Can you drink carrot juice during pregnancy?
It is important for a pregnant woman to eat well, as the body needs additional resources for the development of the child. Carrots are especially rich in vitamins and minerals, but like most vegetables, they have contraindications. Read about whether you can drink carrot juice during pregnancy and how to use it correctly in order to get only benefits, read the article.
The content of the article
Properties of carrot juice
Carrot often referred to as the "queen of vegetables". Due to its rich chemical composition, the root crop brings many-sided benefits to the body.
The main properties of the juice:
- increases vitality, strengthens the immune system;
- improves the condition of the skin, protects it from the effects of ultraviolet rays, removes signs of fatigue;
- has an antioxidant effect;
- reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Chemical composition
100 g of carrots contain:
- beta-carotene - 224% of the daily value;
- B vitamins - up to 14%;
- ascorbic acid - 6%;
- tocopherol - 4%;
- vitamin K - 11%;
- potassium - 13%;
- calcium - 4%;
- silicon - 83%;
- sodium - 8%;
- magnesium - 3%;
- phosphorus - 5%;
- boron - 286%;
- vanadium - 248%;
- manganese - 22%;
- iron - 2%.
Benefits for pregnant women
The vitamins and minerals in carrots promote health, especially they useful for a pregnant woman and a fetus:
- Beta-carotene is an effective means of preventing hemeralopia (“night blindness”), which affects pregnant women. Provitamin A strengthens the immune system, teeth and bones, has a positive effect on the thyroid gland, has antioxidant properties.
- Magnesium eliminates stress, reduces mood swings, which is especially important for pregnant women. Strengthens the nervous system and B vitamins.
- Vitamin C strengthens the weakened immune system of the expectant mother.
- Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. Regulates hormonal balance, preserves youthfulness and elasticity of the skin, prevents the appearance of stretch marks and tears during childbirth.
- Vitamin K maintains blood clotting.
- Potassium is important for the prevention of tachycardia.
- Calcium is required for proper bone formation in a baby.
- Manganese participates in metabolism, delivers nutrients to the fetus.
How to apply
Carrot juice is most commonly used in food. The recommended amount is up to 3 glasses a day.
Interesting! The tool is widely used in cosmetology. Regular processing of the skin with juice improves its color and elasticity.
Often the skin of a pregnant woman becomes problematic: irritation and redness appear. A mask helps to cope with this:
- 1 tsp homemade cottage cheese;
- 1 tsp low-fat yogurt;
- 2 tsp carrot juice.
All ingredients are mixed and applied to the face for 15 minutes. The mask is washed off with warm water.
Expectant mothers often get sick due to weakened immunity. Most drugs are contraindicated for them, which complicates treatment. In such cases, carrot juice will help:
- his nose is buried with congestion and a runny nose;
- used for rinsing with a sore throat (diluted with water 50/50);
- mixed with honey and drunk with bronchitis (1 tbsp. juice - 1 tsp. honey).
Can pregnant women use carrot juice
After the conception of a child, significant changes take place in a woman's body: creating a new life requires huge resources.This often causes health problems. At each stage of pregnancy, its own difficulties arise, many of which are handled by carrot juice.
In the first trimester
Common problems in early pregnancy:
- toxicosis (nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to odors);
- heartburn;
- viral diseases.
Fresh carrot fresh juice will improve the condition of the expectant mother:
- it clears the blood of toxins that cause nausea;
- eliminates other manifestations of toxicosis;
- improves the functioning of the liver and pancreas, relieves heartburn, improves appetite;
- strengthens the immune system, reduces the risk of viral diseases.
In the second
From 4 to 6 months, the fetus develops intensively, its organ systems are formed. The maternal organism supplies the unborn child with the necessary substances. A woman's cardiovascular system and kidneys work with double strength, there is a risk of anemia and edema.
Carrot juice is especially useful during this period:
- it replenishes iron deficiency, regulates hemoglobin levels, eliminates anemia;
- has a diuretic effect, relieving edema;
- strengthens the heart, helping it cope with high stress.
In third
In the later stages, the belly of the expectant mother is greatly enlarged, the skin is stretched, striae (stretch marks) appear. The weight of the fetus increases, the child presses on the internal organs of the woman, causing constipation.
Why is root vegetable juice useful during this period:
- causes a mild laxative effect;
- completes the formation of the child's nervous system;
- increases blood clotting, preparing the body for childbirth;
- increases the elasticity of the skin, which serves as prevention of tears and stretch marks during childbirth.
