Right from the time you conceive you have to be cautious about what you do and eat. With a long list of food items you should make sure what to eat and what to avoid because a food item that was good for you might become dangerous when you are pregnant. Read on to learn whether honey is safe during pregnancy or not.Pregnancy brings a lot many changes in your eating habit. One fine day, you find that you are pregnant, and the food that was beneficial for you few days ago can turn out to be dangerous now.
Even there are few foods that are dangerous for your newborn baby after delivery, but are beneficial when the bun is inside your oven. An example of such food is honey - you might freak out thinking that how can you eat honey during pregnancy as it is considered fatal for infants until after their first birthday, but its benefits during your
pregnancy may surprise you.
How Is Honey Good for You?
Honey is filled with a lot of glucose, fructose, and many other types of sugars, which offer numerous nutritional benefits. Honey also contains an array of minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and enzymes, which help in providing antibacterial and antioxidant properties to you.
Many immunity-raising tonics have honey in them or are advised to take along with a spoon of honey. This is because honey is known to boost immunity, thus fighting small cough and cold and making your minor cuts and wounds heal faster. It soothes sore throat.
Honey also works as a natural remedy for burns as it possesses natural analgesic properties. Honey reduces the risk of heart disease and certain cancers due to the presence of antioxidants and flavonoids in it.
Benefits of Eating Honey during Pregnancy
Honey is packed with nutrients as mentioned earlier, which is a plus for your
pregnancy diet. Apart from that, the antibiotic properties of honey keep you away from small infections during pregnancy. Honey also helps in reducing allergic reactions.
You can even keep your calorie intake in limit by having honey as it is a healthy and natural sweetener, so you can reach out to honey for your sweet cravings without any fear of unnecessary
weight gain when you are expecting. Often pregnant women get ulcers, which are found to be reduced by having honey.
Is Your Honey Pasteurized?
Pasteurization is a process of killing any harmful microbes from food such as honey, milk, etc. Experts say it is better to avoid raw honey and have honey that is pasteurized. This reduces the chance of any harm caused by disease-causing bacteria that can be risky for you or your unborn baby.
Can I Eat Honey during Pregnancy
There is no need to worry about botulism spores of honey passing to your unborn baby, because that never happens – the spores get killed in a pregnant woman’s digestive system itself. But are you sure if you do not react to botulism spores? Yes, there are few adults who are allergic to botulism spores and can pose risk if exposed to such spores. So you should be sure about your allergies, and then only you can enjoy honey during your pregnancy.
Tips to Remember When You Shop
When you are buying honey, you must double-check that your honey is pasteurized. Usually, all the commercially available honey has undergone this process, but there is no harm to ask if you have any doubt while you are shopping. Choose honey that is organic in nature and has undergone minimal processing, and buy honey only marketed by trusted brands.
No matter how much you are sure of what you are eating is right or wrong, the best way is to discuss with your doctor about your diet. Your
doctor can tell you the best if any food is safe for you or not, as every pregnancy is different, so generalizing diet for pregnancy is not a good idea. Always consult doctor about your diet and have a safe pregnancy.
