Pregnancy is a phase that brings in a lot of Happiness and Excitement as well as nervousness and fear at the same time. Happiness and excitement about exploring new things, about the baby and the nervousness and fear about how the phase will be, what precautions to follow, what are the things allowed, not allowed, etc. One of such common questions during pregnancy is about the foods allowed to be eaten during this phase. A pregnant woman is been advised by different people about the foods which further makes it too confusing for her to understand what food needs to be eaten and raises quite some questions about what food is good or bad. One such common question is Can Pregnant women eat Mushrooms? Is eating mushrooms during pregnancy safe? The answer is Yes!! Mushroom is safe during pregnancy. You can eat them without any worries unless someone is allergic to it. Also, certain things need to be taken care of when eating mushrooms.
Different mushrooms are available in the market, some good, some bad, some which are used for medicinal use also.
Pregnancy Friendly Mushrooms
As said earlier, Mushroom is safe during pregnancy. It is completely alright to include the commonly available Oyster, Cremini, and Button mushroom during pregnancy. Other than the type of mushrooms, it is also important to check the quality when grocery shopping, especially while eating mushrooms during pregnancy. Avoid the bruised mushrooms and opt-in for clean and fresh looking ones. Also do not forget to wash it well before using it. There are some frozen and processed mushrooms also available, if having them, check the expiry or the best before date. But it is recommended that you use the fresh ones.
Also, there are some mushrooms like Shitake and Mitake that are used in some medicinal supplements also. Medicinal mushrooms are the ones that are used in the form of powder or extracts to prevent or heal multiple diseases. These have strong antioxidant, anti-cancer properties, they are antihypertensive they can successfully lower cholesterol levels, and can also protect the liver.
Mushrooms to Avoid in Pregnancy
Even though Mushroom is safe during pregnancy, there are some form of mushrooms that should be avoided as they are possibly unsafe to be included during pregnancy. One of them is Raw or Uncooked Mushrooms, Mushrooms have a tough cell wall which makes them indigestible if consumed uncooked. Hence it needs to be consumed in cooked form. Other than this, to get the benefits of all the available nutrients in the mushroom, it needs to be cooked well. Not only during Pregnancy, but otherwise also cook the mushrooms well before consuming them.
Another one to avoid when pregnant is the Magic Mushrooms or the Wild mushrooms, These contain Psilocybin which can lead to hallucinations, nervousness, drowsiness, vomiting, and nausea. For up to 6 hours after consumption, it also affects the coordination of muscle movements. These can affect the pregnant women and the foetus as it can alter the brain activity, lead to birth defects and other malformalities.
Why to Include Mushroom When Pregnant?
There are multiple ways in which Mushrooms benefits in pregnancy. It is a powerhouse of quite some nutrients.
Vitamin B
It provides the body with 4 different Vitamin B Nutrients- Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Pantothenic Acid. Thiamin helps to reduce fatigue in Pregnant women and also helps in the foetus Brain development. Riboflavin is important for a baby's growth as it helps in strengthening the baby's muscles, bones and helps in nerve development. It also helps in improving the eye and skin health. Niacin helps to cut down the risk of heart disease in pregnancy. Pantothenic acid helps in improving the digestion in Pregnant women, hence it is important to avoid any digestive disorders when pregnant.
Vitamin D
As these are directly exposed to the sun, they are a good source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D further helps in the absorption of Calcium which further helps in stronger bone and teeth development in the foetus.
Iron
Iron is important for the formation of hemoglobin which helps in creating red blood cells. During Pregnancy, the heart pumps more blood for the foetus growth. Low iron levels increase the chances of developing Anaemia. Including Mushrooms will help in improving the Iron levels.
Antioxidants
These protect the body from the free radicals that are a major cause of illness. The antioxidants in Mushrooms help in boosting immunity which further helps to fight the common pregnancy-related illness.
Fibers
The Fibers in Mushrooms help to prevent the common digestion issues especially Constipation which is very common during the pregnancy phase.
Proteins
Proteins are very important for the overall growth and development of the baby. Mushrooms are a good source of protein, especially for the Vegetarians.
Other than these, Mushrooms also contain Zinc, Potassium, and Selenium which helps in baby’s growth.
100 grams of Mushrooms provides 22 Kcals with 3.10 grams Protein, 3.30 grams Carbs, 0.3 Grams Fats, and 1 Gram Fiber.
A shout out to all the Pregnant Ladies out there, especially the Vegetarians, Rather than wondering, can I eat Mushrooms in Pregnancy or Is mushroom Safe for Pregnancy, go ahead and add these power food to your Curries, Soups, Pasta, Salads, Sandwich or Roll fillings etc as I am sure by now, you know that Mushroom is safe during pregnancy.
