starchy foods indian avoid during pregnancy?

Must-Know Indian Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Today we are joining your beloved mothers and aunties over this and are going to suggest Indian foods to avoid during pregnancy. All this so that you keep yourself safe from any harm.
Food Story During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is the most special moment in a woman | s life. If you are a mother, you already know that. It is a phase where you feel excited and scared at the same time! But if you are expecting and going through that rollercoaster of emotion, well know that you | re not alone!

So might as well enjoy this rollercoaster, right? And why not top it with a healthy diet and make this beautiful phase truly memorable!

During this phase, your diet plays a vital role in the well-being of your baby. Cravings are on an all-time high and they get weird in terms of taste like | pickles with chocolate | . But you must keep control for a few months and be very careful about your diet as it is beneficial for your baby.

Top health practitioners suggest that a pregnant lady must avoid packaged and adulterated food items. One can relish iron-rich products, seasonal organic vegetables and fruits like jamun and mango and homemade nutritious cow ghee atta ladoos.

And while there are hundreds of things to eat, here is a list of a couple of Indian foods to avoid during pregnancy.

Read on for the pregnancy food gyan!
10 Indian Foods To Avoid During Pregnancy

1. Fish and Seafood
Do you eat non-veg? Then you must know that large fishes contain a high level of mercury. Mercury is very harmful to infants or young children since it can cause brain damage and harm to the nervous system.

Pregnant women are asked to avoid consuming large fish such as tuna, swordfish, shark, marlin, walleye and so on. Canned tuna is said to have a low level of mercury as compared to the other tuna. Thus, you can take it to a limit.

2. Eggplant
Some foods like eggplant AKA brinjal, are the most commonly eaten in almost every Indian household. Eggplant is considered to be the best food for treating amenorrhoea and premenstrual disorders.
Many times gynaecologists strictly prohibit consuming brinjal during pregnancy if you experienced any complications in the past.

3. Unpasteurized Milk and its Products
One should always boil the milk before drinking it.
Boiled milk kills all germs and protects you from diseases, microbial infection because such infections can be very harmful to the growth of the baby.
Milk is very important during pregnancy as it provides nourishment and strength for the growing baby as well as the mother.

4. Sesame Seeds
You will be astonished to know that dry sesame seeds were used as a medicine in the early period to stimulate abortion. Sesame seeds stimulate the uterine muscles causing the ejection of the fertilized ovum.
Experts suggest that all pregnant women must avoid the intake of sesame seeds during the first three to four months of pregnancy. They can consume other dry fruit nuts including raisins, almonds, groundnut, walnut, etc.

5. Papaya
Papaya can stimulate an abortion. Thus, it is very dangerous to consume during pregnancy. The raw papaya contains a chemical substance – papain – that is responsible for uterine contractions. This chemical strongly restricts fetal growth.
Eating raw papaya during the early days or in the last stages of pregnancy is a strict no-no.

6. Ajinomoto
Though a staple ingredient in Chinese and Indian street food, ajinomoto is not at all good for health. The reason behind this is that ajinomoto contains monosodium glutamate which affects the development of the fetal brain.

7. Pineapple
Bromelain is one of the compounds present in pineapple which can cause softening of the cervix. This chemical can lead to opening up the cervix which causes an abortion. It is also believed that pineapple can increase the body temperature rapidly which can fluctuate the blood pressure and become a solid reason for abortion or premature birth.

8. Fennel and Fenugreek Seeds
Fennel and fenugreek seeds are diuretics and advised for consumption in people who want to reduce bloating. Loss of water in pregnant ladies can disturb the concentration of the amniotic fluid.
Amniotic fluid nourishes the growing fetus and keeps it safe from infections.
Fenugreek seeds contain high amounts of phytoestrogens, which compress the uterine walls and cause the lining to shed. These seeds are helpful in purifying the uterus, increase milk production hence one can consume them after the delivery. Also, fenugreek seeds have a high potential to stimulate menstruation.

9. Refined Flour Products
Always maintain a distance from refined-flour made food products such as bread, pasta, noodles, cookies, pizza etc. Not just these but also never take packaged and ready-made food items like pickles, chutneys, sauces in your diet. These foods contain preservatives and chemicals which can harm the growing baby.
Refined flour can cause issues like bloating and constipation. Any pressure on the womb while excreting can cause bleeding or spotting.

10. Grapes
A pregnant woman should keep her hands off from grapes especially during the last phases of conception. Do you know why? Grapes can rapidly boost body temperature and rising body temperature can cause unwanted complexities.
Resveratrol is the compound present in the grapes that can cause many difficulties in pregnant women like hormonal imbalance. Overdosage of grapes can also cause many stomach related disorders which are not at all good for your healthy baby.
Ponder Over Advice

Too much advice can irritate people and pregnant women are already high on hormones so they can get cranky from time to time.

What comes in handy is if they ask questions like what is healthy and what is not? Food is the highlight of any pregnancy and cravings are cherished. But, not all cravings are gender-related and not all cravings are good.

The list of food items given above is easy to avoid as they are not a core part of our Indian diet. Street food should be left on the streets and not consumed because of the risk of infections. If you follow this, half the battle is won!

Absorb the advice given by the people around you because pregnancy is a very delicate stage. Like we said, enjoy the phase but also keep an eye on Indian foods to avoid during pregnancy.