Strawberries in pregnancy

If pregnancy falls during the berry season, it is sometimes difficult for a woman to resist trying one or another red and aromatic berry. However, pregnant women are often alarmed by the question: is strawberry allowed during pregnancy?

Of course, strawberries are a very healthy berry, full of useful substances and vitamins. However, there are cases when you have to be careful with them.

Can you eat strawberries during pregnancy?

Expectant mothers often face a dilemma: can some products, in particular strawberries, be dangerous during pregnancy? Can you eat strawberries during pregnancy? After all, this berry is considered very healthy, and you really want to give your baby as many vitamins as possible... This is true, but you should not forget that pregnancy is a special period in a woman's life, when the body is radically rebuilt, and even those products that were previously commonplace for you can now cause irreparable harm.

During pregnancy, the body becomes hypersensitive to everything: smells, ambient noise, food. And this must be taken into account when planning a diet. Particular attention should be paid to potential allergen products. Even if you have never had an allergy to anything, it has a high chance of appearing during pregnancy. For this reason, some products must be consumed with caution, and berries are also on this list.

An allergic reaction is not limited to external signs such as skin rashes. The internal processes that occur in the body during an allergy are much more dangerous than the external ones. Moreover, some people are able to cause an allergic reaction in themselves just by smelling the aroma of an allergen product.

Of course, if a pregnant woman really wants strawberries, there is no absolute taboo on eating them. You just need to eat the berries carefully, carefully monitoring your body's reaction. If any signs of an allergic reaction appear, you must immediately stop eating the berries. If everything is fine, eat them to your health, but in moderation. The most optimal amount of berries consumed is no more than 0.5 kg per day. In addition, it is better to eat berries together with dairy products: this way you will allow strawberries to bring more benefits to your body and slightly mitigate possible harm.

Strawberry leaves during pregnancy

Strawberry leaves are the most valuable plant material for the treatment of many ailments. Many of us like to enjoy aromatic tea with the addition of strawberry leaves, combining pleasure with incredible benefits for the body. Strawberry leaves are a vitamin-rich raw material that will perfectly help with vitamin deficiency, diabetes, and metabolic disorders. Strawberry tea calms the nervous system, strengthens the immune system, tones, and eliminates sclerotic changes in blood vessels. The leaves of the berry are irreplaceable for anemia, as they can promote the process of hematopoiesis.

It is preferable to collect the leaves during the flowering period of the plant, drying them in the open air in the sun, or at t° 40-50°C in the oven.

However, despite the mass of useful properties, you should not take risks and consume the berry leaves during pregnancy. The fact is that strawberry leaves help to increase the contractile activity of the uterus, increasing its tone. This can pose a threat of termination of pregnancy. In addition, the strawberry leaf slows down the heart rate, not only in the woman, but also in the fetus.

Considering all the pros and cons, it is recommended to refrain from using strawberry leaves during pregnancy, as this may jeopardize its further development.

Benefits of strawberries during pregnancy

Strawberries contain up to 15% sugars, amino acids, pectin, fiber, tannins, nitrogen compounds, mineral salts (manganese, cobalt, iron, calcium, phosphorus), vitamins (group B, C, PP, carotene), alkaloids. At the same time, the properties of the berry are not lost either in fresh or dried form.

Strawberry jam, compote, and berry syrup are also useful.

Strawberry compotes and teas are an excellent diaphoretic and diuretic, simultaneously relieving swelling, quenching thirst and improving digestion. Many experts note the positive effect of strawberry dishes on fat and mineral metabolism processes, which is important during pregnancy. Strawberry compote even has slight antimicrobial properties.

Fruit drinks and especially fresh berries have a healing effect on painful conditions of the digestive organs (gastritis, stomach ulcers), gallstones and kidney stones, atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels, high blood pressure, joint pathologies, and anemia. Of course, fresh berries picked right in season have the greatest value.

The antibacterial properties of strawberries can be used by pregnant women to gargle their throats and mouths for inflammatory diseases and bad breath. Strawberry masks are effectively used to get rid of age spots on the skin or freckles. A mask made from strawberry juice and whipped raw egg white has a good cosmetic effect.

The benefits of strawberries during pregnancy are obvious, but one should not forget about cases of hypersensitivity of the body to berries, which can be accompanied by the development of an allergic process.

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Reviews of strawberries during pregnancy

There are often disputes about the benefits or harm of strawberries during pregnancy. Doctors almost unanimously advise to be careful when eating the berry, and the opinions of users are often contradictory: some follow the advice of doctors, but many ignore it and eat the berries without problems.

Of course, a lot depends on the woman's body: if it does not consider berries an allergen and accepts them calmly, then there is no need to worry. However, one should not be negligent about this issue either.

When consuming strawberries during pregnancy, keep the following in mind:

• abrupt hormonal changes in the female body can cause the development of an allergic reaction to strawberries, so you can eat berries, but carefully, preferably limiting yourself to small portions;
• Sometimes the consumption of allergenic foods by the expectant mother can provoke the development of allergies in the child in the future.

Strawberries are not a prohibited product during pregnancy, but they should be consumed carefully, without excess. If you are prone to allergies, it is better to temporarily forget about the existence of strawberries: this will be better for you and your baby. When the baby is born and the breastfeeding period ends, you will certainly be able to enjoy your favorite berry.