Brinjal or eggplant is one of those delicious vegetables which are not only high in nutrients but also able to be cooked in the form of various dishes. It can be simply fried, baked, boiled, steam even a vegetarian could enjoy the veggie pizza with brinjal or eggplant as the toping. The taste which is soft, sweet and juicy is the reason why brinjal is one of favorite types of vegetables.
During pregnancy, a mother should make sure all the nutrients are fulfilled. Consuming vegetables is a must and health benefits of brinjal during pregnancy might help a pregnant mother in designing their daily diet. Below are some benefits of brinjal that a pregnant mother should know:
- Increase immune system
Brinjal is vegetables which is rich of vitamin C. The vitamin C contained in brinjal is almost as higher as any citrus variety. Investigations have been done that any fruits or vegetables which are high of vitamin C could increase the body resistance toward various diseases. As the result of high resistance of diseases is the increase of immune system. During pregnancy, a mother should avoid all kinds of health problem, even as simple as flu, because once they fell sick, they should deal with it without any medical treatment because even the simplest flu medicine could cause harm to the fetal.
- Maintain strength bones and teeth
There is no doubt that a pregnant mother needed calcium, magnesium and phosphorus to maintain the strength of bones and teeth and brinjal is very rich of those three properties. By consuming brinjal or eggplant, a pregnant mother could provide both her body and her baby enough calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. For mothers, those three properties could help them maintaining their body during and after pregnancy, and for the fetal those three properties has important role to build strong bones and teeth.
- Freed women from free radical
Antioxidants is the prominent key for women to deal with free radical and brinjal contained of nasunin found in the peels of brinjal which could work as cell protection and prevent infection. Antioxidants is also able to boost immunity which could help a mother maintaining their health during pregnancy.
- Reducing the risk of hypertension
Brinjal or eggplan contained thiamin and riboflavin which are good to treat hypertension. Pregnant woman is very susceptible of hypertension and blood pressure especially those who have hypertension history. It is because during pregnancy mothers are not only focusing on their health but also the growth of the fetal. They should consume a lot of foods to make sure the fetal gets enough nutrients, the problem is every time a mother ate not all the nutrients will be absorbed by the fetal and as the effects the over dose of fat and protein which enter the body could harm the mother and caused hypertension.
- Increase the red blood cell
Folate acid is irreplaceable during pregnancy. Folate from brinjal will be turned into folate acid when entering body system, this kind of acid has prominent role in producing red blood cell which without which could cause serious problems during pregnancy and the worst case might lead to a baby born with birth defect. During pregnancy red blood cell is essential not only to the growth of the brain but also to the build of muscle, nerves and bones.
- Reduce stomach problem
The high dietary fiber contained in brinjal could quicken the move of food and waste inside the intestinal muscle which reduce digestion problem during pregnancy.
Side Effects
However, consuming brinjal in large amount could cause the opposite. Knowing the side-effect of eating brinjal is also a must for a pregnant mother:
- Contain Diuretic Content
Just like phytohormones, diuretic content contained in brinjal could stimulate menstruation, that’s why avoiding it in early stage of pregnancy is recommended.
- High in phytohormones
This type of hormone could trigger menstruation that could lead to miscarriage. However, consuming it in small portion is still safe for pregnant mother.
- High level of acidity
It is true that not all pregnant women suffered morning sickness but if you do, please avoid brinjal because the high level of acidity in brinjal will make the condition worse.
- Risk of infection
Well, as mentioned above brinjal or eggplant is very high of vitamin C which is good for immunity but the way you process the food could cause the opposite. Just like any vegetables, especially non-organic vegetables, you have to be careful with all chemicals that might be used during plantation and harvesting, so the way you clean and cook the brinjal is very important, besides some worm or parasites that might be contaminated the brinjal also could cause harm to the fetal.
- Allergies
Allergies is one of the side effect of consuming brinjal during pregnancy but not all women will suffer it, only those who have tendency of allergy. However, during pregnancy a women could undergo some hormonal changes and one of the effects is allergy reaction toward some foods.
- Weight Gain
It is closely related to how you cook the brinjal. Fried brinjal might be tasty but it is absorbing a lot of oil during the process that might cause a weight gain.
Be a smart mother when it comes to daily diet during pregnancy. Brinjal is just one example of food that might be high in nutrients and proven to be good during pregnancy but for some mothers with morning sickness tendency and cervical weakness condition should avoid consuming brinjal in early stage of pregnancy. No matter how healthy you feel during pregnancy, doctor consultation should be put in your regular monthly schedule.