Find out whether eating mangoes during pregnancy is good or bad for the health of the mother and the baby. Learn about the benefits and contraindications of raw mango in the first, second and the third trimester.
Experts hold the opinion that the greatest benefit to a pregnant woman is brought by including local fruits in the diet. However, many future mothers want exotics, and not apples or plums, growing everywhere. Among the gastronomic whims of pregnant women is often mango. The ripe tropical fruit has a rich sweetish taste and is full of vitamins.
However, the discussion over eating mangoes during pregnancy is one to note. The questions that arise are “Will it not cause negative reactions of the body” and “how to choose a delicious fruit?” These and many other questions will be discussed as we go along.
Useful Properties of Mango
Mango is not only tasty but useful. The oval fruit has a yellowish or orange flesh, in the center of which lies a massive bone. The weight of the fruit can reach up to two kilograms, depending on the variety. In the tropics, where fruit is grown, it is as popular and widespread as we have apricots or pears.
In food, most often fresh ripened fruits, but this is not the only way to consume mango. It can be preserved, jams, syrups, liqueurs are made from it, it is added to salads and desserts like for the filling of pies.
Mango in the diet can become a valuable source of micronutrients. The fruit contains the following useful properties.
- Vitamin E.
- Provitamin A.
- Ascorbic acid.
- Vitamins of group B.
- Organic acids: amber, malic, oxalic.
Micronutrients in the fetus make it useful for any person, including for future mothers.
An interesting fact is that by eating only 2 small mangoes per day, you can protect the body from the development of anemia, and prevent the emergence of problems with digestion and hemorrhoids.
Mango can be attributed to dietary products. In 100 grams of the pulp of tropical fruit contains only 68 calories. Low caloric content makes the exotic fruit a good snack option.
Benefits of Eating Mangoes During Pregnancy
Mango for pregnant women in moderate amounts will prove to be a useful fruit. Due to its vitamin composition, in particular, contained in the pulp is vitamin C.
It will strengthen immunity and increase the body’s resistance to infections. 100 grams of ripe pulp can contain up to 180 mg of ascorbic acid.
Carotene, found in exotic fruits, the body turns into vitamin A. In pregnancy, the daily intake of this vitamin is 0.7 – 1 mg. Many pregnant women have heard about the teratogenic effect of vitamin A, which enters the body in excessive amounts. However, it is believed that an excess of vitamin A cannot occur when eating plant foods containing carotene. Therefore, mango during pregnancy can become a safe source of vitamin A.
If there is a shortage of retinol in a future mother, vision problems, eye diseases, symptoms of so-called “night blindness” can occur, in which the ability to see in the dark deteriorates. Lack of vitamin A also increases the risk of cervical erosion and mastopathy.
With a sense of constant fatigue and impotence, the vitamins of group B contained in the pulp of mango will help. They reduce the level of stress and increase the mood in pregnant women. Vitamin B9 or folic acid is considered one of the main vitamins for pregnant women.
In addition, eating mangoes during pregnancy can be a good assistant in the first trimester, when symptoms of toxicosis appear. Many future mothers notice that mango juice reduces heartburn.
The undeniable benefit of mango during pregnancy lies in the gland that is part of the fruit. It positively affects the process of hematopoiesis, prevents the development of hypoxia in the child.
To the note, the vitamin C contained in the mango fruit can accelerate the healing of sores and wounds in the mouth with stomatitis and periodontitis. During pregnancy, these dental diseases are often observed due to hormonal changes and a natural decrease in immunity.
Contraindication of Eating Mangoes During Pregnancy
Even though the doctors do not forbid pregnant women to include mangoes in their diet you need to consider the contraindications.
You need to understand that exotic fruits can not only benefit but also harm the body. First of all, due to the fact that tropical fruits for transportation to other countries are ripped from trees yet unripe.
To avoid spoiling during transportation, they are treated with special substances that a priori cannot be useful for the organism of the future mother and her baby. Even with thorough washing, not all harmful substances can be washed off from the fruit. This means there is a risk of allergic reactions and digestive system disorders during their use.
In addition, the likelihood of negative reactions of the body to the eaten fruit is increased if a woman first tries mango during pregnancy. Therefore, experts do not recommend eating unfamiliar products during the period of gestation of a child.
To foresee how the body will react is impossible. In pregnancy, allergy can develop in women, even in the usual products, is it worth talking about a tropical fruit?
You can eat mango during pregnancy if there are no contraindications like a tendency to allergies and abnormalities of the digestive system.
It should be separately said about the unripe fruits. Green fruit can cause diarrhea, so they should not be eaten not only by pregnant women but also by people in normal condition.
In addition, unsuccessful fruits lead to irritation of the mucosa of the mouth and throat. That’s why it’s worth knowing how to choose a ripe mango.
Tip: The likelihood of developing allergies increases if you eat mango fruits along with the skin. It is better to clean it.
Proper Way to Choose a Mango
You already know how useful mangoes are for pregnant women. To extract the maximum benefit from tropical fruit, it is worthwhile to figure out how to choose the ripe fruit correctly.
The color of the fruit is not indicative of its ripeness or sweetness of pulp. However, there are more than 300 varieties of mango, which means that its peel can have many shades from greenish-yellow to rich red. Pay attention to the following signs of ripeness and you will be fine.
- Mature mango has a smooth and shiny skin.
- On the surface of the fruit should not be dents, rotten stains or scratches.
- If the skin is flabby, and when you touch the fruit, it is damaged. This means that the mango has already laid on the shelf of the store and it should not be bought.
- The fruit should smell, if it does not emit a resinous flavor, then it will be tasteless.
When you buy an immature mango, do not eat it. Leave it for a couple of days in a dark place. However, overripe fruits are unsuitable for food as well. From them you will not get any gastronomic pleasure, nor benefit to the body.
When pregnant, mango is not contraindicated. Moreover, tropical fruits can become a safe source of carotene, which is needed by the body of a pregnant woman, and other no less important micronutrients. However, only the ripe fruits should be of used and that too in moderation.