There are many things that women need to pay attention to during pregnancy. In addition to the need for comprehensive nutrition, it is best for us to understand each food before eating it, so as to Everything is safe. Today I will explain to you in detail the question of whether pregnant women can eat bitter melon.
Can pregnant women eat bitter melon?
Although bitter melon is a bit bitter, pregnant women can eat some bitter melon appropriately. So are there any benefits to pregnant women eating bitter melon? What are the benefits?
Pregnant women have slower gastrointestinal motility. In addition to clearing away heat and relieving summer heat, bitter vegetables such as bitter melon can also stimulate the secretion of saliva and gastric juice and promote gastrointestinal motility. They are useful for improving digestion and absorption of pregnant women. It is beneficial in increasing appetite and other aspects.
Bitter melon has a very good effect on lowering blood sugar and blood lipids. Pregnant women eating some bitter melon can effectively prevent gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes, which is beneficial to the health of pregnant women and fetuses.
Bitter melon has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxifying the human body. Therefore, it has certain curative effect in treating some problems such as heatstroke, fever, fever, thirst, and prickly heat.
During pregnancy, the body temperature of pregnant women rises and it is difficult for the body to dissipate heat. At this time, eating some bitter melon, or drinking bitter melon into juice, can reduce the heat.
Although eating bitter melon has many benefits, pregnant women need to control their food intake to avoid eating too much bitter melon, which may cause harm to the body. Because bitter melon is cold in nature, it may irritate the human gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, pregnant women with weak stomach and intestines should not eat too much bitter melon to avoid diarrhea.
Also note: Bitter melon contains quinine, which can stimulate uterine contraction and cause miscarriage. Therefore, some people suggest that pregnant women should not eat bitter melon. But as a trace element in bitter melon, its effect is minimal. Although the content of quinine in bitter melon is very small, it is not harmful for pregnant women to eat some in moderation. However, to be cautious, pregnant women should eat bitter melon in moderation.
Effects and functions of bitter melon
Bitter melon is rich in nutrients, of which vitamin B1 can prevent and treat beriberi, help the body maintain normal heart function, promote milk secretion and increase appetite. etc.
The vitamin C contained in bitter melon is 10-20 times that of vegetable melon and loofah. It can prevent scurvy, protect cell membranes, detoxify, prevent atherosclerosis, fight cancer, improve the body's stress ability, and prevent Colds, heart protection and other functions. Bitter melon contains polypeptide-p, a substance similar to insulin, which has the effect of lowering blood sugar.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that bitter melon has the effects of clearing heat and relieving summer heat, nourishing blood and replenishing qi, nourishing the kidneys and spleen, nourishing the liver and improving eyesight. It is useful in the treatment of dysentery, sores, fever, polydipsia, heat stroke, excessive prickly heat, Diseases such as conjunctivitis and short red urine have a certain role. Because bitter melon is cold in nature, people with spleen and stomach deficiency should not eat too much.
Precautions for pregnant women to eat bitter melon
Bitter melon is very good for improving digestion and absorption of pregnant women and increasing appetite. However, it should be noted that bitter melon is cool in nature, and pregnant women with weak spleen and stomach should not eat too much.
According to the "Health Times" report, some people believe that bitter melon contains quinine, which may cause miscarriage, so pregnant women should avoid eating bitter melon.
However, doctors believe that quinine, a drug made from active ingredients extracted from plants, does have side effects of stimulating uterine contractions and causing miscarriage. But as a trace element in bitter melon, its effect is minimal or even negligible.
Therefore, pregnant women can still eat bitter melon, but they must pay attention to the amount and should not eat too much.
How to make bitter melon not bitter
Many pregnant women cannot stand the bitter taste of bitter melon, so how can bitter melon be made to maintain its nutritional value without being so bitter? Many people want to boil the food in water to remove the bitter taste. In fact, this method is not appropriate. It is best not to boil bitter melon in water. After boiling, many nutrients will be lost and the taste will be bad. If you want to make bitter melon less bitter, you can try the following methods:
1. When selecting bitter melon, choose a tender one first, so that the bitter taste will not be so strong. The color is emerald green, and the bitter melon with larger bubbles on the surface will have a lighter taste. Bitter melon that is yellow in color and looks dry and flat on the surface will taste very bitter.
2. When cooking, cut the bitter melon in half. The key is to dig out the flesh inside. The flesh is the most bitter, and the white membrane on the inner wall must also be dug out.
Conclusion: Bitter melon is a good nutritional supplement and health-promoting effect for pregnant women and ordinary people. However, pregnant women should be careful not to eat too much bitter melon. It contains trace amounts of quinine, which may cause miscarriage. Therefore There is no problem if you eat bitter melon in moderation, but avoid excessive amounts.