From that moment when the doctors smile at you and congratulate you and you head off to announce to your partner that you are expecting a baby one of the things that will be in your mind is to make plans to take out time to take good care of your body especially for the fellow growing inside. Asides from all the associated budgets in buying new clothing, fixing a nursery and all, one important decision are to plan how to eat a very balanced and healthy meal. You will be planning on how to gain some calories during this period. One sure way of achieving this is adding avocados to your diet. In this column, we will be looking at the nutritional values of the avocado pear and how its benefits for pregnant women
Folic Acid: Your baby needs folic acid for the development of her organs. A deficiency of foliate can lead to bone deformities in your unborn baby. Intake of folic acid prevents neural defects in the baby. Butter fruit is rich in folic acid. A half a cup of raw, sliced avocado contains 59mcg of folic acid). Just add it to your diet and let the folic acid work wonders for your little one. Folic acid is also known to prevent complications like depression, lethargy, anemia, insomnia, mood swings, and preeclampsia. You can thus maintain good health in pregnancy with folic acid.
Contains Calcium: Butter fruit also contains calcium. During pregnancy, your body’s need for calcium goes up manifold. That is why it is important to take a calcium-rich diet. Consuming avocado will take care of your body’s calcium needs.
Full of Vitamins: Avocado is a storehouse of vitamins. Vitamins C, E, K, B1, B2, and B6 are important for the health of pregnant women and that of their growing baby. Some claim to get relief from nausea with avocados. Vitamin B6 contained in them helps battling morning sickness.
Prevents Anemia: Deficiency of iron can cause anemia in pregnant women. Fortunately, a few slices of butter fruit a day can rule out this danger. Avocado is rich in iron, making it beneficial for pregnant women.
Boosts Digestion: You are likely to suffer from tummy trouble during pregnancy. Constipation especially stalks pregnant women throughout the nine months. Butter fruit contains a lot of fiber. Our body needs fiber to digest food properly. Therefore, you just need to add butter fruit during pregnancy to boost your bowel movement.
Perfect Source of Good Fat: You need to gain weight during pregnancy. However, you need to do so in a healthy manner. Junk food will just fill your body with fat that you will have trouble burning. Butter fruit, on the other hand, is full of calories and monounsaturated fats. These ‘good’ fats will help you get the needed calories. A 3.5-ounce serving of butter fruit contains about 177 calories. The saturated fat helps in developing cell structures like the membrane of your baby. As your baby starts growing, millions of new cells are created that consist of membranes made of fat.
Aids Absorption of Nutrients: Butter fruit does not only give you loads of nutrition, but it also helps you absorb the nutrients from other sources too! In fact, research shows that consuming butter fruit can help improve carotenoid absorption by the body
Baby Brain Development: A cup of avocado contains 22 mg of choline that aids brain development and healthy nerve development of your baby.
Eases Leg Cramps: Leg cramps are common during pregnancy. If you are experiencing them in your pregnancy, you can expect some relief from avocados. These contain potassium that helps ease cramps.
