During pregnancy, the female body requires a special diet that will not cause allergic reactions or other types of rejection. Each vegetable or fruit can be useful, but it can also harm, if not the expectant mother, then her fetus. Melon is not an exception, it is possible or impossible to use it for pregnant women is considered in this article.
Is it possible to eat melon during pregnancy?
Melon is not the easiest product for processing in the gastrointestinal tract, therefore, during pregnancy, it is necessary to take a balanced approach to its use. This is especially true of late gestation, when it is difficult to say whether it is useful for the pregnant woman.
Did you know? Melon is digested in the small intestine. Thus, it does not affect the removal of proteins from the stomach and does not interfere with the digestion of heavier foods (for example, meat) there.
Benefits and indications
The fruits ripen in August, accumulating their taste and composition during the sunny days of summer.
- What is useful melon for pregnant women:
- increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood - increases a person’s tone and energizes;
- normalizes the digestive tract - improves peristalsis and eliminates constipation;
- It has a calming effect - like many other tasty and juicy fruits, it contains the so-called "hormone of happiness", which improves the functioning of the nervous system;
- helps to remove excess fluid from the body - helps relieve swelling;
- satisfies hunger and thirst, being a dietary product - you can eat and quench your thirst with several slices.
Harm
With all the positive qualities of the fetus, it also has a number of contraindications for pregnant women, which should be considered before eating it.
- Here is a list of possible harmful factors:
- excessive consumption of sweet lobules can lead to an increase in blood sugar;
- with gastrointestinal diseases (gastritis, ulcer), the product should be completely abandoned;
- with gastrointestinal infections, use is strictly prohibited;
- diuretic properties can be not only good - the unborn child presses on the bladder, and frequent visits to the toilet are not always convenient in various situations.
Contraindications and risks of use
Over the course of pregnancy, the risks of rejection by the body of various dishes increase significantly. This also applies to melons: what is normally absorbed in the first trimester may not be suitable in the third trimester.
The main risk of eating is eating a poor-quality fruit - unripe, "pumped" with nitrates, stored for a long time. Food poisoning can lead to the most undesirable consequences. In the later stages of gestation, the product is eaten extremely moderately - up to 200 g per day. In any case, whether it is possible to use this fruit in food, you must find out from your doctor.
Important! Taking melon along with other foods or dishes can cause intestinal upset. This is especially true for dairy products.
Features of cooking melon
Before eating a melon, it is necessary to prepare it for use. These manipulations are familiar to everyone since childhood:
- the product is cut in half;
- seeds and mucus are removed from it with a tablespoon;
- if desired, the peel is cut;
- scrubbed halves are cut into longitudinal slices.
Also from the fruits you can cook light summer salads, mashed with a blender, bake in the oven.Recommendations for use
When buying and eating, the following recommendations should be followed:
- the fruits are selected dense, intact, of the correct form, without dents or cracks;
- the smell should be pleasant “melon”;
- it is worth buying in stores or on official markets, avoiding spontaneous piles on asphalt or ground;
- Already cut and peeled product should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day, since harmful microorganisms quickly multiply on it;
- You cannot eat a fetus on an empty stomach during pregnancy - its processing is difficult for the stomach and liver.
Did you know? The largest officially registered fruit was grown in Australia in 2009 and weighed about 200 kg.
Moderate consumption of melon throughout the entire period of gestation, except for its last 2-3 weeks, has a positive effect on the health of a woman and her unborn child.
This sweet and tasty fruit will charge with additional energy and bring gastronomic pleasure.
