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Is It Safe To Eat Spicy Foods During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy Tips: Is it safe to eat Spicy Food? | प्रेगनेंसी में मसालेदार खाना है कितना सही | Boldsky

The one way in which we as humans connect to our body is through the food we eat. It is our way of doing something for our body which in turn does so much for us from the moment we are born to our last breath. Ideally, the food that we eat should be nutritional in nature. In fact, our diet must be planned in such a way that it is not just balanced in nature but also the various requirements of the body are met in a fulfilling manner.

However, the fact is that most of us do not adhere to such a diet all the time and we end up giving in to our cravings. This is all the way truer in case of women who are expecting. Indeed, a lot has been said about pregnancy cravings. Now a dilemma that pregnant women often find themselves in is whether they should give in to those cravings and whether the food that they eat will be detrimental to the welfare of their unborn child.

eating spicy food while pregnant myths

This is all the way truer in case of pregnant women who wish to eat spicy food. In this article, we shall explore the consequences of eating spicy food during those 9 months of your life when you are carrying your baby.

  • Spicy Food In The First Trimester
  • Can The Baby Taste Spicy Food?
  • Can The Spicy Food Harm The Baby?
  • Reasons To Avoid Spicy Food

Spicy Food In The First Trimester

Many experts believe that the first trimester is the most crucial part of your pregnancy because this is when most miscarriages happen. Hence, you need to be extremely careful and take good care of yourself during this period. In these few months, many pregnant women experience morning sickness (that may well last the entire day) and that is when their sense of smell goes into an overdrive.

This generally puts the pregnant woman off of a spicier fare. Although consumption of spicy food does not trigger a miscarriage, it may well cause diarrhoea which will lead to fluid loss from the body. With morning sickness being one of your graver problems, compensating for all that fluid loss will be a challenge in itself.

Hence, it will be wise on your part to avoid spicy food (or at least bring down the spicy levels) in the initial few months. For women who do not face any form of morning sickness at all, the consumption of spicy food should not be a problem.

Can The Baby Taste Spicy Food?

Biologically speaking, the unborn baby in the womb is surrounded by the amniotic fluid which protects him or her. The baby does not have the sense of smell that is needed to amplify the sense of taste. She or he will only taste the molecules from the mother's bloodstream.

These molecules are made of food that has been consumed by the mother after breaking up the same into particles that are 100 times smaller. In such a situation, it will be fair to say that the baby's sense of taste is pretty blunted.

However, even under such circumstances, towards the end of pregnancy a baby will be able to start distinguishing food. Different babies have different ways of telling apart one type of food from that of the other. Most women report that they experience their baby hiccupping when they eat spicy food. Some others claim an increase in the frequency of baby kicks when they eat spicy food.

Can The Spicy Food Harm The Baby?

The digestion abilities of a person decrease when she is pregnant. This increases the possibility of heartburn and gas. Spicy foods are known to trigger these conditions. Thus, eating spicy food during pregnancy may be difficult for you. However, if that is not the case and if you are comfortable eating the same then there is no cause of worry here.

As long as the spicy food is not bothering you, it will not cause any harm to the baby. In fact, on a positive note, it is seen that the food that you eat during pregnancy often shapes your child's taste buds. Thus, if you eat a lot of spicy food when you are pregnant with your baby, chances are that in the later years she or he will end up demanding a share in your golgappas and vada pavs.

Reasons To Avoid Spicy Food

The only reason why you should avoid spicy food during pregnancy is for your own comfort. This is particularly true in case of the last trimester. By that time the baby must have grown to a considerable size leading to space issues in the stomach region.

Due to the growing belly, there will be lesser space out there for the normal stomach activities and that will cause the stomach acids to make their way up the esophagus more easily.

Thus, as compared to your normal self, this will result in greater discomfort from spicy food. Another situation under which you must avoid spicy food is when you were not used to the same prior to getting pregnant.

Understand that because of the growing baby, your body is already going through a myriad of changes. These changes range from that of physical to those that are emotional and hormonal. Do not make things more difficult for yourself by giving in to spicy food.

Thus, now that you know that spicy food will not harm your baby in any way, a number of you might be feeling relieved. Indeed, if you are going to eat spicy food during this time, be prepared to share that spicy salsa dip with your child in the coming years.

With respect to eating spicy food and beyond, what you should bear in mind is the fact that during pregnancy it is your body that gives you signals about what you should do and what you should not. Learn to listen to those, and if your body permits there should be nothing that should prevent you from eating those spicy foods (or anything else for that matter). Here's wishing you bon appétit.

Story first published: Monday, August 27, 2018, 12:50 [IST]
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