Tomatoes in pregnancy

Eating tomatoes during pregnancy, expectant mothers often think about the usefulness or harm of this vegetable in their position. Some argue that tomatoes are very useful during pregnancy, arguing their conviction with a rich vitamin composition. Others, on the contrary, recommend limiting, and in some cases, completely excluding tomatoes from the diet of a pregnant woman.

Let's take a closer look at this issue, taking into account all the features of this not simple, as it may seem at first glance, vegetable. Tomatoes have long since firmly taken their place of honor on our tables and are the most used ingredient in most national cuisines. And this is quite understandable, because the mineral and vitamin composition of tomatoes is quite impressive.

First of all, the beneficial properties of tomatoes are determined by the high content of glucose, fructose, zinc, iodine, manganese, magnesium, and iron. The composition of vitamins contained in tomatoes is also quite impressive - A, B, B2, B6, K, PP, E. The undoubted benefit for the body of each of the listed elements is absolutely obvious. But not only in the rich mineral and vitamin composition lies all the benefits of tomatoes. Tomatoes are a powerful antioxidant and occupy an honorable place among the natural antioxidants known to modern science. Due to the antioxidant properties, tomatoes contribute to the successful fight of the body against cancer, maintain the stable functioning of the human cardiovascular system. Women have known and long appreciated the fact that tomatoes contribute to good results in the fight against the signs of aging, preserving the beauty and youth of the skin. All this happens due to the presence of lycopene in tomatoes, which is characterized by a very powerful anti-cancer effect.

The action of lycopene is due to the protection of healthy cells of the body from the decay and harmful effects of diseased cells, by destroying diseased cells. The action of lycopene is several times enhanced by vegetable oils, such as sunflower or olive. The antidepressant properties of tomatoes are widely known, contributing to the effective stabilization of disorders in the functioning of the nervous system. In addition, due to the high content of serotonin in tomatoes, the use of this vegetable helps to improve mood, vigor and increase efficiency. The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of tomatoes are due to the content of phytoncides in them.

Tomatoes occupy a special place in many diets due to their low calorie content. After all, one hundred grams of tomato pulp contains only 23 kcal. This fact determines the popularity of tomatoes among those who want to lose extra pounds.

It should not be forgotten that during pregnancy it is necessary to be especially careful about nutrition and the consumption of tomatoes in particular. The high content of various acids, such as malic, citric, oxalic, explains this special care. After all, of course, these acids have a beneficial effect on the body of a pregnant woman, but only in a natural organic state. The maximum benefit of the nutrients contained in tomatoes is possible only with the correct combination of these vegetables with other foods. In general, it is best to eat tomatoes during pregnancy exclusively fresh and without heat treatment. If possible, it is best to eat tomatoes during the season when they grow en masse in the gardens and beds of our area. Canning and heat treatment of tomatoes contributes to the transformation of acids from an organic state to an inorganic one, thereby significantly losing their beneficial properties, and in some cases, an exacerbation of various diseases is possible.

Can you eat tomatoes during pregnancy?

Can you eat tomatoes during pregnancy? Experts agree that tomatoes are beneficial during pregnancy, but with the obligatory observance of some important conditions. The fact that tomatoes contain a significant vitamin and mineral cocktail has been scientifically proven, which, of course, serves as an important source of fiber, organic acids, and minerals that are so necessary for a woman who is carrying a pregnancy. In terms of their effect on the body of a pregnant woman, tomatoes can have mild complex diuretic and calming effects. The multivitamin composition of tomatoes actively compensates for the lack of vitamins of groups B, C, PP. Whether tomatoes are allowed during pregnancy depends on the season. Thus, the use of greenhouse tomatoes is generally excluded during pregnancy. It is recommended to eat only fresh tomatoes during the period of their mass ripening, when the vegetable has grown in natural conditions and has a natural vitamin composition. Another important condition is the use of tomatoes exclusively fresh, without heat treatment and especially no canning or marinades, ketchups and tomato pastes, only fresh. Can be consumed with vegetable oils in salads.

What if you want tomatoes during pregnancy?

Nutrition is the key point connecting the expectant mother and her child. A properly selected diet is of great importance for the formation and development of the child's body. If you want tomatoes during pregnancy, you need to take into account the time of year, the seasonality of these vegetables in our area. This is very important, since tomatoes outside the mass season - greenhouse or imported, as a rule, are not suitable for consumption by pregnant women. If you want tomatoes during pregnancy, then their use in limited quantities will only be beneficial. The permissible rate of consumption of these vegetables is no more than three medium tomatoes per day. Due to the significant content of acid in the pulp of tomatoes, for example, citric, malic, oxalic, these vegetables should be consumed in moderation and only raw, without allowing heat treatment. Vitamins and minerals contained in tomatoes are presented in a wide variety and, accordingly, with moderate consumption, will bring great benefit to both the expectant mother and the child.

What if you crave tomatoes during pregnancy?

Many women share their experience of craving tomatoes during pregnancy. This fact has a scientific basis. High content of useful elements, excellent taste, a variety of options for its use in cooking and canning. Quite enough reasons to call tomatoes the most popular and beloved vegetable for many. Even if some people do not eat tomatoes in their pure form, then everyone has eaten dishes using tomatoes. And in the case of pregnancy, the gastronomic habits of the expectant mother are not canceled, but perhaps even on the contrary, new ones appear. Therefore, it is quite understandable that women are drawn to tomatoes during pregnancy. Eating tomatoes during pregnancy replenishes the need of the woman's body and the unborn child for vitamins and minerals. All this contributes to the proper development of the fetus and the well-being of the pregnant woman. There is a superstition among the people about the fact that a woman is drawn to tomatoes during pregnancy. This fact supposedly predicts that a woman will have a boy. Modern women who are pregnant mostly perceive this superstition as a "gift of the deep past" and do not take it seriously. After all, tomatoes, even with their rich vitamin and mineral composition, cannot influence the sex of the future child.

