Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamin C, an essential nutrient during pregnancy to ensure your baby develops healthy bones, teeth and gums. Tuck into a tomato alongside iron rich foods such as dark leafy greens or red meat as Vitamin C also helps your body to absorb iron more easily.
Tomatoes are a good choice in pregnancy as they're very low calorie, and have a decent amount of fiber. One medium raw tomato has around 1.5g of fiber and only 22 calories (source: NutritionData). Tomatoes are a good source of folate, the natural form of folic acid, coming it at approximately 18mcg per tomato.
Yes. During pregnancy, it's alright to eat tomatoes in moderation as they provide important nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and folate, as well as lycopene and iron, which help the health of both mom and baby. You can eat tomatoes in cooked or canned forms and as part of dishes or salads.
The answer is yes, you can definitely eat onions, both raw and cooked, during pregnancy but do not overdo it. Eating too much of anything due to cravings or the nutrients they contain, is not a good idea, especially during pregnancy.
“Cucumber has a lot of fibre; constipation and haemorrhoids, which are frequent problems during pregnancy, are less likely as a result. Vitamin B, also referred to as the 'feel-good' vitamin, is abundant in cucumbers. When you are in a good mood, your baby grows more healthy.
Carrots are rich in vitamin C, so eating carrots is good for pregnant women and babies. Prevent anemia Eating carrots every day will help mothers reduce the risk of anemia during pregnancy.
Due to the development of different gastric acids in the stomach, eating too many tomatoes can cause heartburn or acid reflux. Therefore, people who commonly experience stomach distress or have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) symptoms should limit their tomato consumption.
Tomatoes provide essential antioxidants.
Remember, the redder the tomato you eat is, the more beta-carotene it contains. In addition, you also want to keep in mind that cooking destroys the Vitamin C, so for these benefits, the tomatoes need to be eaten raw.
Broccoli and dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, and Swiss chard are prenatal superfoods, loaded with vitamins and nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium, iron, and folate. They're also rich in antioxidants and fiber, which can ease constipation.
Avoid unwashed fruits and vegetables
To eliminate any harmful bacteria, thoroughly wash all raw fruits and vegetables. Avoid raw sprouts of any kind — including alfalfa, clover, radish and mung bean — which also might contain disease-causing bacteria. Be sure to cook sprouts thoroughly.
Thoroughly rinse raw fruits and vegetables under running water before eating or preparing them, especially fruits that require peeling or cutting - like cantaloupe and other melons. Bacteria can be found on the outer rind or peel. Don't use soap, detergents, or bleach solutions to wash produce.
-- Cooking tomatoes -- such as in spaghetti sauce -- makes the fruit heart-healthier and boosts its cancer-fighting ability. All this, despite a loss of vitamin C during the cooking process, say Cornell food scientists. The reason: cooking substantially raises the levels of beneficial compounds called phytochemicals.
There is no recommended number of tomatoes to eat per day. Just remember to include a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet instead of relying on just one option like tomatoes.
As Harold McGee writes in his book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, "ripe tomatoes have an unusually large amount of savory glutamic acid (as much as 0.3% of their weight), as well as aromatic sulfur compounds." These two compounds—glutamic acid and sulfur—are more common in meat than in fruits ...
Kidney Problems
People with severe kidney issues may also be required to limit their intake of tomatoes as they contain a lot of water. High potassium levels in the blood, which is one of the causes of kidney disease, could be dealt with by avoiding tomatoes or tomato sauce or anything made of tomatoes.
"Some of the alkaloids found in common nightshades can cause GI distress and even be poisonous to people, but only when consumed in excess or when eating these foods in unusual ways — such as eating a tomato's leaves or a potato after it's turned green," says Beaver.
Inflammation Risk? People with arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis, often think they should avoid tomatoes and other nightshade vegetables (eggplant, potatoes, and peppers, for example) because they can cause inflammation that leads to joint pain.
Nutritionists recommend cucumbers for pregnant women especially because cucumbers have a high water content and can prevent pregnancy related dehydration.
Pineapple is safe to eat while pregnant. But you may want to limit how much of it you eat. The most common species of pineapple in the US, the Smooth Cayenne, has a high acid content. Heartburn and acid reflux are common when pregnant, and acidic foods can make these problems worse.