When you are pregnant, you will naturally be paying more attention to what you eat and drink. Navigating your way through cravings, daily nutrition requirements, and unsafe foods is very important. So, if you want to know whether passion fruit during pregnancy is safe, you are not alone.
Even though most fruits are safe to eat during pregnancy and provide many nutritional benefits, some fruits that should be avoided during pregnancy as they can cause complications. Is passion fruit one of them? Or is it perfectly safe to eat? What exactly are the pros and cons of having passion fruit during pregnancy? Let us find out.
What Is Passion Fruit?
Passion fruits can come in dark purple or yellow color. Its flesh is firm and juicy. Each fruit contains several seeds. It has a sweet and tart taste that is beloved by many fruit lovers. There are over 500 different types of passion fruit.
They only contain a low amount of calories but are chock-full of various nutrients. They contain 20+ different vitamins and minerals. They also contain many phytonutrients which help combat bacterial infection, viral infection, diseases, and more.
Often, the delicious juice of the fruit is squeezed out. Sometimes, it is added to another juice to enhance its flavor. It also has medicinal properties that can be very useful.
Related Reading: 11 Healthy And Refreshing Juices During Pregnancy To Drink
Nutritional Profile Of Passion Fruit
When it comes to pregnant women, there are two properties of passion fruit that are most relevant: the incredibly high amounts of vitamin A, and the low level of beta carotene content. It is also noteworthy that passion fruits have a comparatively high percentage of vitamins and minerals.
In order to be more informed about having passion fruit during pregnancy, it is important to first study its nutritional profile:
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- It is a very rich source of vitamin A and vitamin C
- It also contains vitamins B2, B3, and B6
- It contains about 97 calories for every 100 gm of fruit
- It contains high amounts of dietary fiber
- It is a source of many essential minerals like iron, potassium, magnesium, copper, and phosphorus
Is It Safe To Have Passion Fruit During Pregnancy?
Not only is it safe to have passion fruit during pregnancy, but it is also highly encouraged. As mentioned above, it is full of useful nutrients like vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. It can be instrumental in the healthy growth and development of the fetus. However, when you add passion fruit to your diet, it is important to remember moderation is key. If consumed healthily, passion fruit has many benefits to provide.
Can I Eat Passion Fruit In Early Pregnancy?
Of course, you can! In fact, you can have passion fruit at any time during your pregnancy. So, there is no problem with having passion fruit during pregnancy first trimester. Since that is the time when you may experience things like morning sickness and nausea more strongly, passion fruit can provide you with some relief.
Tart, sour tastes like that of passion fruit can alleviate these symptoms. You can even have passion fruit during the third trimester, which helps to prevent the common problem of constipation.
Benefits Of Eating Passion Fruit During Pregnancy
As you may have figured out by now, it is a great idea to include passion fruit in your pregnancy diet. Here are some of those passion fruit benefits during pregnancy.
1. Good for development of fetus
Passion fruit is full of antioxidants and minerals. These are essential for the healthy growth of the baby. It is also rich in vitamin C. This vitamin is important for the fetus’ brain development, and a deficiency of it can lead to complications. Thus, having passion fruit during pregnancy can be very useful for the healthy growth and development of the fetus.
Related Reading: 18 Foods To Eat To Increase Fetal Weight During Pregnancy
2. Enhances immune system
When you are pregnant, your immune system will be compromised, compared to before. You will become more prone to various illnesses and infections. It is also not uncommon for pregnant women to experience more severe symptoms of diseases. This will only increase as the pregnancy progresses1. It is important to protect yourself during this time.
Passion fruit is embedded with an abundance of antioxidants. These are responsible for giving your immune system a boost, neutralizing free radicals, preventing cell damage, and reducing oxidative stress2. It is also a rich source of vitamin C, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. These are all helpful in enhancing your immunity during pregnancy. Having passion fruit during pregnancy will provide all these nutrients to you, and prevent you from contracting many common illnesses.
3. Provides better sleep
Sleep deprivation during pregnancy is a common problem faced by all pregnant women. Maybe the position isn’t cozy, maybe the bed is uncomfortable, maybe you are feeling restless, maybe your mind just won’t quiet down. Whichever the case, it can be hard to get a good night’s sleep. And when you can’t sleep, your pregnancy fatigue increases. It is important to get enough rest so that you have the energy to go through the day.
Passion fruit is perfect for this. As mentioned above, it is rich in phytonutrients, and also contains medicinal alkaloids. These can act as natural sedatives and put you right to sleep. It helps reduce restlessness and anxiety.
And it doesn’t just help with the process of falling asleep! It also helps ensure good quality. It is recommended for alleviating insomnia. It can help provide you with uninterrupted and peaceful sleep.
4. Enhances bone health
As mentioned above, passion fruit is full of many helpful nutrients. Among these are minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. These minerals are instrumental in increasing bone strength and density. It is required for the development of healthy bones. Thus, it helps to both prevent osteoporosis and provides nutrients for the fetus’ bone development.
