Bananas are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs to stay healthy.
But are they also beneficial for pregnant women?
Absolutely!
One of the most important things during pregnancy is to give you and your baby all the nutrients you both need to stay healthy. There are several fruits that are beneficial to eat during pregnancy, and bananas are no exception.
Here are 8 health benefits of eating bananas while pregnant.
- Reduce nausea and morning sickness. Bananas are chock full of B vitamins, particularly vitamin B6. This vitamin is in most anti-nausea meds that pregnant women take if they’re struggling with nausea and vomiting. Sometimes, if your morning sickness is fairly mild, adding a banana or 2 to your diet can do the trick.
- Help with pregnancy anemia. Many pregnant women struggle with low iron levels and/or anemia. Eating bananas can help boost those iron levels. However, sometimes it’s still necessary to add an iron supplement. Talk to your doctor if you’re struggling with extremely low energy or weakness.
- Provide folic acid. Any woman who is familiar with pregnancy has probably had the importance of folic acid drilled into their mind. It’s extremely important for a baby’s growth and development. While all expectant mothers should take a daily prenatal vitamin containing folic acid, bananas can also provide some of this much-needed nutrient to your diet.
- Help with digestive health. Bananas are high in fiber, which is an essential nutrient for good digestion. The extra fiber in your diet can help to give you regular bowel movements and avoid constipation, which is common during pregnancy.
- Aid in baby’s brain development. Vitamin B6, iron and folic acid are all important nutrients that a baby needs for healthy brain and nerve development. Since bananas have all 3 of these, it’s a win-win…win!
- Help to prevent heartburn. Heartburn can feel like a never-ending battle when you’re pregnant. Bananas help to keep the acidity levels in your stomach and esophagus down, which then keeps heartburn at bay.
- Give you an energy boost. Bananas are high in carbohydrates and sugars, which can give you a quick boost of energy when you’re feeling tired (because when you’re pregnant, when are you not tired?). They can also make you feel full when that sudden feeling of hunger hits.
- Help to stabilize blood pressure. Bananas are known for having a high amount of potassium in them. Potassium is an important nutrient that your body uses to maintain healthy blood pressure. Eating bananas regularly can help to keep your blood pressure from fluctuating too much during pregnancy.
While bananas are a healthy part of most pregnant women’s diets, if you have (or are at risk for) gestational diabetes, you need to be careful because of their high sugar content.
If you’re not in this category, eating 1-2 bananas a day is a very beneficial way to give you and your baby several essential vitamins and minerals to keep you both healthy.
