Some of us like spicy food. In fact, it does not even classify dishes that are cooked without seasoning! Well, they are not wrong either.. As a matter of fact, spice not only adds flavor to food, but also adds strength to the body! For those of us who are aware of this, there is almost always a reasonable amount of spice in our kitchens.
There are plenty of minerals and vitamins in spices. Many spices are really important for our body health. However, your stomach will spend much more energy digesting such spices, especially spices such as chili pepper and black pepper, so your digestive system will work much faster.
Is Spicy Food Harmful During Pregnancy?
Spices and spicy food are not harmful to you and your developing baby. Spicy dishes can be consumed during pregnancy without going overboard. Because with pregnancy, your body becomes much more sensitive. Spices do not harm you during pregnancy, but your stomach may be sensitive to such foods. Therefore, it is useful to pay more attention to your nutrition during pregnancy.
There are main reasons why spicy food may bother you during pregnancy . These;
1. Hormonal Changes; With pregnancy, hormones affect the stomach muscles. The muscles that help both chew and break down food in your stomach can slow down due to these hormones.
2. Pressure on the Stomach; One of the most common problems in pregnancy is heartburn or reflux with its other name. During pregnancy, a hormone called progesterone relaxes all the muscles and veins in your body. Spicy foods trigger stomach problems such as reflux. As pregnancy progresses, the baby and tummy grow in the womb and put pressure on the stomach. This pressure causes the acids in the stomach to rise, causing heartburn.
3. Heartburn; Heartburn occurs in the first 4 months. Heartburn starts from the lower part of the chest and extends to the lower part of the throat area, it is characterized by a burning sensation.
Some other factors that can cause heartburn during pregnancy are; raw or cooked onions and garlic, fatty foods, and caffeine-containing beverages.
4. Morning Sickness; Spicy foods can worsen morning sickness. Even the mere smell of certain foods and foods can cause nausea and morning sickness during pregnancy.
Possible Alternatives to Spicy Foods During Pregnancy
You cannot give up spicy food during pregnancy; but are these spicy foods hard on your stomach? In this case, we will have some suggestions for you.
Try to eat as much home-cooked food as possible during pregnancy so that you can better control the amount and quality of spices used.
Limit each meal to just one spicy dish.
Instead of spices such as green pepper and red chili powder used in Indian cuisine, jalapeño, chili flakes, oregano, etc., used in Thai and Mexican cuisine. Try to use mild spices.
In addition, sumac, cumin, turmeric or a pinch of cinnamon to add to your desserts will relax you.
Instead of using excessive spices in your meals, be careful to use only as much as you can taste.
As we mentioned before, a pinch of spice does no harm to anyone. On the contrary, it will facilitate digestion after a heavy meal.
If you have questions and thoughts on this subject, please share them with us to help other expectant mothers. You can let us know your thoughts in the leave a reply section below.
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