Ragi during pregnancy boasts a ton of benefits, and can even prove useful to mothers who have just given birth. It is a true nutritional gold mine, containing a rich amount of protein, vitamins, minerals, calcium, iron, natural fats, and so on, that can be incorporated into your diet in a number of ways. It also helps you avoid a number of complications during the course of your pregnancy, during labor, and even after the baby is born.
What Is Ragi?
Ragi is a kind of grain, abundantly found in regions in Africa and Asia. It is a very popular cereal in India. Most often, it is consumed in the form of porridge. That being said, there are a number of other ways in which to consume it. Eg: in Dosa, Vada, Rotis, and so on. It is highly recommended by doctors and health experts, as it is undoubtedly a superfood during pregnancy and can be consumed even after pregnancy due to its many benefits.
Nutritional Value Of Ragi
Ragi boasts a rather diverse and exceptional nutritional profile containing all of the essential macronutrients, including carbohydrates, fats, fibres, and proteins. It also contains rich amounts of vitamins and minerals and has negligible quantities of sodium and cholesterol. With especially high amounts of Vitamin C and Vitamin E, Ragi is really good for your skin and hair as well.
Thiamine, Niacin, Riboflavin, and Folic Acid – B Complex vitamins, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and iron are also found in rich quantities in Ragi flour, solidifying it as a superfood and an excellent breakfast cereal.
Ragi is also exceptional in being a rare plant source of essential amino acids, including Isoleucine, Valine, Tryptophan, and so on.
What Is Ragi Malt?
We all know the benefits of drinking milk during pregnancy, Ragi malt is a Ragi-based drink prepared by cooking sprouted Ragi flour with milk. In case you do not like milk much or are allergic to milk, you can simply add the sprouted Ragi flour to water and avail its amazing benefits. Consuming Ragi grains sprouted overnight can offer massive health benefits, especially to pregnant women.
12 Amazing Health Benefits Of Eating Ragi During Pregnancy
Ragi is highly nutritious. It is loaded with minerals and vitamins that are vital during pregnancy. Following are 12 incredible health benefits of eating Ragi during pregnancy.
1. Richness in fiber
A growing fetus tends to apply pressure to your intestinal region, affecting your bowel movement. Ragi, being rich in fiber, can help combat this by regulating bowel movement and preventing constipation. Constipation during pregnancy is one of the most common issues among pregnant women.
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2. Helps against insomnia
It is not uncommon for pregnant women to lose out on sleep, particularly during the second and third trimesters. Incorporating Ragi into your diet can help to combat many causes of sleep deprivation. The amino acids present in Ragi – tryptophan helps to get better sleep.
3. Natural fat
Fat is a necessary part of every diet, as it is a great source of energy. This is especially relevant in pregnant women, who need energy more than most. However, consuming excess amounts of fat during pregnancy may expose you to a number of health issues, such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.
Nevertheless, the natural fat contained in Ragi is both beneficial to your health and does not lead to an unhealthy weight gain, and so can help prevent this.
4. High Vitamin C content
As the fetus gets blood from its mother, it is important that the mother has enough blood cells to spare. However, pregnant women may be susceptible to anaemia, a condition where one’s red blood cells or hemoglobin are at a deficit.
The vitamin C in Ragi helps combat anaemia and therefore can be vital to both your and your baby’s health, making it an essential addition to your diet during pregnancy.
5. High calcium content
As the fetus receives nutrition from the body of the mother, and especially because it grows at a faster rate during the later stages of pregnancy, it can be quite exhausting to the mother. The high calcium content in Ragi both helps to increase fetal weight, and eases the burden on the mother’s body.
6. Helps in the production of breast milk
This point is more relevant when the baby is born. Including Ragi in your pregnancy diet will help to generate enough breast milk from the first day after delivery and will help in ensuring that there are no signs of low milk supply. The iron, calcium, and amino acids in Ragi greatly help boost the production of breast milk, and will greatly help you breastfeed your baby.
