8 types of vegetables are good for both pregnant women and the fetus

Nutrition during pregnancy is an important part of pregnancy that any pregnant mother is especially concerned about. What pregnant women should eat or avoid eating are the questions that pregnant women often ask.

The fact is that eating and drinking during pregnancy needs to be carefully considered, not all vegetables pregnant mothers can eat. In this article, aFamilyToday Health will tell pregnant women what vegetables to eat to have a healthy pregnancy.

The role of green vegetables and fruits in the health of pregnant women and fetuses

In the nutrition pyramid of an ordinary person, in addition to the important ingredients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, foods such as vegetables, roots and fruits still play a certain role, accounting for about 70% of processing. food intake. Plant-based foods contain many essential nutrients for the body such as vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants.

Although it is not a nutrient that the body can absorb, the fiber found in vegetables plays a very special role in preventing constipation . Can explain the anti-constipation mechanism of fiber is that they help soften stools and increase the amount of stool, thereby helping the body to excrete more easily. In our bodies fiber is the source of nutrients for microorganisms. Thereby, they produce a gas (gas) that stimulates the large intestine to help you feel like you want to defecate.

In addition to the above effect, fiber also helps reduce the absorption of bad fats (LDL), enhances low good fat (HDL) absorption. That is also the reason why people who want to lose weight effectively  should increase the amount of vegetables in their diet. Another benefit of high-fiber foods is to increase the effects of insulin to help lower blood sugar levels.

With the above uses, you may partly understand why green vegetables are really good for everyone, especially pregnant women. They help reduce symptoms of constipation during pregnancy, as well as help control weight, reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Invite you to refer to the article How to  lose weight during pregnancy to ensure the health of mothers and babies?

What vegetables should pregnant women eat?

Here are some vegetables, tubers, fruits and seeds that aFamilyToday Health recommends that pregnant women should use regularly during pregnancy. These include:

1. Beans

Do not think that fiber is only in vegetables. Among the vegetables that are good for pregnant women, it is impossible not to mention the legume family members, a food group that is rich in fiber.

In addition, legumes also add protein, iron, calcium, magnesium ... especially folic acid (folate) - an extremely important nutrient for the fetus to help reduce the rate of neural tube defects , babies born lacking. scale .

Some types of beans are also very good snacks for pregnant mothers to nibble when long-term hunger strikes. Green beans, peanuts, peas, black beans and countless other types are good for pregnant mothers.

2. Banana

If someone asks you, "What vegetables should pregnant women eat? but you answer that bananas sound irrelevant. But be quick to refute this answer because the fiber in bananas is no less than vegetables. Besides, bananas are also rich in potassium, vitamins C, B6 and pectin - a type of soluble fiber that is extremely beneficial for the digestive system.

3. Broccoli

Broccoli is a brilliant candidate in the list of good vegetables for pregnant women. In this flower-eating vegetable, there are all the essential nutrients for pregnant mothers, from folate, iron, calcium to vitamin C. If that much nutrients are not enough to convince pregnant women to buy and use, a little information. Small, just eat half a serving of broccoli, you have added 2.8g of fiber to the digestive system.

4. Cabbage

Cabbage contains vitamins K and C to support bone health, folic acid is good for fetal health, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus stabilize blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, the active ingredient anthocyanins in purple cabbage has been studied for its cancer prevention effects. So this vegetable is too great for pregnant mothers to add to the diet, right?

Another little tip for pregnant women in the last month of pregnancy is that they can use cabbage leaves to apply to the calf, arm and swollen area. Cabbage leaves have an effective absorbent effect, improve edema in pregnant women.

But do not because of delicious or nutritious cabbage you eat too much because this vegetable will make you gasp. A little warning is that for pregnant mothers who often have indigestion, flatulence, they should limit eating this vegetable.

5. Artichoke flowers

Artichoke flower is one of the benign, nutritious foods that is very good for pregnant mothers. In addition to magnesium, folate, and fiber, artichokes are quite rich in choline. Our body can only synthesize very little choline, so getting this nutrient from food will be extremely beneficial. Choline is used in supporting the development of brain cells of the fetus, supporting memory improvement.  Therefore, you easily see that manufacturers always emphasize factors supporting brain development for children if their products contain choline.

6. Green grapes

Grape has a lot of iron, phosphorus, calcium, organic acids, carotene ... which are very beneficial for pregnant women. During pregnancy, mothers need a lot of blood, green grapes contain iron, which will partly help pregnant women solve that problem.

7. Amaranth

Amaranth has cool properties, diuretics, and is rich in vitamins. In addition, pregnant mothers who eat amaranth will easily absorb iron and calcium because this vegetable does not contain oxalic acid. Oxalic is the enemy of iron because it prevents the body's absorption of iron and calcium. Mother elected to eat a bowl of amaranth soup to cook shrimp on a hot summer day, nothing more wonderful.

8. Cherry

Cherry is quite expensive but the nutritional value it offers is worth it. This fruit contains quite a lot of iron, which is very good for the health of pregnant women. Statistics show that cherries contain 20 times more iron than apples and oranges. Another information on the sidelines is that many people believe that babies of pregnant mothers who eat cherry will have white and pink skin as soon as they are born.

Notes on preliminary processing and processing vegetables for pregnant women

Pregnant mothers should not use waterlogged vegetables that have a different smell. In order to be able to remove soil, garbage, two-causing microorganisms (E.Coli, Salmonella, helminths ...) and residues of real protection drugs are still on vegetables, pregnant mothers need to wash vegetables several times under the tap. water flow. Then, you soak washed vegetables with dilute salt water or water mixed with a little vinegar to destroy the remaining microorganisms.

Many people have a habit of blanching vegetables through boiling water before cooking to remove harmful microorganisms. This is not true, since blanching often evaporates the vitamins found in the vegetables. In addition, even if you have been exposed to boiling water, there is a risk of contamination with harmful microorganisms if the food is not properly cooked or stored.

As a side note, vitamin C in vegetables is highly volatile, so you should not cook food for too long. Cook with high heat to shorten cooking time to help preserve nutrients.

It is important to note that when eating fruits and vegetables, do not forget to recipe 5 servings / day. This formula is based on a recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO): Each person should eat at least 400g of vegetables and fruit / day to help reduce the risk of dangerous diseases such as heart disease, stroke. cerebral blood, overweight - obesity, diabetes ...

It is very important to supplement fiber, essential vitamins and minerals from vegetables and fruits. Therefore, a bowl of soup or a plate of fruit is a simple secret to helping both mother and baby be healthy every day!