Dry fruits in pregnancy

Dry fruits are known to be rich in important vitamins, proteins, minerals, and fibre, and they are delicious in taste too. Dry fruits are very healthy and an excellent substitute for salty and fried nutty snacks. They especially prove very beneficial for pregnant ladies.

1) Walnut Benefits

Walnuts, locally known as akhrot, are an important addition to your diet. These are very humble and delicious nuts that are an excellent source of important Omega-3 fatty acids. This nutrient helps in minimising oxidative stress in your brain. These also aid in boosting brain development and protect the health of the brain in unborn children.

2) Apricot Benefits

Eating delicious apricots during the pregnancy period is advised to boost the iron intake of the mother. A handful of these delicious apricots or locally known as khubani, contain about 10% of your daily needs. Expecting mothers are found to be most vulnerable to anaemia. Hence, apricots must be an essential part of a pregnant mother's diet.

3) Fig Benefits

Dried fig or anjeer during pregnancy can be helpful for a mother with digestive problems. Figs contain a good amount of calcium, potassium, iron, copper, and magnesium. Moreover, eating figs during pregnancy helps to minimise constipation owing to the high amount of fibre.

4) Raisin Benefits

Pregnant women are often seen to crave sweets. Raisins during pregnancy can ease that craving for sweets while also they are doubling their intake of iron and fibre. Raisins also locally known as kishmish, help your body absorb the water and subsequently help in creating a laxative effect.

5) Pistachio Benefits

Eating pista during the pregnancy period provides pregnant women with a rich source of energy. It's quite low in calories and has a rich value in nutrition. Having about four to five pistachios regularly during pregnancy can fulfill all your daily requirements of iron, calcium, and folate. All of these nutrients are very essential for the growth and full development of your baby.

6) Cashew Benefits

One of the healthiest nuts you can have during the period of pregnancy is cashew or Kaju. Cashew is full of zinc, calcium, fibre, iron, magnesium, and folic acid. Cashews are also known to be an excellent source of iron and hence increase the level of hemoglobin of a pregnant woman.

Can I eat dry fruits in early pregnancy?

Eating dry fruits regularly early in your pregnancy period is crucial and also very beneficial for your body. Eating a sufficient amount of dry fruits has been associated with having smart and quite intelligent babies in the past.

So you should start eating a handful of dry fruits and other nuts early on in your pregnancy. A handful of walnuts, almonds, raisins, cashew, and dried figs are very good to have during pregnancy. Studies have also suggested that pregnant women who start eating nuts and dry fruits daily in the early stages of their pregnancies have much brainier kids than other pregnant women.

How to eat dry fruits during pregnancy?

Here are a few important tips for consuming dry fruits during your pregnancy period:

It is best to consume these raw dry fruits as a type of snack throughout your day.
Also, if you are a pregnant lady it is better to avoid having dry fruits late at night altogether.
It is recommended to eat raw almonds soaked in water for a night since it increases their nutritional value multifold.
You can also consume these dry fruits and nuts by sprinkling them over a fruit salad. That way, you are able to consume both these dry and fresh fruits simultaneously and have a balance of both in your diet.

Best time to eat dry fruits during pregnancy

Ideally, the best time to eat these dry fruits is early in the morning after soaking them completely in water overnight as it increases their nutritional value. While they provide quite healthy alternatives to junk food, you should avoid consuming dry fruits at night as they can disturb your digestive system.

Is it safe to eat dry fruits during pregnancy?

According to some medical experts, dried fruits usually contain the same amount of nutrients as fresh fruits. That means pregnant women can easily obtain all of their vitamins and minerals by consuming smaller portions of fresh seasonal fruits than the same amount of fresh and watery fruits. Thus, you should always have a balance and try not to over-indulge in having them. So, yes, it is very safe to consume dry fruits during the pregnancy period.

A word of caution is that it is very important to remember here that these dry fruits can be high in sugar content and do not have the same amount of water content present in those as fresh fruit, which means that dry fruits won’t aid your digestive system. Therefore, pregnant women should only eat these dried fruits in moderation. You can also take them with fresh fruits. You should not consume anything that can interfere with your or your baby's health in any way.

Safety measures while eating dry fruits

Here are some of the precautions that you must take while eating these various dry fruits:

You should avoid having these dry fruits with any kind of preservatives or added sugars.
You should always select only sun-dried fruits, which means those which have dried naturally instead of processed fruits.
You should always store these dry fruits and nuts in a closed container so that you can prevent any mould formation.
You should also check for any rotten dried fruit or for a foul smell before consuming them.
You need to strictly avoid such dry fruits which have been by any means discoloured.

Summing Up

To sum up, dry fruits are an extremely good source of nutrients for pregnant women. However, you should never consume them in excess or eat dry fruits that are rotten, discoloured, or have been processed. Always remember to pair dry fruits with fresh fruits to reduce any side effects of consuming dry fruits.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When can I start eating dry fruit during pregnancy?

You should start consuming dry fruits and nuts early in your pregnancy. A handful of almonds, raisins, walnuts, and dried figs are very nutritious during pregnancy. Women who start consuming nuts and dry fruits early on in their pregnancies have brainier kids.

2. Is almond good for pregnancy?

Almonds have essential vitamins, fat, and protein. Each of these can really help to make the pregnancy healthy. On a daily basis, 4 to 6 almonds are enough. In pregnancy up to 20 almonds a day are enough.

3. Which dry fruit is good during pregnancy?

Cashew nuts, almonds, raisins, walnuts, prunes, dates, and pistachios are some of the dry fruits and nuts that are excellent for pregnant women. As dry fruits are very nutritious, you should aim to incorporate the recommended quantity in your diet daily.

References

Date fruit consumption at term: Effect on length of gestation, labour and delivery