Medicinal herbs and spices have eased the lives of pregnant women. When it comes to some of the top used spices during pregnancy, cumin or jeera is probably the most widely used spice in households. Starting from dishes to water, cumin is highly beneficial for all. However, when it comes to pregnant women, the question remains unsolved for many moms-to-be about jeera during pregnancy.
Do you know that India is the largest producer of jeera globally? However, being native to Egypt, cumin grew its popularity as a medical herb and spice with a distinct flavor and amazing taste. Cumin has a pungent smell, nutty-flavored, and aromatic spice found in almost every kitchen making curries.
Cumin is the second-most used spice in the world after the black pepper. Whether ‘cumin during pregnancy is safe’ is a common question as many women may have been using it inadvertently in their regular diets. With cumin having such a stronghold in the kitchens, it is easy to question its daily use in the different trimesters of pregnancy. Let us know all about this in detail, starting with the safety concerns of using jeera during pregnancy.
Is It Safe To Consume Jeera During Pregnancy?
“Some friend recommended me to use cumin during pregnancy; however, I’m still afraid of its damage to my baby’s development. One thing that comes to my mind is that are there any side effects of jeera water during pregnancy?” This is not the case of a single pregnant woman but is the issue of many pregnant women when some say it is good for digestion while others say it is bad for the baby’s health.
Pregnant women are always on their toes when it comes to the safety of their babies. For example, it may be safe for some to consume jeera water for normal delivery, while others may find issues with its intake. Hence, there can’t be one Omni solution to the question of every pregnant woman as the use of cumin depends on their pre-pregnancy health, pregnancy health, and other medical conditions.
Related Reading: What Teas Are Safe To Drink While Pregnant?
Jeera may be included in small amounts during pregnancy in different dishes but while consuming in concentrated forms like jeera water or jeera tea; strong discretion is recommended. With so much going on with a pregnant woman and other biological changes, it is important to stay extra cautious even with the consumption of jeera water. Let us help find out if it is ok to consume jeera water.
Can I have jeera water during pregnancy?
Before answering the issue of taking jeera during pregnancy, it is important to go through the nutritional benefits of cumin. As per the United States Department of Agriculture, the nutritional content of cumin includes:
Calculate Due Date With LMP
- Calories: 7.88 kcal
- Protein: 0.37 g
- Fat: 0.47 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.93 g
- Calcium: 19.6 mg
- Iron: 1.39 mg
- Magnesium: 7.69
The nutritional benefits of cumin ensure that it can be consumed in different ways, like in tea or boiled water. All it takes is to measure three tablespoons of jeera with one and a half-liter of water and let it boil. Strain the water after boiling for five minutes and let it cool for about 30 minutes. Pregnant women can refrigerate it for different days or go for the freshly prepared jeera water.
Benefits Of Cumin During Pregnancy
While jeera can be consumed in different ways during pregnancy, there is a long list of the benefits of jeera during pregnancy. For example, pregnant women are usually prone to anemia because their body has to work hard to supply blood to the mother and the baby. The jeera water contains iron to increase the blood supply and help the body recover from exhaustion due to the least amounts of hemoglobin.
Jeera is a crucial spice that increases the body’s metabolism as it increases the heat in the body. It becomes easy to get toxins out of the body through the intestines. The consumption of cumin during pregnancy replenishes the body’s energy due to slow metabolism. It is ideal for pregnant women who feel tired or sluggish due to the least energy.
Blood pressure spikes are usual for pregnant women, impacting baby and mother’s health. The potassium present in the jeera regulates the smooth blood flow through vessels. Further, any cough or cold-related issues in pregnant women can be effectively treated using jeera water. Hence, it positively affects the respiratory tract and improves the mother’s health.
Jeera during pregnancy helps boost immunity, especially during the challenging times of the covid-19 pandemic due to the presence of iron and fiber. In addition, Jeera can help fight diseases and other infections that may harm a baby’s development. It further is a good source of preventing diabetes in pregnant women having imbalanced blood sugar and gestational diabetes.
Related Reading: 9 Common Infections During Pregnancy You Should Be Aware Of
Abdominal pains are common for pregnant women. With bloating and cramps being the top issues for pregnant women, especially in the first trimester, jeera water is a powerful painkiller. Further, cumin during early pregnancy can strengthen muscles and prevents acid reflux or heartburns in pregnant women.
Some of the other benefits of cumin include that it helps treat diabetes, lowers cholesterol, protects the central nervous system, increases estrogen levels, and helps improves gastrointestinal health. It is full of antioxidant properties that can help prevent cell damage from oxidation. In addition, cumin can potentially kill microorganisms in the body due to its antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
Many women take jeera water with ghee for pregnancy as it has anticarcinogenic properties that help prevent cancer. In addition, its immunomodulatory properties help regulate the immune system while diuretic properties increase the water and salt leaving the body in urine.
Related Reading: 9 Home Remedies For Bitter Taste In Mouth During Pregnancy
With so many benefits of jeera during pregnancy, do women feel like it is safe for them to take it? While there is no scientific research to back this, many pregnant women question can jeera water causes miscarriage? The simple and quick solution for the question is that it is recommended to seek the guidance of a registered medical practitioner. Here, it is important to have a quick look at the possible side effects of jeera water during pregnancy.
Potential Side Effects of Cumin During Pregnancy
“Can jeera water cause miscarriage, as I’ve heard from some friend that it can induce early labor in pregnant women?” Spices don’t have a good reputation when it comes to the health of pregnant women. Cumin comes from the same brigade where pregnant women are usually recommended to stay away from strong spices like fenugreek, garlic, asafoetida, peppermint, etc. This is primarily due to the powerful impact of these spices on the body that may conflict with the changes going on with pregnant women.
The amount of any spice consumed remains the key to its positive or negative side effects during pregnancy. When using cumin during pregnancy, women having gastrointestinal issues should avoid its excessive amounts. Pregnant women suffering from GERD may cause additional heartburns and may cause severe acidity.
One of the crucial factors deciding the baby’s overall development is body heat. Cumin can increase pregnant women’s natural body heat levels, and hence it may be a clear no for some pregnant women. This increased body heat can be harmful to the mother and baby.
Related Reading: 9 Best Home Remedies For Gas During Pregnancy
Excessive gas formation is another primary characteristic of pregnant women’s daily life. The excessive consumption of jeera can promote burping in pregnant women, which is embarrassing and painful. Moreover, it can invoke continuous burping in many pregnant women.
While cumin has different health properties, excessive use of cumin may start causing damage to kidneys and liver. Pregnant women having kidneys or liver issues may refrain from using high amounts of jeera during pregnancy. Further, it may cause skin irritation for some pregnant women. This may be due to any pre-defined or newly occurred skin infection due to specific spice like cumin.
Many pregnant women face the issue of low blood sugar levels. This is due to the increasing change in the metabolism and biology of the pregnant woman that lowers the blood sugar levels at different times. Consuming jeera when blood pressure is already low can further decrease as it effectively reduces blood pressure. Hence, it is safe for women with high blood pressure to consume cumin, but those with low blood pressure must avoid cumin during pregnancy.
Wrapping up
When it comes to the intake of cumin during pregnancy, there is no scientific information about its safety or harm during pregnancy. While some research says it may induce abortions, others may feel it is useful for digestion issues during pregnancy.
While consuming jeera water during pregnancy is one of the easiest ways to solve pregnancy issues, many may use it in tea. The jeera water for normal delivery can make the progress path easy, while excessive use is a strict no for the first and third-trimester stages. It is strongly recommended to go for the medical prescription of a gynecologist before starting the use of jeera during pregnancy in any form.