What is the danger
Although the orange root vegetable has many beneficial properties, its excessive use can be dangerous for the mother and unborn child:
- beta-carotene in the body turns into vitamin A, but part of it remains unchanged - in large quantities it makes the baby's skin yellowish, increases the risk of liver disease in a pregnant woman;
- in large volumes, the juice causes colic, bloating, flatulence, nausea, diarrhea, lethargy, headache, increases the sensitivity of the teeth.
When not to use
Absolute contraindications for drinking the drink:
- allergy;
- serious disturbances in the work of the pancreas;
- gastritis;
- intestinal pathology;
- diabetes.
In these cases, carrots are allowed to be eaten only in boiled form and in limited quantities.
Recommendations for use
In order for the tool to be beneficial, adhere to the following recommendations:
- before cooking fresh washed carrots are soaked for 3-4 hours in water so that accumulated harmful chemicals come out of it;
- drink juice immediately after squeezing, on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before meals;
- keep fresh only frozen;
- this is a concentrate - before use, it is diluted 50% with water or other juice;
- do not drink the drink in the evening or at night;
- to reduce the effect of pigments on the enamel, the juice is drunk through a straw;
- for better assimilation of vitamin A, fats of animal origin are added to fresh juice: a spoonful of sour cream, butter, cream.
What to use with
Fresh carrot goes well with fruits and berries: apples, apricots, lemons, oranges, sea buckthorn.
Helpful! It is combined with pomace from beets, cabbage, celery, parsley, spinach, pumpkin.
It is permissible to use juice with dairy products: milk, cream, kefir.
Recipes
Below are several options for making carrot cocktails.
Smoothie with celery, carrot and apple
Thanks to pectins and flavonoids, apples strengthen the digestive and cardiovascular systems, cleanse the body of harmful compounds, and have anti-inflammatory properties.
Celery is useful for the immune system, digestion, and the nervous system, but it strengthens the tone of the uterus and can cause premature birth or miscarriage, especially in the later stages.Therefore, they first consult with a doctor.
For smoothies you will need:
- apple - 1 pc.;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- celery - 2 pcs.
All ingredients are washed, cleaned, chopped and ground in a blender.
Carrot juice with cream
For a drink take:
- carrots - 150 g;
- low-fat cream - 50 ml;
- boiled water - 25 ml.
Cooking steps:
- Finely rub the peeled carrots.
- Add water, stir, squeeze through cheesecloth.
- Mix everything with cream. The dish is served chilled.
Tangerine Carrot Smoothie with Pineapple
Citruses strengthen the immune system, but they are excluded from the diet with increased acidity of the stomach, peptic ulcer disease, allergies.
Ingredients:
- pineapple - 200 g;
- tangerines - 2 pcs.;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- lime - 1 pc.
How to cook:
- Peel the pineapple, remove the core, cut the fruit into small pieces.
- The carrots are peeled and squeezed out through juicer or gauze.
- Tangerines are peeled.
- To balance the acidic lime juice is squeezed out (to taste).
- All ingredients are whipped with a blender at maximum speed.
The opinion of obstetricians-gynecologists
Experienced doctors say about the high value for pregnant women of the chemical composition of carrots:
Natalia Kolomeets, obstetrician-gynecologist, 15 years of experience: “A pregnant woman's diet should be healthy and varied. The diet must include raw vegetables and juices from them. Carrots, rich in vitamins and minerals, help maintain normal hemoglobin levels, improve blood clotting, which is important for a successful birth. "
Ekaterina Bossongova, obstetrician-gynecologist: “Vitamin E, contained in carrots, is an excellent remedy for preventing stretch marks that a woman is exposed to during pregnancy. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system and helps to avoid various infections. Therefore, I recommend that my patients regularly drink carrot juice, but not more than 1 glass a day. "
Alexey Kugushev, obstetrician-gynecologist, work experience over 20 years: “Undoubtedly, carrot juice is a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. However, I advise you to be careful about its use during pregnancy. The concentration of beta-carotene in the vegetable is high; in large volumes, it heavily loads the digestive tract and liver. The drink is useful, but only diluted and no more than 1 glass a day. "
Conclusion
Carrot juice is a healthy drink for people of all ages. The vitamins and minerals it contains stimulate the immune system, maintain a normal hemoglobin level, improve blood clotting, strengthen eyesight, and increase skin elasticity. In the absence of contraindications for the expectant mother, it is advisable to include the agent in her diet in order to maintain her and her child's health.