5. Good for digestion
The pulp of passion fruit is a rich source of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is one of the most important nutrients for digestion. When you are pregnant, your digestive system may not work as smoothly as before. Problems like constipation are all too common. Such issues can be very inconvenient and uncomfortable. If you are no stranger to these issues, passion fruit may be the answer you are looking for.
Every cup of passion fruit contains about 25g of dietary fiber. It also has high water content. These factors can contribute to smoother digestion and can help with bowel movements. It also combats many gastric ailments. Additionally, it contains enzymes that increase the digestive juices in the stomach. So consuming passion fruit during pregnancy can lead to quicker, smoother, healthier digestion.
6. Controls blood pressure
During pregnancy, it is important to keep an eye on your blood pressure. Any deviation from the healthy level can spell danger. Too-high blood pressure can lead to many complications which can even be fatal for mother and baby.
Passion fruit is high in potassium and low in sodium. Every cup of passion fruit contains about 821 mg of potassium and only 66 mg of sodium. This is very useful in maintaining healthy blood pressure. It relaxes your blood vessels. It also contains alkaloids which, as mentioned above, act as a sedative and lowers blood pressure.
7. Controls blood sugar
Another thing you need to watch out for during pregnancy is your blood sugar. Unhealthy blood sugar can contribute to the development of gestational diabetes, as well as other complications.
Passion fruit has a low glycemic index value (GI) of 30. This means that whatever sugar is present in the fruit will only be absorbed slowly and steadily. There won’t be a sharp hike in blood sugar, making it a good option if you are trying to lower your blood sugar. It also helps maintain insulin levels, thereby helping to deal with diabetes.
Related Reading: Everything About Artificial Sweeteners During Pregnancy
8. Helps prevent anemia
When pregnant, your need for iron increases drastically. And not meeting this need can cause many severe complications. It can lead to anemia, which in turn, can hinder the growth of the fetus, or even cause a miscarriage or premature birth.
This is where passion fruit comes to the rescue. It is an extremely rich source of iron and can provide you with as much as 20% of the daily requirement of iron during pregnancy. It also contains vitamin c, which aids the absorption of iron. Thus, having passion fruit during pregnancy can help you dodge a major pregnancy risk.
9. Combats respiratory issues
If you are prone to respiratory issues, you probably already know that being pregnant can make it worse. It can be a lot more uncomfortable, and can even affect your quality of life, if consistent. Passion fruit can act as an expectorant, meaning it helps soothe respiration. It can prevent problems like wheezing and coughing, and can also help alleviate asthma.
Risks And Precautions When Eating Passion Fruit During Pregnancy
Although there aren’t any known side effects, there are some precautions you need to take. Here are a few possible risks of eating passion fruit during pregnancy.
- As always, it is best to only have it in moderation. As mentioned above, it contains copious amounts of fiber, which can cause diarrhea if you ingest too much of it
- If you have a latex allergy, proceed with caution. Passion fruits contain some substances that are similar to the chemicals found in latex
- If you are on any medication for depression or anxiety, consult your therapist on the amount of passion fruit you can eat. Its sedative properties can interfere with such drugs
- Those same properties can also cause you to be slower or have less energy during the day
- Passion fruit has anticoagulant properties. So if you are taking aspirin or any blood-thinner, reduce your consumption of passion fruit, as it can interfere with the medication
Related Reading: 10 Danger Signs Of Pregnancy To Watch Out For
How To Eat Passion Fruit While Pregnant?
Are you looking for ways to include passion fruit in your diet? Here are a few tips!
- Passion fruit can make a delicious juice
- If you do not like the taste of passion fruit on its own, add it to another fruit juice to enhance its flavor
- It is the perfect addition to a fruit salad, particularly if it is a tropical fruit salad
If you are looking for a couple of pointers on how to choose passion fruit, here they are.
- If you are looking to have them soon, do not choose the ones that have smooth skin. They are not ripe
- Try to find ones that are both large and heavy
Is Passion Fruit Tea Safe When Pregnant?
Passion fruit tea, also known as passionflower tea, is generally used as a remedy to ailments like insomnia or anxiety. However, it is not to be consumed during pregnancy. Its effects on pregnant people have not been fully studied, but it is a known uterine stimulant. Therefore, it may cause complications. You should also not have it if you have any heart irregularities.
Conclusion
Pregnancy comes with a lot of questions:
- “Is this safe?”
- “Will this help the baby?”
- “Will this harm the baby?”
- “Will it be good for me?”
These questions inevitably come to mind when you are figuring out what you can and cannot have. Luckily, if any such questions come to mind about passion fruit during pregnancy, you can put your mind at ease. It is one of the foods that, barring a few exceptions, is perfectly safe to consume. Not to mention the plethora of benefits it can provide!
FAQs
Yes. If you are facing issues with uric acid, passion fruit can be very good for you. It has anti-inflammatory properties, which lowers the level of uric acid in your blood.
Of course! Passion fruit juice is a delicious and refreshing drink to have during pregnancy.
However, keep in mind that, if you are buying instead of making, it can contain too much sugar and too little fruit.
It is not only safe to have passion fruit seeds during pregnancy, but also incredibly nutritious. So go ahead!