Broccoli is one of the highly nutritious and healthy green vegetables. It is seen as a super food that contains loads of essential nutrients and benefits. But not every vegetable that is beneficial for you, can be good for you in your pregnancy. Due to this reason, it is very essential to find out whether or not a woman can have broccoli in pregnancy.
Is Eating Broccoli SAFE in Pregnancy?
Having broccoli in the diet at the time of your pregnancy is very safe. There is no need to get anxious. The only thing you need to ensure is that it has to be fresh, clean and in the right amounts. Talking from the nutritional perspective, broccoli has different types of minerals and vitamins along with other types of nutritional agents that make it a perfect food to enhance the health and overall well-being of a pregnant woman. Broccoli is one of the foods that doctors advise to pregnant women for providing a boost of development to the fetus.
Broccoli contains a rich source of fiber, folate, lutein, calcium, carotenoids, and zeaxanthin that fosters healthy vision. Being a good source of potassium, it helps in the management of fluid balance and normalizing blood pressure. Broccoli consists of plenty of raw materials to assist your body in the production of vitamin A. So, yes you can eat this healthy vegetable during pregnancy without any fear and apprehension.
How much Broccoli is permitted to be consumed by a pregnant woman?
To get the best results from any food, your consumption has to be within the permissible limits. The recommended dietary intake of this vegetable is two to three cups of it in different forms. Eating it in the forms of sprouts provides a ton of cardiovascular advantages to the mother as well as the child. The benefits obtained in this form will last forever. So, for you and your baby’s health, you must include broccoli in the sprouted form in your diet.
Amazing health benefits of consuming broccoli during pregnancy
Eating broccoli during pregnancy impacts your health in myriad ways. We have mentioned a few reasons to make this awesome green vegetable a part of your diet especially during pregnancy.
Lowering Constipation: Constipation is one of the issues that most of the pregnant woman face. This happens due to fluctuations of the hormone levels, and consumption of iron supplements, that impacts the stimulation of bowels. Broccoli is rich in fiber and water content that eases bowel movements and give substantial relief from constipation.
Prevents Anemia: Pregnant women have been generally advised iron supplements as their body needs a good supply of blood. Broccoli is a natural iron supplement that boosts the level of iron and folic acid in the body. If you are already consuming iron supplements, the inclusion of broccoli will require an adjustment of the dosage of the supplement to prevent exceeding the admissible limit of iron in the body.
Regulates Diabetes: Pregnancy is seen to set a woman in a specific kind of diabetes, called gestational diabetes. Among the various internal changes happening in the body, one of them is the reduction in the secretion of “insulin”. This is the main element to disintegrate sugar levels in the body. Broccoli helps in maintaining the right levels of sugar content along with taking off the burden from insulin.
Protects The Skin: Another important use of broccoli for a pregnant woman is that it helps in protecting her skin. During pregnancy, the skin of a woman becomes extra sensitive to UV radiations. With easy penetration of these radiations into the skin, the chances of causing skin damage are high. With plenty of skin-beneficial vitamins such as vitamins K, B, E, and A, broccoli aids in protecting the skin, maintaining a healthy structure of skin cells, and bringing a natural radiance to it.
Strengthens Bones: One of the physical changes through which the body of a pregnant woman goes through is a reduction in calcium, zinc and magnesium content. This leads to the possibility of getting affected by osteoporosis. So, doctors advise broccoli to pregnant women to promote bone strength. Being rich in potent elements like zinc, magnesium, and calcium, broccoli is a great addition for keeping bones in the best shape.
Also read: Can I eat cucumber while pregnant?
Conclusion
Whether any vegetable is healthy or tasty or nutritious, you get the best benefits out of it when you consume it in the right amounts. Same is the case with broccoli. Being safe and healthy to consume in your pregnancy, you must ensure that you include the best quality broccoli in your balanced diet. This will help you reap all its benefits in the healthiest way possible.