Pineapple during pregnancy: benefit or harm?

While waiting for the baby, the mother’s body spends most of its reserves on the development of the fetus. Therefore, the expectant mother must include vegetables and fruits in her daily diet, including tropical fruits. One of them is pineapple.

On the one hand, the composition of this fruit is rich in vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, its use can provoke allergies and other unexpected body reactions.

Most experts agree that you can eat this fruit in small quantities at any stage of pregnancy. It is low in calories and has many health benefits. But in some situations, the use of a tropical fruit must be limited.

How to use pineapple for a future mother to get the maximum benefit and avoid unpleasant consequences?

What is useful pineapple for pregnant women?

Pineapple is 85% water. Despite this, it contains many important substances that will be useful for pregnant women. This fruit has a unique vitamin composition and great nutritional value.

1. B vitamins improve memory and normalize the functioning of the brain and nervous system.
2. The fruit helps reduce the risk of toxicosis, heartburn and flatulence.
3. Bromelain (a complex of enzymes) in the fruit’s composition contributes to better protein absorption. And getting into the stomach has an antiseptic effect, eliminating pathogenic bacteria and toxins. In addition, bromelain improves mood and cleanses blood vessels.
4. The fetus’s pulp contains many useful substances necessary for the expectant mother: iron, copper, potassium, zinc, calcium, manganese, and iodine.
5. The fruit improves metabolism and increases the production of enzymes necessary for normal digestion.
6. Vitamin C, part of the fetus, strengthens the immune system and helps eliminate edema.
7. The fruit contains folic acid. It ensures the correct formation of the neural tube of the unborn baby and prevents the development of pathologies of the brain and nervous system.

Pineapple increases the level of hemoglobin, which is especially important during the period of expectation of a child. In addition, the active substances in their composition prevent the occurrence of another common problem among pregnant women – varicose veins.

Possible harm and contraindications

Despite the rich composition, in some cases, the doctor may advise excluding pineapple from the diet. Exotic fruits are unusual for our bodies, so their use can cause allergies. In a pregnant woman, the risk of its occurrence increases.

Due to the high content of fruit acids, pineapple can exacerbate chronic gastrointestinal diseases. In addition, acids actively destroy tooth enamel and can contribute to the appearance of caries. Therefore, after eating the fruit, it is recommended to rinse your mouth with water.

A large amount of bromelain can provoke uterine tone. Therefore, in the first trimester, you must use pineapple carefully.

If a pregnant woman wants pineapple, you can treat yourself to a few pieces in the absence of serious contraindications. The main thing is to observe the measure.

Eating pineapple at different stages of pregnancy.

While waiting for the baby, the mother’s body can react negatively to even the most familiar foods. What can we say about exotic fruits – a pregnant woman needs to be especially careful with them. What benefits and harms can pineapple bring at different stages of pregnancy?

First trimester

The fruit’s sweet and sour taste will help cope with nausea and other manifestations of toxicosis. You can carry a few pieces of dried pineapple with you to quickly relieve an attack of nausea anywhere. And you can start your morning with half a glass of freshly squeezed pineapple juice. It improves appetite and overall well-being.

The expectant mother needs to remember that during this period, the risk of allergies and the threat of termination of pregnancy increases. Therefore, it is especially important to listen to your well-being and immediately consult a doctor if alarming symptoms appear:

• pain or heaviness in the abdomen;
• diarrhea, vomiting;
• Manifestations of allergies: itching and redness on the skin, cough, runny nose, difficulty breathing.

Second trimester

It is considered the safest and most peaceful period. Without contraindications, the expectant mother can regularly indulge herself with various fruits, including pineapple. It will help prevent constipation and relieve swelling. In addition, it helps restore emotional balance and improves mood.

third trimester

In late pregnancy, the amount of pineapple in the diet should be reduced. This is due to the fact that excessive consumption of this fruit can cause an increase in the tone of the uterus. In addition, pineapple thins the blood. And at 39-40 weeks of pregnancy, the blood in the woman’s body thickens a little to protect the mother from excessive blood loss during childbirth.

Doctors recommend regular consumption of pineapple and those women who are just getting ready for pregnancy. Bromelain in the composition of the pulp blocks androgens, which can interfere with the fertilization of the egg.

Daily intake of pineapple

Experts recommend expectant mothers consume no more than 80-100 g of fresh pineapple 2-3 times a week. This amount will be enough to get all the benefits of the fruit. Too frequent use of the fruit can cause allergies even in those who did not have it before.

Instead of pineapple slices, you can drink freshly squeezed juice. It will retain all the benefits of the fruit but contain less coarse fiber. The norm for drinking a drink is no more than one glass three times a week. To reduce acidity, the juice must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1.

What is the best way to eat pineapple during pregnancy?

The fruit is sold fresh, frozen, dried and canned. Which of them will be the most useful for pregnant women?

1. Fresh and frozen – contain a maximum of vitamins and nutrients. It can be added to salads or eaten separately from other products.
2. Dried – contains more sugar than fresh. Therefore, it should be consumed in small quantities.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the canned product.

Canned pineapple during pregnancy

Such a product contains practically no benefit, but it contains a lot of sugar, dyes and preservatives. Therefore, it is not recommended to use it during pregnancy. The same goes for packaged pineapple juice.

Experts agree that it is best to eat fresh pineapple. The main thing is to choose a quality fruit.

How to choose a pineapple during pregnancy

A spoiled fruit can cause poisoning, and an unripe pineapple will be very difficult to digest. Pineapples are picked slightly underripe to bring them to their destination intact. Therefore, you need to choose the fruit very carefully. What to look for when buying?

1. The fruit should have a delicate, barely perceptible smell. The lack of aroma indicates the immaturity of the fruit. And the sharp, sweet smell shows that the pulp is overripe and fermentation processes have already begun inside.
2. The top leaves should tear off easily and be juicy. Yellow and dry tops indicate that the fruit has begun to deteriorate. Try to rotate the top around its axis. If it spins easily, the fruit is ripe.
3. The bottom part should be dry and have a yellow tint.
4. Feel free to buy if a dull sound is heard when tapping on a pineapple. This is a sign of ripe fruit. 
5. Fruit scales should be even, without spots and damage.

Using this exotic fruit in a small amount will only benefit the expectant mother. But it is better to discuss this issue with your doctor in advance.