One of the reasons why pregnant women are advised to consume avocados during pregnancy is because this fruit contains folic acid which is good for fetal development. However, is that the only benefit of avocado for pregnant women? Of course, the benefits of avocado for pregnant women are not limited to that, there are many other benefits that you can get. So, it is not surprising that this one fruit is often made a mandatory food choice for pregnant women.
Some Benefits of Avocado for Pregnant Women and Fetuses
The following are some of the benefits of avocado for pregnant women based on the nutrients it contains:
- Source of calories and healthy fats
Pregnant women are advised to gain weight in a healthy way. The way is to consume calorie foods. One fruit that is suitable as a source of calories during pregnancy is avocado. In 1 medium-sized avocado, there are 250 calories. In addition, other benefits of avocado are as a source of healthy fats that are good for pregnant women and play a role in supporting the development of the fetus’ brain and eyes. - Source of fiber
Pregnant women are prone to digestive tract problems, one of which is constipation. This condition is usually caused by a lack of fiber in the pregnant woman’s diet. In addition, hormonal changes also cause the muscles in the pregnant woman’s digestive tract to relax, slowing down the digestion process and movement of food. So to prevent constipation, pregnant women are advised to meet their daily fiber needs. Consuming fruit is the safest way to meet this fiber need, one of the fruits that has a high fiber content is avocado. - Source of various vitamins
Avocado is a source of various vitamins, such as vitamins C, E, K, B5, B6 and folic acid which are important for the health of pregnant women and fetuses. For example, vitamin C is needed by pregnant women and fetuses because it can help protect and maintain cell health, form collagen, repair damaged tissue, accelerate healing, fight infections, and help the body absorb iron. While folic acid is very useful for preventing neural tube defects in the fetus. - Avoiding Neural Defects
Other benefits of avocado for pregnant women are also believed to prevent babies from neural defects during the 9 months in the womb. So during pregnancy, you are advised to consume half a cup of avocado, where each slice contains 59 mcg of folic acid. - Healthy Baby Bones
Lack of folic acid causes bone deformities in babies before birth. Deformities are irregular permanent teeth, due to jaw disorders that are developing, the palate is too curved, later the milk teeth are delayed in falling out. This is what makes pregnant women need avocados. The benefits of avocados for pregnant women are that they provide high folic acid content. This high folic acid can support the growth of the baby’s organs while in the womb. - Preventing Complications
During pregnancy, there are conditions where a mother experiences fatigue. Here, the benefits of avocado for pregnant women can also prevent complications, anemia, insomnia, sudden mood swings and preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is high blood pressure in pregnant women that endangers the baby, even leading to the loss of someone’s life due to contamination by toxins. Although this case only occurs in 5-8% of pregnancies, prevention efforts must still be made, one of which is by consuming avocados every day. - Calcium Intake
The body’s need for nutrition usually increases manifold during pregnancy, including calcium. Avocado with its million calcium contents can certainly meet your needs. The benefits of calcium for pregnant women themselves are very important, namely as a building substance and bone formation in babies. - Faster Absorption of Iron
In addition to folic acid and calcium, vitamin C is also needed to accelerate the absorption of iron in the body during pregnancy. This is because pregnant women often experience anemia. Consuming vitamin C with chemicals is not recommended because it can cause miscarriage, because vitamin C will put more pressure on progesterone. Therefore, consume avocados which are believed to be able to absorb iron faster. - Increase Prolactin Hormone Production
Vitamin E in avocado can produce prolactin hormone. If you are deficient in this hormone, then your emotional condition will be slightly disturbed during pregnancy. In addition, vitamin E is also believed to provide a comfortable environment for the baby and even maintain the beauty of your skin during pregnancy. - Forming Red Blood Cells
Almost the same as the function of vitamin E, but vitamin K in avocado functions to form red blood cells optimally. In addition to blood formation, vitamin K also plays a role in forming bones for the fetus. The benefits of avocado for pregnant women will certainly be very much needed. Therefore, let’s start consuming avocados regularly.
How to Prepare and Variations of Serving Avocado
Choose avocados that are fresh or not too ripe because they can last longer. To store unripe avocados, it is best to choose a place with room temperature. Usually avocados will ripen in the next 4-5 days. If you want to speed up the ripening of avocados, put them in a plastic bag. Ripe avocados will be marked by blackish or dark purple skin and are soft when pressed. At this time, the avocado is ready to be consumed. Before consuming it, wash the avocado until it is completely clean, then cut the fruit according to taste.
A little tip for those of you who only want to use part of the avocado. Do not throw away the avocado seed in the half of the avocado flesh that is not consumed. This can prevent the avocado flesh from turning brown or ripening too quickly. In addition to being consumed directly, avocados can also be served as a complement to sandwiches, or made into juice or smoothies without adding milk.
When pregnant, it is important to choose foods that have complete and healthy nutrition. Avocado can be one of the healthy food choices during pregnancy. Do not hesitate to consult a doctor if the pregnant woman is in doubt or has certain health conditions.
