Mango is a favorite fruit for pregnant women because it has a mixture of sour and sweet taste that makes that can reduce nausea which is mostly experienced by pregnant women. Besides it turns out fresh, mango is recommended to be consumed during pregnancy because it is rich in vitamins and minerals which are needed during pregnancy such as iron, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B6, potassium, and magnesium. Here are 9 potential benefits of mango during pregnancy based on its nutritional content:
Anemia is a condition that often occurs during pregnancy. Pregnant women need to consume iron supplement to prevent anemia, but instead of supplementation, mango offers a healthy iron-rich diet to be consumed. Its benefits to prevent anemia can be done by taking a regular intake of 2 mangoes per day to increase the red blood cell count in pregnant women.
One of the great mango benefits during pregnancy is essential for fetal development. Mango is rich in folic acid which is necessary for optimizing the development of the fetal brain and nervous system in the first trimester of pregnancy. Folic acid helps to prevent neural tube defects in fetal that may happen in early pregnancy.
Mango is high in dietary fiber which is essential for the digestive system. Because of this high fiber content, mango can help overcome the constipation symptoms that are often complained by pregnant women. The digestive system will work smoothly and defecate will be done without constraint anymore. However, the pregnant woman should not consume mango in large portions at a time because there will be excessive gas in the stomach that makes the stomach becomes uncomfortable. Get health benefits of mango in pregnancy by consuming it in a proper amount, not too much and not less.
Vitamin C contained in mango acts as a potent antioxidant to prevent the free radicals in the body. Free radicals are unstable molecules that come from solar radiation, cigarettes, or any chemical substances in the environment. Besides leading to cancer, free radical can disturb the fetal development during pregnancy. Consume vitamin C as an antioxidant can let the fetal grow and develop in a good condition. In addition, you can get another benefits by its vitamin C action which can reduce the risk of preterm labor.
The other benefits of mango during pregnancy come from its vitamin A contained. Vitamin A is an important vitamin that can specifically target in the baby’s body during pregnancy. This vitamin helps the baby’s bone and teeth formation and essential for the health of the baby’s eyes and as their immune system. If the pregnant women do not get enough vitamin A during pregnancy, there will be vision problem for their baby. However, please beware about the amount of vitamin A consumed because vitamin A overdose can cause liver toxicity for the baby. If you are using vitamin A supplement, you should talk to your doctor about the dose.
Besides folic acid, the benefits of mango during pregnancy to help the development of the fetal brain and nervous system come from its vitamin B6 contained. This vitamin is crucial for baby’s nervous system and the development of red blood cell.
Preeclampsia is a hypertension condition in pregnancy which can lead to seizure during pregnancy. Mango has magnesium contained as a great natural remedy for high blood pressure during pregnancy. Besides, the vitamin E contained can help to build fetal muscle and becomes the other benefits of mango for pregnant to prevent preeclampsia.
The freshness taste of mango helps to avoid morning sickness becomes the other benefits. The sweet and sour tastes are mixing into one delicious taste for pregnant women. Besides of the freshness taste, this fruit contains also vitamin B6 which can reduce morning sickness symptom.
Creating body fluids in balancing condition is one of the benefits of mango during pregnancy. Mango has potassium contained, a substance that useful for maintaining body fluid balance. If there is too much fluid in the body, it can be dangerous for pregnant women. The heart will overload and the fluid will accumulate in the legs to make an edema so the pregnant women will difficult to walk.
9 potential benefits have been explained above. However be careful of the high sugar quantity of this fruit. Mango contains 15g sugar per 100g which makes this fruit naturally sweet. You should avoid this if you have gestational diabetes where the blood sugar increases during pregnancy. You can consume them maximum 2 mangoes per day.
Be careful also to the artificially ripened mango. It uses calcium carbide which harms for both of the mother and the baby. Watch out for the signs of artificially ripened mango include a garlicky smell, a white powdery coating, soft to touch, ripe outside but unripe inside, and time to ripen quicker than normal mango. To reduce the possibility buying artificially ripened mango, try to buy the mangoes when in season and buy them in your trustable fruit merchant.