Pregnancy period of a woman is what can be said the most blissful and memorable phase in her life. Though the cravings for particular palatable stuff induced by hormones can sometimes be torturous. In the three trimesters of a woman’s pregnancy, she is subjected to numerous hormonal changes which in turn affect the mood and the body shape.
Thus, a balanced diet is a must for the baby and the mother both. As far as regions where paddy is a common crop are considered, the staple food includes rice which might have adverse affects on the pregnant mother.
Rice as a grain contains nutrients like vitamins and minerals, rice is used all over the world in so many different combinations to make various cuisines and dishes. As anything born into nature; Rice too has its benefits and woes.
Benefits Of Eating rice During Pregnancy:
Many researches have been conducted to know about the effects of eating rice during pregnancy. Most of the effects turned out to have positive effects on both the mother and the baby.
- First of all Rice is the grain which contains heavy carbohydrates in the starch form which breaks down during digestion to give out energy and a lot of it. Thus, eating rice in pregnancy helps in keeping the mom-to-be perfectly fit and lethargy is ruled out.
- Next we all know that with pregnancy come the unwanted illnesses and problems. Major being the digestive problems. Digestive problems like motions running loose, constipation usually disrupt the daily routine causing chaos. So, eating raw rice during pregnancy helps avoid these digestive woes for the pregnant women.
- Pregnancy causes depletion of calcium and in turn weakens the bones and teeth which need a major source of calcium to stay strong. Rice contains Vitamin D and various other proteins like riboflavin with addition of huge amounts of fibre and calcium. So you see that gorging on rice during pregnancy will help stay strong and healthy.
- Rice in accordance with the vitamins and proteins has a low sodium content in its structure. Eating rice in pregnancy will help maintain the blood pressure level generously, ensuring a perfectly safe delivery with no problems relating the blood sector.
- Rice is referred to as a natural diuretic, which means it can help in prevention of diseases concerning the urogenital tract. Urogenital infections can harm the baby as well as the mom.
- Rice contains antioxidants that help regulate the immune system. Antioxidants increase the wbc(white blood cell) count and hence, the viral and bacterial infections cannot harm the mother.
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- Dietary balance during pregnancy is a must to stay fit and healthy, this is what Rice does, it renowned as a cholesterol free food. Eating raw rice during pregnancy will help you keep a check on the fats consumed by the body. As huge amounts of fats may harm the baby and also create complications during the delivery.
- Diabetes is another raising concern. Rice has insoluble fibre and low glycemic contents. According to a scientific research, Rice is ravined upon by pregnant women all around the world as it helps in mitigation of gestational diabetes.
- Brown rice which is eaten in a few areas, contains neurotransmitters which promote the mental health of the baby. These neurotransmitters make the babies smarter than others in this world of competition by giving a boost to the neurons which are in developmental stage during the second and third trimesters.
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Negative Effects of Eating rice During Pregnancy:-
As there is a flip side to every coin, there exist a few banes of eating rice during pregnancy.
1. Though eating rice during pregnancy is positively effective but as overdoing of anything is harmful so is this. Overeating rice could lead to obesity and other cholesterol problems.
2. Moreover, the brown rice contains low glycemic rate but white rice has huge amounts of it which may subject the expecting mother to risks of diabetes insipidus.
3. Scientific research shows that rice contains amounts of arsenic which if increased in level in the body may cause cases of premature deaths and births. It’s may also cause abortions.
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If you are expecting a baby soon and craving for rice then don’t suppress your desire. Go on and eat it but make sure that you eat it mindfully and not in large harmful amounts.