7. Helps reduce the risk of gestational diabetes
Pregnant women are highly susceptible to getting gestational diabetes during the course of their pregnancy. To combat this risk, doctors often recommend Ragi, as the polyphenol it contains greatly reduces the chances of getting gestational diabetes.
8. Helps in controlling levels of cholesterol
It is very important that you keep your cholesterol levels in check during your pregnancy, as your baby’s health is very much dependant on yours. High levels of cholesterol in your body can lead to hypertension, and may even prevent you from having normal labor.
However, Ragi contains a healthy amount of Lecithin and Methionine, which are great at controlling the cholesterol levels in your body, and thus can help prevent this.
9. High protein content
Protein, as you know is required in the growth and development of your baby, and is absolutely essential in good quantities during pregnancy. A lack of protein in your diet can not only affect the growth and maturing of the fetus but can cause health problems to you during pregnancy as well.
Ragi during pregnancy, is one of the rich sources of protein and is also really good at supplying protein to all parts of your body. It is especially a good choice, even downright essential if you choose to avoid meat during your pregnancy, in order to make up for the lost protein in your diet.
10. High mineral content
As the growth of the child is dependent on the nutrition it gets from the mother, it is important to consume nutrients in large amounts to help your child grow. The rich mineral content of Ragi is absolutely essential to the growth of your child, and so it is highly recommended that you incorporate it into your diet chart, especially during the first trimester.
11. Helps relieve stress
Mother’s mental health is as important, if not more, than her physical health. This is especially true during the course of a woman’s pregnancy, which can be an especially tiresome and stressful time of her life.
In extreme cases, this stress may even lead to a state of depression, which as you can imagine, is not good for the baby’s health as well. Since it’s a roller coaster ride of emotions, there are certain ways to handle emotions during pregnancy. The amino acids present in Ragi help combat this stress, which is why it is important to incorporate it into your diet early on, even as early as the first trimester.
12. Free of gluten
With a noticeable increase in allergies, it is not uncommon for a lot of women to find themselves allergic to gluten. As Ragi is gluten-free, this problem is avoided entirely, making Ragi one of the safest and healthiest foods to consume, especially during the course of pregnancy.
How To Eat Ragi During Pregnancy
As mentioned above, there are a number of ways on how to eat Ragi during pregnancy. Ragi is a rather versatile ingredient that can be used in the preparation of a wide range of foods. These include:
- Ragi dosas
- Ragi vada
- Ragi idlis
- Ragi rotis
- Ragi puddings
- Ragi porridge
- Ragi bhakris
…and so on. Most of these dishes have simple recipes and are easy to prepare, be it for a quick snack or a light meal.
Potential Precautions And Risks When Eating Ragi During Pregnancy
As mentioned, Ragi is a gold mine of various nutrients, each promising a wide range of health benefits for you during pregnancy. For the most part, it is safe to consume, as it is not even an allergen as it is gluten-free.
That being said, it would be wise to moderate and regulate your intake, particularly when consuming Ragi during pregnancy third trimester. The most appropriate course of action would be to take your doctor’s advice on this. You may also get an allergic reaction if you have hypersensitive skin, and so it is important to take the necessary precautions.
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FAQs-
This is in fact a huge myth. Consuming Ragi during pregnancy can in no way affect the complexion of your baby’s skin.
It is simply wise to moderate the consumption of Ragi for your own sake. Otherwise, it is a superfood with a plethora of health benefits you cannot afford to give up.
Ragi itself poses little to no risk to your health, as it is a superfood rich in nutrients. That being said, it is advised that you moderate its consumption as having too much of it may not be healthy, as is the case with any other food.
The best approach might be to tell your doctor that you want to incorporate Ragi into your pregnancy diet. The doctor will guide you how much to consume on a regular basis. This is especially important for consuming Ragi during pregnancy second trimester and third semester.