Whether willingly or unwillingly, you will likely find yourself changing your diet during pregnancy.
Most expectant mothers will make a conscious effort to consume foods that will help their babies during pregnancy.
But even those who don’t will likely find themselves having to adjust their diet due to food aversions and morning sickness.
During pregnancy, it is often recommended that women increase their intake of fruit and vegetables.
These foods are packed with natural vitamins and minerals that can give you and your baby lots of health benefits. One type of fruit that is widely recommended is bananas.
Bananas are filled with goodness, and that is why a lot of people eat them even when they aren’t pregnant.
If you need some convincing to start eating bananas during your pregnancy, keep on reading for the 8 health benefits associated with this!
1. Provides Folic Acid
The importance of folic acid is really something that is hammered into your brain during pregnancy. So, you will be pleased to hear that bananas are great sources of folic acid.
Folic acid is essential for your baby’s development, and your midwife will likely recommend supplements for this.
But consuming bananas on top of taking daily folic acid supplements will help to support your baby to grow healthily until they are ready to be born.
2. Helps To Ease Nausea And Morning Sickness
A lot of expectant mothers experience intense nausea and morning (or any time of the day) sickness during the first trimester. For some women, this will stretch further into the pregnancy.
Luckily, bananas are packed with B vitamins which work incredibly well in reducing the symptoms of nausea.
These vitamins can also help to reduce morning sickness too. If you have intense nausea/morning sickness, bananas will not cure this completely but they can help you feel better during the early stages of pregnancy.
3. Reduces The Risk Of Heartburn
Heartburn is something that a lot of people suffer from across the globe, but it is also particularly common in expectant mothers.
There are all sorts of old wives’ tales associated with the reasoning behind this. But no matter what the reason is, there’s no denying that a lot of ladies experience heartburn during pregnancy.
Bananas are brilliant for easing the symptoms of heartburn as the potassium in the bananas will help to reduce the acid levels in your stomach and esophagus.
So eating bananas during pregnancy reduces the risk of heartburn.
4. Improves Your Digestion
A lot of women experience problems with digestion during pregnancy. Specifically, a lot of women struggle with constipation during pregnancy and this can cause a lot of discomfort.
Including bananas as part of your regular diet can help to improve your digestion and keep you regular.
The fiber in the bananas can help to soften your stool and reduce the risk of experiencing constipation throughout your pregnancy.
5. Helps To Stabilize Blood Pressure
Something else that some mothers struggle with during pregnancy is their blood pressure. Carrying a baby can put your body under stress, and stress can cause your blood pressure to increase.
Bananas are high in potassium, and potassium can be used to stabilize your body’s blood pressure.
So, consuming bananas regularly during pregnancy can help to keep your blood pressure at a level that is healthy for both you and your baby.
6. Boosts Your Energy Levels
It is common for expectant mothers to feel tired during pregnancy. After all, your body is putting a lot of energy into growing a baby, and this can leave you feeling drained.
Bananas are high in both sugar and carbohydrates which are excellent for boosting your energy levels.
So while you’ll likely feel tired throughout your entire pregnancy, eating a banana can give you an instant boost.
7. Improves Your Baby’s Brain Development
The benefits associated with eating bananas during pregnancy aren’t reserved for the mother. Bananas can also help your baby to develop healthily.
In particular, consuming bananas regularly has been associated with improving your baby’s brain development.
Bananas contain vitamin B6, iron, and folic acid, all of which can help your baby’s brain develop healthily.
8. Boosts Your Iron Levels
Finally, bananas are excellent for boosting your iron levels. So, if you are experiencing pregnancy anemia, you should definitely consider eating more bananas.
Low iron levels during pregnancy are incredibly common, and they can be very damaging to the physical and mental health of the mother.
Consuming bananas can help increase the iron in your body, and allow you to feel healthier.
Summary
In short, there are lots of health benefits associated with consuming bananas that will definitely be beneficial to you during your pregnancy.
Eating bananas will not only help you stay healthy during your pregnancy, but they can also help your baby grow healthily too. So, there really is no reason not to start eating bananas.
We hope this information has been helpful, thank you for reading!