Fresh tomatoes during pregnancy

Ripe and fresh tomatoes during pregnancy will fill the woman's body with many minerals, such as magnesium, sodium, calcium, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, vitamins B, C. The acids contained - folic, malic, citric - contribute to the full development of the child. Carotene and lycopene stabilize the cardiovascular system, normalize the blood pressure of the expectant mother. The mild laxative effect of tomatoes will solve the problem of constipation, which often bothers pregnant women. Lycopene is an effective antioxidant, its effectiveness increases significantly if you eat tomatoes with vegetable fat, for example, sunflower or olive oil in a salad. The color of fresh tomatoes can determine the level of carotenoids in the pulp of the vegetable. Thus, fruits with the maximum content of carotene and lycopene have a bright red-orange saturated color. Fresh tomatoes during pregnancy are one of the most valuable in the diet of a pregnant woman, provided that they are consumed exclusively fresh and during the period of their mass ripening. One of the mandatory conditions is moderate consumption of fresh tomatoes during pregnancy, not exceeding three medium fruits per day. Otherwise, the maximum usefulness of tomatoes can turn into great harm, do not forget about this. It should also be noted that a significant amount of useful vitamins and minerals is found in the peel and seed coat, so in order to benefit, it is necessary to eat fresh tomatoes during pregnancy with the peel.

Pickled tomatoes during pregnancy

Experts categorically recommend excluding pickled tomatoes from a woman's diet during pregnancy. And this recommendation has quite serious grounds. Pickled and salted tomatoes are contraindicated in some cases for ordinary people, let alone women who are pregnant. Salt is used in large quantities when pickling tomatoes, which cannot but cause concern. In general, salt in any canned products, tomatoes or cucumbers, always tends to accumulate in the body. This sooner or later leads to problems with the cardiovascular system, kidneys and urolithiasis. During pregnancy, this can have very negative consequences for both the child and the expectant mother. Pickled tomatoes during pregnancy can provoke a sharp change in blood pressure. Believe me, there is no benefit from this! In addition to salt, vinegar is often used when pickling tomatoes - an extremely undesirable ingredient during pregnancy. Vinegar negatively affects the blood composition of a pregnant woman, the gastrointestinal tract, and provokes heartburn. Does the expectant mother and her child need all this? It is clear that salted tomatoes during pregnancy should be excluded from the expectant mother's diet. Be healthy!

Are tomatoes good for you during pregnancy?

Are tomatoes useful during pregnancy? It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally, since tomatoes are certainly useful during pregnancy and quite significant, but subject to certain conditions of their use. Namely, limiting the consumption of no more than two or three medium-sized tomatoes per day in raw form. Caution in this matter will not be superfluous for expectant mothers. In general, the use of tomatoes has several contraindications for both an ordinary person and especially for a pregnant woman. Tomatoes have a fairly strong diuretic effect. This should be taken into account by a woman who is carrying a pregnancy. In case of kidney disease, gall bladder, urolithiasis, tomatoes should not be overused. A significant exacerbation of these diseases is possible. A pregnant woman already experiences a significant load on all internal organs, and tomatoes contribute to an even more significant increase in this load. This is especially important if the pregnant woman previously had problems with the listed diseases. The use of tomatoes is strictly contraindicated for people diagnosed with arthritis. As a rule, this is a disease of elderly people, but at present, cases of this disease in younger women are not uncommon. During the last trimester of pregnancy and before childbirth, tomatoes should not be consumed frequently, due to possible allergies in the child.

Benefits of tomatoes during pregnancy

The benefits of tomatoes during pregnancy, given the numerous vitamin and mineral composition, have both positive and negative aspects. So, let's first consider the positive effect of tomatoes on the body of a woman carrying a pregnancy. First of all, let's note the effective properties of tomatoes as antioxidants. It has long been known that tomatoes have a mild laxative effect, which will prevent constipation in a pregnant woman, which is not uncommon in this condition. Vitamins and minerals contained in tomatoes will take care of the stable functioning of the cardiovascular system of the expectant mother. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant with antitumor action, contained in tomatoes in large doses. Its antioxidant and antitumor properties will be useful not only for pregnant women, but for everyone else. The action of acids contained in tomatoes is due to the active renewal of blood and normalization of metabolic processes in the body of a pregnant woman. It is no secret that these problems bother women throughout pregnancy. It is worth remembering that the maximum benefit of tomatoes during pregnancy is possible only when these vegetables are consumed raw. Tomatoes are deservedly considered natural antidepressants and have proven themselves in the treatment of nervous system disorders. Serotonin will contribute to a good mood and add strength and vigor to the expectant mother. Phytoncides give tomatoes the effect of an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent. It is quite obvious that the benefits of tomatoes during pregnancy are significant and have a multifaceted effect. However, in the use of tomatoes during pregnancy, as in everything, there should be a measure. Canned or heat-treated tomatoes can cause various complications during pregnancy. It is better to refrain from eating canned and stewed tomatoes. If there are no contraindications to the use of tomatoes, a pregnant woman can eat no more than two or three tomatoes a day, but only raw.