stages of pregnancy, these fruits can become a "wand stick" for a woman with heartburn and nausea: the tender flesh of bananas envelops the mucous, eliminating unpleasant sensations, and the unobtrusive odor does not cause vomiting in the pregnant woman.

Precautions in the use of bananas concern only green and overripe fruit, because they can cause bloating and unpleasant sensations in the stomach. From the use of banana-milk cocktails, too, should refrain, because this combination leads to weight gain. There are bananas in pregnancy better with sweet fruits: apricots, plum, sweet pear varieties, or with cream.

Note also that bananas are contraindicated in people with diabetes, due to the high glycemic index of this fruit. If a pregnant woman suffers from this disease, do not take risks, increasing the blood sugar level - it is better to abstain from bananas.

Dried bananas during pregnancy

Speaking of such a delicacy, like dried bananas, at first we will clarify what will be discussed. Dried bananas are called two kinds of sweets: dried bananas ("banana figs") and banana chips.

The first, as a result of drying, significantly reduced in size, while retaining their useful properties. When buying such bananas, pay attention to the label: they should not contain preservatives, dyes, GMOs and sulfur dioxide. Cooking dried bananas during pregnancy can be done by yourself, for this you need mature fruits, previously peeled off, cut into slices 4-5 cm thick, put on a baking tray and dry for about 3-5 hours at a temperature of 30-40 degrees. After drying, the bananas will turn brown. The only thing that should be taken into account by pregnant women is that in the dried bananas this increases the calorie content by about five times, compared to fresh fruit. It is important to observe the measure and monitor the amount of food eaten.

As a result of frying, another kind of sweets is obtained - banana chips. From my own experience I can say that such chips in one sitting can be eaten a considerable amount. And even when the feeling of hunger is satisfied, the hand continues to reach for the sweet crispy bits of a dry banana. But do not be fooled: they are not much more useful than their potato brothers. The main danger of banana chips is that they are fried in palm or coconut oil, which contain a large amount of saturated fat. The latter are poorly soluble in the body and settle on the walls of the vessels, which entails the appearance of atherosclerotic processes. Do not forget that palm oil is one of the strongest carcinogens. All this "splendor" of a pregnant woman is in the colors to imagine if she suddenly wants to eat banana chips.

Benefits of bananas in pregnancy

Bananas have useful properties due to the presence of the following substances in them: 

1. Carbohydrates. The average daily requirement for carbohydrates is 350 g. A normal banana, peeled, weighs approximately 100 g, which contains about 21 g of carbohydrates. Thus, eating two bananas a day, a pregnant woman consumes 12% of the daily norm of carbohydrates. Of course, it may seem like a no-brainer what result, but two bananas do not limit the diet. 
2. Proteins are necessary for the growth and development of the fetus, uterus, placenta, mammary glands, increasing the volume of circulating blood and amniotic fluid. Particularly important is the sufficient intake of protein in the second and third trimester of pregnancy - 14 g per day, while 1.3 g can easily be obtained from a banana alone.
3. Fats in a banana are only up to 0.5 g, and even those are easily assimilated vegetable oils. In this case, we note that a pregnant woman can consume up to 85-90 grams of fat per day. 
4. Vitamin B6. The lack of this useful substance can lead to toxicosis, the emergence of anemia, allergies, glycosuria and lack of water in the mother, which will negatively affect the fetus. Pyridoxine refers to water-soluble vitamins, its stock needs to be replenished every day. The daily norm of vitamin B6 for a pregnant woman rises to 2.0-2.2 mg. Bananas containing vitamin B6 help to fill the growing needs of the future mother's body. 
5. Vitamin B1, which plays an important role in energy metabolism. The amount of vitamin in a banana is about 0.04 mg. At the same time, the daily requirement for this substance in pregnancy is 2 mg. 
6. Vitamin B2, which acts as a component of coenzymes of tissue respiration, and activates the action of B6. The daily need for a pregnant woman in this substance is 3 mg, in one banana contains about 0.06 mg.
7. The banana also contains vitamins PP, C, B12 and B9. All of them are necessary for the formation of a healthy child. 
8. Microelements: potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron.

Potassium, balanced by sodium, affects the normal functioning of the cell walls. In addition, it interacts with magnesium, the main nutrient in our heart. The daily requirement of a pregnant woman in potassium is 2 mg. A generally recognized source of potassium is, in particular, bananas containing a trace element in an amount of 0.6-1.48 mg / 100 grams.

Calcium, which plays an important role in the functioning of bone and muscle tissue, myocardium, nervous system, skin, must also constantly enter the body of a pregnant woman. The daily requirement is 1300 mg. Eating one banana, a woman at 3.2-13.8 mg is close to normal.

Phosphorus, regulating the metabolism, forming bones, teeth, the muscular and nervous systems of the child, is difficult to overestimate. Its content in a banana ranges from 16.3 to 50.4 mg, which is not much, but considering that pregnant women need 1.5 grams of phosphorus daily, one or two bananas will not be superfluous.

The intake of iron in the body of a pregnant and lactating woman should be 33-38 mg / day. It is proved that children of early age, whose mothers suffered from iron deficiency during pregnancy, have a shortage of this microelement. The consequence of this may be a violation of the functions of the four most important systems: blood, nervous system, immune system and adaptation. One banana will replenish the supply of a microelement in the body of a pregnant woman by 0.4-1.50 mg.

Note also that eating bananas during pregnancy increases the calorie diet, which is also necessary for a woman "in position."

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Reviews of bananas during pregnancy

Working on this material, the author asked the opinion of six of her acquaintances, who had already been "in an interesting position." All the girls, except one, who in the first months suffered from severe toxicosis, ate bananas throughout pregnancy. All six girls had children of normal weight. By the way, they prompted good advice: it is necessary to wash bananas with water before consumption, because they can be processed with dangerous "yeshki": preservatives Е232, Е231 and Е230, - to preserve the presentation.

On the forums, most girls also sing the dithyrambs of the yellow fruit, some even write about the unthinkable amounts of bananas eaten by them in the first months of pregnancy. We, of course, understand that such "fanaticism" can be dangerous. Eat bananas during pregnancy, remembering that good - in moderation, and be healthy!