Eating liver during pregnancy should be careful not to harm the fetus

Liver is one of the foods rich in iron and vitamin A that many pregnant women use. However, eating too much liver during pregnancy leads to an excess of vitamin A precursors in the form of retinol, potentially causing birth defects in the fetus and parasitic infection if ingested with dirty liver.

Healthy eating is the best way for a healthy baby to be born. The foods you consume during pregnancy will directly affect your baby's development. During this "sensitive" time, there are foods you should eat more of, but others you should limit. And the liver is one of them. Should pregnant women eat pig liver or other animal liver? Please join aFamilyToday Health to follow the sharing below.

Safe ways of processing and selecting liver for pregnant women

Pig liver is a common type that is widely used in family meals. The liver can be processed into many different dishes such as:

Liver pate

Chopped liver

Liver sausage

No matter how you process your liver, its effect on the body is the same. You need to choose a monolithic liver, without the tiny holes in the surface. The liver should be a fresh, well-sourced liver.

Note that it is important not to fry the liver with bean sprouts or vegetables rich in vitamin C because the high vitamin C content will break down all the micronutrients such as copper and iron in the liver.

The liver is the organ that receives and eliminates toxins, so it contains a lot of toxic substances such as heavy metals and viruses and bacteria. Therefore, for pregnant women, you need to limit or avoid eating liver, especially in the first trimester.

Liver contains any substances good for health?

The liver has many healthy nutrients such as:

Iron

Vitamin A

Protein

Folic acid

In particular, protein and folic acid are very important to support the development of the baby, iron ensures the formation of hemoglobin in the blood, and limits the risk of iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy . However, the vitamin A present in the liver is the cause of many problems.

Side effects of eating liver during pregnancy

Liver contains very high levels of vitamin A. Each type of liver has a different amount, for example, beef liver will contain more vitamin A than chicken liver. However, even in small amounts, it can be harmful by:

Vitamin A in the liver is vitamin A in the form of retinol.

Excess of this vitamin A can lead to birth defects.

In addition, it may also lead to the growth of cancer cells.

Therefore, retinol is considered harmful to pregnant women and should not be taken in any way. In addition, the liver also contains high levels of cholesterol, which is dangerous for people with cardiovascular disease.

How much liver should pregnant women use?

There are no studies showing a specific amount of liver that you should eat during pregnancy. So it all depends on your judgment. However, it is best to limit your intake of it. If you want to supplement iron to prevent iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women , you can supplement from many different sources such as spinach, legumes ... Pregnant women should only consume about 2,500 IU vitamin A each day. The women who eat more, the fetus are at risk for birth defects and other complications.

In addition to the liver, pregnant women should limit or avoid eating anything else?

In addition to limiting your liver intake, you should also try to stay away from the following products:

The supplements contain cod liver oil or shark liver oil because of the risk of mercury toxicity.

Medicines or supplements with a high content of vitamin A in the form of retinol.

Skincare products containing retinol

Vitamin A in any other food?

In addition to liver, you can also eat some other vitamin A rich foods from the following sources to ensure your baby's healthy development:

Carrot

Sweet potato

Pumpkin

Spinach

Cabbage

Kale

Beetroot

All of these foods act as effective antioxidants for the eyesight and immune system of the fetus. In addition, vitamin A in these vegetables is in the form of beta carotene, which is very good for your body.

Eating liver during pregnancy has more health risks than benefits. You need to consider this before using it.