More Tips About Eating Fruit when Pregnant
Unwashed fruits are obviously unfit for consumption, regardless of whether you are pregnant or not. However, they are especially risky for pregnant women.
Fruits and vegetables can contain soil particles that contain bacteria like toxoplasma, which can infect both the mother and the child.
Before eating your fruits and vegetables, always wash them to remove all traces of soil.
Where Does The Myth Come From?
The idea is based on the discovery that pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that thins blood.
Because bromelain works by breaking down protein, eating too much pineapple can cause sore mouth. Some people are so sensitive to it that they can’t even swallow a pineapple chunk.
So what does this have to do with pregnancy? Well, because of its capacity to thin the blood and digest proteins, bromelain supplements have the potential to result in early labor or miscarriage. This process ripens the cervix, which could cause it to open before it should.
However, the bromelain found in supplements and pineapples is very different from each other. Bromelain in pineapple is actually found in the core of the fruit rather than the edible flesh, and concentrated forms of the compound are much more potent than regular ones. There is no evidence that pineapples can result in early labor or miscarriage.
Will Pineapple Help Me Start Labor?
It might, but to handle this you would need to eat a lot.
According to test-tube research, concentrated pineapple extract’s bromelain content can stimulate the cervix, increasing your likelihood of going into labor. Additionally, many supplements containing bromelain are prohibited during pregnancy for this very reason.
So, how much pineapple would we have to consume in an unsafe manner to equal a medically risky serving? A cup? A ring?
Nope. Up to eight whole, fresh, raw pineapples. Per day.
I don’t know about you, but I rarely consume an entire pineapple, much less eight. A typical serving of pineapple contains about a cup’s worth of bromelain, which is insufficient to induce labor.
Additionally, if you consume eight whole pineapples, you have other concerns to consider. For instance, severe diarrhea and increased urination, which may result in cramping that is uncomfortable and dehydration Neither are healthy during pregnancy.
So the take-home message is that if you want to start labor, there are probably better methods to try than eating eight pineapples per day (4).
Bromelain is almost completely removed from canned pineapple during processing, so if you’re still hesitant to eat pineapple because of it, stick to drinking pineapple juice instead.