Almost every woman has craving for spicy food during pregnancy. With lots of do’s and don’ts as well as myths and facts, it becomes difficult to decide if spicy food is safe to eat when you are carrying a baby in your womb. Read on to learn facts and myths regarding eating spicy foods in pregnancy period.Do you love eating spicy food? Do you think a meal is incomplete without spice in it? Well many of you have an increasing fondness for spicy food. But does your pregnancy report show positive result? Are you worried now that you cannot enjoy the spicy foods? Well, the good news is that scientific research has shown that spicy food is safe for pregnant women, but of course, that does not mean you gulp down all the chilies that are on the plate.
In many households pregnant ladies are not allowed to eat spicy food and chilies as it is believed to cause miscarriage. Therefore, you must consult your doctor before including spicy food in your
diet during pregnancy.
Let us see how spicy food affects pregnancy.
Can I Eat Spicy Food During Pregnancy?
If you have a habit of eating spicy food, then it would not be a problem to continue enjoying spicy food even when you are pregnant. But, you must make sure that you do not have excessive spicy food. Spicy foods do not affect your unborn baby, but there is a chance that it can affect you. Spicy food may cause some stomach problems; otherwise you can keep relishing your spicy food during pregnancy.
Harmful Effects of Eating Spicy Food during Pregnancy
Spicy foods have no such harmful effects on your baby during pregnancy. But it can be harmful to you if you have never had spicy food in your earlier life and are getting spicy craving only after you have become pregnant. As your stomach is not used to spicy food in that case, you may have an upset stomach, accompanied by
heartburn, stomach cramps, burning sensation during motion, and other unpleasant digestive problems. Spicy food can trigger
morning sickness, which again may cause nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. In such cases, you should opt for some milder options.
Myths Regarding Eating Spicy Food during Pregnancy
There are many myths related to consumption of eating spicy food during pregnancy. Spicy food has a bad reputation to affect pregnancy – which is not true. The biggest myth is that spicy food may lead to
preterm labour – there are no such studies supporting this myth. Other myths are that spicy foods may cause miscarriage or birth defects, which are plain misconceptions. Even during breastfeeding, the spice passing through your milk to the baby does not do any harm to your baby. In fact, it exposes the baby to a wider food palette, which is good.
Eat Spicy Foods in the Correct Manner
To ward off the
digestion problems related to consumption of spicy food, it is advisable to try eating spicy foods in small amounts. You need to be careful of how much spice you are adding while you are cooking your food. Then gradually, as you adapt to the level of spice and see no signs of stomach problems, you can increase the quantity of spice or quantity of spicy food you are consuming. But always be careful when you eat packaged foods as the spices may be contaminated in them. Also, check the expiry dates.
Spicy Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
Spicy foods may not be harmful during pregnancy, but there are few foods that may be spicy but are not recommended to consume during pregnancy. For example, spicy undercooked and raw eggs, poultry, meats, seafood, and deli meats should be avoided, because they have a higher chance to cause listeriosis in pregnant mothers causing miscarriage or preterm labour.
There are no studies that prove spicy food is harmful for pregnancy. But there are researches that have shown that Thai and Mexican dishes that are spicy have caused stomach problems in few pregnant women. As every pregnancy is not the same, few mothers can eat spicy food without any problem, and few of them just cannot tolerate. So you should know your pregnancy and which food affects your pregnancy. The best way is to consult your doctor so that he or she can recommend appropriate diet plan that suits you and pregnancy.
Is it healthy to eat spicy food during pregnancy? Is it harmful to eat spicy food during pregnancy? Are there any benefits of eating spicy food during pregnancy? Discuss here 
