Eating spinach during pregnancy: No matter how good it is, it should not be overused

Regularly eating spinach during pregnancy not only helps pregnant women have good health but also brings many unexpected benefits to the development of the fetus.

Spinach (also known as spinach, spinach) is known as an extremely nutritious "super food" for women's health during pregnancy. Do you fully understand the health benefits of spinach? If you are still struggling to learn about this issue, let's continue with aFamilyToday Health to see the below sharing.

Spinach - A miracle for the health of pregnant women

Spinach is one of the vegetables that are very healthy for pregnant women due to their extremely high nutritional content. Here are the specific nutritional ingredients in 100g spinach:

Energy: 23kcal

Fat: 0.39g

Fiber: 2.2g

Protein: 2.86g

Starch: 3.63g

Water: 91.4g

Sugar: 0.42g

Vitamin C: 28.1mg

Vitamin B6: 0.195mg

Vitamin B1: 0.078mg

Vitamin B2: 0.189mg

Vitamin B3: 0.724mg

Vitamin B9: 194ug

Vitamin A: 9377IU

Vitamin E: 2.03mg

Vitamin K: 482.9ug

Iron: 2.71mg

Magnesium: 79mg

Phosphorus: 49mg

Potassium: 558mg

Sodium: 79mg

Calcium: 99mg

Saturated Fat: 0.063g

Monounsaturated Fat: 0.010g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.165g

9 benefits of spinach for the health of pregnant women and fetuses

1. Prevent anemia

According to statistics, the number of pregnant women with anemia in pregnancy accounts for a high percentage. During pregnancy, the heart will have to work harder to provide enough nutrition for both the pregnant mother and her baby. Therefore, during this time, the iron demand that the body needs will increase from 30 to 50%. Pregnant mothers eat spinach is the simplest way to help supplement iron. Not only that, this vegetable also helps stabilize the fetal weight, prevents the risk of underweight in babies when born.

2. Stabilize blood pressure

Abnormal blood pressure changes are common during pregnancy and are often associated with calcium absorption by the body. High calcium levels can cause hypotension, while low calcium can lead to high blood pressure during pregnancy. Eating spinach is a safe solution to help stabilize blood pressure thanks to the nitrate in this food.

3. Relieve body aches and pains

Body aches are quite common conditions in pregnant women because the body gets heavier when the fetus grows too fast. Spinach contains the active ingredient glycolipid, which has anti-inflammatory properties, helping pregnant mothers reduce the aches and pains in pregnancy very effectively.

4. Prevent hemorrhoids and constipation

Hemorrhoids and constipation are common pregnancy symptoms. This condition will be improved if pregnant women regularly add spinach to the diet. The abundant source of fiber in this vegetable will stimulate bowel movements, help laxatives and reduce the risk of constipation effectively.

5. Good for teeth and bones

Pregnant women who regularly eat spinach will receive a plentiful amount of calcium, helping their baby's teeth and bones to be strong even in the womb. In addition, pregnant mothers eat a lot of spinach can also improve the function of muscles, nerves and circulation.

6. Improve immune system

Spinach is rich in vitamins A and C, which help boost the immune system for pregnant women. Not only that, these nutrients also work to help support the development of baby's eyesight.

7. Prevent fetal defects

Spinach is an abundant source of folic acid for pregnant women. Folic acid is an essential nutrient for fetal neural tube formation during the first trimester. Not only that, pregnant mothers have full folic acid supplementation also help prevent the risk of birth defects that may be encountered in the fetus such as cleft palate , cleft palate or spina bifida .

8. Good for baby's lungs

Spinach is rich in beta - carotene. After being absorbed into the body, this nutrient will be converted into vitamin A, very good for the fetal lung development. In particular, vitamin A also helps the fetus gain healthy weight and promotes the metabolic process in the mother's body to take place effectively.

9. Reduce the risk of preterm birth

Folic acid is not only necessary for the development of the baby, but also especially important for the health of the pregnant mother. During pregnancy, if there is not enough folic acid supplement, pregnant women can easily face the risk of preterm birth . Regularly adding spinach to the daily diet will help ensure folic acid requirements for the body, preventing preterm birth.

What are the risks when pregnant women eat too much spinach?

According to medical experts, every day pregnant women should only eat half a cup of spinach. Because if you eat too much, you run the risk of having the following problems:

Kidney stones: If you eat too much spinach, pregnant women are very susceptible to kidney stones , especially during the second and third trimesters. The reason is that spinach contains oxalic acid, a compound that causes the body to excrete a lot of calcium. In addition, pregnant mothers eat a lot of spinach can also lead to urinary tract infections .

Diarrhea: Pregnant women are prone to diarrhea due to listeria and salmonella infections if they eat spinach that is not washed and processed well. This, if serious, can also lead to miscarriage .

Salicylate allergy: The salicylate found in spinach can cause severe bleeding and prolong the time of labor. Therefore, you should avoid eating this vegetable in the last months of pregnancy.

The dishes from spinach are both delicious and nutritious for pregnant mothers

Here are recipes for some delicious and nutritious spinach dishes that you can include in your daily menu:

1. Spinach Soup

Ingredients to prepare: peas, spinach, onions, stewed broth, flour or cornstarch, spices.

Making:

Wash the peas and spinach clean.

Cut spinach into small pieces.

Diced onion.

Add the garlic to the fry and cook the onions. Pour broth with peas and spinach and cook until tender, tender.

Add a little flour or cornstarch to make the soup taste better.

If you want the dish to be smooth, you can pour the soup into a blender to smooth it and scoop it into a hot bowl.

2. Spinach soup with minced meat

Ingredients to prepare: spinach, dried onion, minced meat, spices.

Processing:

Wash spinach, slice to taste.

Non-aromatic dried onions with a little oil and then minced meat to stir.

Pour a large bowl of water to boil.

Drop spinach in to boil and season to taste.

3. Spinach soup cooked with fresh shrimp

To cook fresh shrimp spinach soup, you need to prepare ingredients such as spinach, fresh shrimp, dried onion, pepper and spices to taste.

Processing:

Wash spinach, slice to taste.

Shrimps washed, removed only back, put in a mortar crushed with purple onions. After the pounding is finished, you should spend a little pepper and fish sauce, stirring the shrimp meat to absorb spices.

Non-aromatic dried onions with a little oil and then crushed shrimp on the island for hunting.

Pour water into the pot, wait for the water to boil a little to cook the shrimp, then add the spinach, season to taste. Ladle into a bowl of hot or cold food is very delicious

Some frequently asked questions when pregnant women eat spinach

1. Should pregnant mother drink spinach juice during pregnancy?

You can drink spinach juice when you're pregnant as long as you squeeze it from fresh, clean, and not too much sugar. However, you should not drink too much to avoid experiencing unnecessary side effects.

2. Should we eat spinach salad during pregnancy?

You can eat it, but wash spinach as well as other vegetables before processing to avoid infection.