6 potential dangers when pregnant women drink carbonated soft drinks

Although not listed in the group of "taboo" foods during pregnancy, pregnant women should still avoid drinking carbonated soft drinks. The reason is that this drink has many potential risks for pregnant mothers. 

Most pregnant women know that beer or alcohol can adversely affect the baby's growth and development. Therefore, during the parties, most pregnant women will choose to use carbonated soft drinks instead of beer and alcohol. However, is this really a good choice for pregnant women? Let aFamilyToday Health follow up with the following shares to get answers to this problem.

Should pregnant women drink carbonated soft drinks?

Although soft drinks are not on the list of foods that pregnant women need to avoid, according to experts, pregnant women should still limit their intake of regular soft drinks, carbonated soft drinks, and beverages that contain. caffeine and energy drinks. The reason is that these foods can cause some negative side effects on the health of pregnant women and fetuses.

Harms of drinking carbonated soft drinks in pregnancy

Here are some of the harms of regularly drinking soft drinks during pregnancy:

1. The harm comes from caffeine

Most soft drinks like cola contain a certain amount of caffeine. This amount of caffeine can be addictive and has many harmful effects. After pregnant women "load" caffeine into the body, the blood will be quickly absorbed and transmitted to the baby through the umbilical cord and placenta. The caffeine affects your central nervous system and adrenal glands for about 11 hours and the fetal body has to “struggle” to get rid of the toxin. Not only that, but caffeine is also considered a diuretic and can cause dehydration if absorbed too much.

Pregnant women should not consume more than 200mg of caffeine a day. In addition to problems affecting rest and sleep, pregnant women absorb more than 300mg of caffeine which can lead to miscarriage . Therefore, during this time, you should avoid caffeinated beverages such as coffee, chocolate, soft drinks ...

2. Harm from artificial sweeteners and preservatives

Colorants, preservatives, sweeteners and fragrances found in soft drinks are the main factors that prevent pregnant women from consuming many of these drinks. Sugar can increase weight, increase the risk of pregnancy complications and affect your baby's growth. Colorants can cause allergies in children. In addition, some drinks contain saccharin, a sweetener that can be passed on to your baby and accumulates in the bladder.

3. The harmful effects of cold drinks

Some pregnant women often have "cold stomach", drinking cold drinks can cause the stomach and blood vessels to contract suddenly. From there, causing many bad symptoms such as anorexia, indigestion, stomach cramps, most importantly can cause miscarriage and birth defects in the fetus.

4. The harmful effects of carbonated soft drinks

Towards the end of pregnancy, the carbonic acid found in carbonated soft drinks can cause severe heartburn. Not only that, the caffeine content in these drinks also makes heartburn worse.

5. The harmful effects of odorants

Most odorants often contain phosphoric acid, which can filter calcium from bones and cause calcium deficiency. This condition makes bones more susceptible to brittle bones and increases the risk of osteoporosis.

Pregnant women should choose which drinks to replace soft drinks?

During pregnancy, if you crave cool drinks to quench your thirst during hot summer days, you can choose healthy, additive-free, caffeine-free, low-sugar and high-value options. Nutrition like:

1. Milk

Every day, pregnant women drink 1-2 glasses of milk will be very healthy and help supplement calcium for the body. Not only that, in milk also contains a lot of nutrients such as DHA, choline ... very good for the development of the baby's brain.

2. Coconut water

Coconut water is a very good cooling drink for pregnant women. Coconut water contains many electrolytes, helps balance fluids, enhances muscle activity and provides essential vitamins during pregnancy. Not only that, pregnant women drink coconut water to help replenish amniotic fluid, prevent constipation, belching and help strengthen the body's immune system.

3. Sugar cane juice

Pregnant women drink cane juice not only to strengthen the immune system and digestive system but also good for the skin. However, because sugarcane juice is very high in sugar, you should only drink 1 glass per day.

4. Fruit smoothies

This is a delicious drink that pregnant women can try in hot summer days. With the main ingredients of fruit and milk, this drink helps pregnant women supplement water and provide many nutrients. When processing, you can use fruits rich in protein, fiber, and calcium such as bananas, avocados, strawberries, mangoes, and oranges for flavor enhancement.

5. Vegetable juice

Vegetables contain lots of fiber, vitamins and minerals that are good for mothers and babies. You can choose carrot juice to provide vitamin A to help the nervous system and other organs in the baby's body develop comprehensively or cabbage juice to provide vitamin C and vitamin K, helping to strengthen the system. immune, anticoagulant and relieves constipation during pregnancy.

Completely hydrated is the best way to reduce some pregnancy symptoms such as constipation, itching, fatigue, headache… Every day, you need to drink at least eight glasses of water. However, doing this is not easy. Therefore, you should add some of these healthy drinks to your diet and stay away from soft drinks and soft drinks.