Can I eat durian during pregnancy?

Babyment

Durian is king of fruit in our country and many women crave for it even during pregnancy. Good news is that It is safe to eat durian during pregnancy, but expecting mother is advised to eat less during pregnancy, especially during the last trimester of pregnancy.

Why pregnant women should eat less durian?

Durian is high in energy. It contains simple sugars such as fructose and sucrose that will provide a lot of energy and make pregnant women feel energetic. For example, two medium sized seeds have about 60 calories of energy. But this can also cause problem if expecting mother eat too much.

Eating too much durian during pregnancy can increase the chance of giving birth to a larger baby which could make it difficult for mother to delivery naturally. It also increases the risk of childhood obesity.

It is therefore recommended that pregnant women should avoid eating too much durian during pregnancy. Pregnant mums with gestational diabetes should avoid it at all.

Many Chinese believed that durians are too heaty for pregnant women and should be avoided. However, there is no scientific evidence to back up this claim.

Health benefits of durian

A good source of folate

Durian is rich in folic acid, known as folate. 100g of durian can supply 9% of daily requirement of folic acid. Folic acid can help to prevent birth defects in the newborns.

Durian is rich in dietary fiber

Durian is a good source of dietary fiber. It can act as a natural laxative and prevent any constipation during pregnancy. During pregnancy, constipation can occur very often due to hormonal change in the body of the expecting mother.

The fiber content present in durian will help to keep mucous membrane protected as it decreases the exposure time to toxins. It will also help to remove harmful chemicals from the gut and therefore improve the general health of the pregnant women.

Durian is rich in vitamin B

Durian is loaded with healthy vitamin B complex vitamins like niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin. All of these help your overall health and are extremely important for the healthy functioning of your body.

Durian is full of antioxidants

Some studies have found that durian contains antioxidant like zinc, organo-sulphur and tryptophan. These antioxidants help to protect the fetus and the expecting mother from attack by free radicals and pollutants.

Durian has antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal properties, which may benefit pregnancy.

Durian is rich in vitamin C

Vitamin C present in durian is another powerful antioxidant which helps to improve the immune system of the pregnant women. Vitamin C also helps in the absorption of the calcium and iron which is good for the expecting mother and the growing fetus.

Durian is packed with minerals

Durian is also rich in minerals like copper, manganese, iron and magnesium. Copper and iron help to make red blood cell. This is beneficial for pregnant women who need larger blood supply to support the growing fetus.

In conclusion, it is beneficial to have durian in moderation during pregnancy. Having durian during pregnancy can help to improve immune system of the expecting mother, but expectant mother should restrict amount of consumption to avoid the possible negative effect of durian like larger baby and childhood obesity.

Have concern about other food during pregnancy, check can I eat during pregnancy?