Tomatoes during pregnancy: benefits and harms

Taste preferences of women in an interesting situation is difficult to predict. Some crave pickles or herring with onions, others may prefer to eat jam and bread. But there is a category of women who during pregnancy just dream of tomato juice or fresh tomatoes. Therefore, the question about the benefits and harms of red vegetables from the garden during pregnancy is quite common. How much they can eat, so as not to harm the baby and yourself - read further in our publication.

Tomato Composition

If we talk about the pulp of tomatoes, they contain all the vitamins and trace elements necessary both for the body of the woman and for the future baby. It is worth noting the main ones, such as vitamins of group B, PP, K, E, A, C. There is iron, magnesium, zinc, sulfur, potassium, etc. In addition, red fruits are rich in folic acid, glucose, organic acids and lycopene.

The benefits of tomatoes for expectant mothers are hard to dispute. If we consider the ratio of quantitative and qualitative indicators of useful substances in the product, then tomatoes will not only not be harmful, but on the contrary - useful for the body of the pregnant woman and her unborn child. Due to the presence of vitamin C in the red vegetable from the garden, it strengthens the immune system, increases the body's resistance to various viral infections, which is especially important in the period of carrying the baby.

It's clear that tomatoes alone can not protect a woman and her fetus from colds or other diseases, but to support and give the body more strength - it's in their power. If you use tomatoes in combination with other fruits and vegetables, then it is really possible to avoid acute respiratory infections or other ailments. Even if the disease catches up, it will be much faster and easier to recover.

Thanks tocopherol blood vessels are strengthened, their walls become elastic, which has a beneficial effect on blood circulation, which means that the future baby gets more oxygen and nutrients it needs.

Vitamin A present in the juicy vegetable will support eyesight, and tocopherol - the beauty of the future mother. It will also improve the complexion and condition of the skin, strengthen the hair and nails. Yes, and for the fetus forming in the womb, this vitamin-mineral composition will be useful, since it will strengthen the muscle tissues of the future baby.

Vitamin PP, which is also present in the pulp, replenishes the energy reserves of the body of the future mother, reduces fatigue, reduces overwork, and normalizes the level of bad cholesterol in the blood.

Why do I want ripe tomatoes so much? One of the reasons why you especially want juicy tomatoes is the organic acids in the product. Thanks to them, metabolic processes in the body are activated, acidity is normalized, and the risk of heart and vascular diseases is minimized.

B-group vitamins and folic acid contained in tomatoes are necessary for both the pregnant woman and the unborn child. The child's nervous system is formed, and the lack of acid can have a negative impact on the future mental state.

K-vitamin is no less important for the development of the fetus. Thanks to him, blood clotting improves and bone tissue is formed more successfully.

Potassium, iron, iodine, magnesium and other minerals contribute to the proper formation of the child's nervous system, muscle and bone tissue, thyroid gland, etc.

An important role in the health of the future mother and her baby is played by magnesium, which is part of tomatoes. It is always recommended to take it during pregnancy, which means that tomatoes can be called a natural "medicine". It calms a woman's nervous system and can improve her mood.

Lycopene, which is present in the fruit of the red vegetable, is considered a unique natural antioxidant. It is thanks to him that tomatoes acquire a red hue. It reduces the unrestrained appetite of pregnant women, so it saves the future mom from overeating, has a positive effect on the intestines, and normalizes acidity. It is known that lycopene is an active and effective fighter against germs in the intestines. It is recommended by oncologists to avoid breast cancer. It minimizes the risks of cardiovascular disease and prevents the formation of cancerous tumors.

Can you eat tomatoes during pregnancy?

Tomato fruits contain a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. Perhaps, for this reason, pregnant women especially want tomato juice or salads made of fresh vegetables.

In the 1st trimester

Fresh tomatoes in different terms of pregnancy are beneficial, but they will act differently. For example, in the first trimester, when a woman has a particularly acute toxicity, tomatoes will reduce nausea, help increase the production of gastric juice, prevent vomiting. So, thanks to them, you can not worry about dehydration of the body or loss of useful elements.

In the early stage you can afford, if you really want to, even pickled or salted tomatoes. But they should not become the main dish. The best way to eat red fruit is to cut the vegetable in half, drop some sunflower or olive oil on it and add some salt. Such eating will help reduce toxicity and completely relieve nausea.

In the 2nd trimester.

During the second trimester, you should completely refuse pickled vegetables or reduce their quantity to a minimum. The reason for this is that during canning they add aspirin, which is known to be able to thin the blood. And this is dangerous for pregnant women with premature births and profuse blood loss. Therefore, if you really want pickled tomatoes, you should use them with caution and in small quantities.

Fresh vegetables in the second trimester are not prohibited, but you should not forget about the salt. It is better to use tomatoes with other vegetables from the garden.

In the second trimester women often have cramps because of the lack of potassium and magnesium. Tomatoes will help to solve the problem, as the pulp of the red fruit contains all the necessary vitamins and elements. In addition, their regular use will improve the cardiovascular system and normalize blood circulation in the body.

In the 3rd trimester

Already at the end of the second trimester, and even more so in the third, it is completely forbidden to experiment with pickled vegetables. Even fresh tomatoes should be limited. If you really want to, it is better to prepare a salad with them. You should not forget about salt. It can provoke edema, so in the third trimester it should be completely abandoned or its quantity should be reduced to a minimum.

Fresh tomatoes without salt will be useful, because they can relieve the woman "in a pregnant pregnancy" from constipation. Thanks to the fiber present in tomatoes, the intestinal function will improve. According to experts, the red fruits can relieve anxiety, improve the condition and even raise the mood. Therefore, you should not deny yourself the pleasure, especially as a woman should prepare for childbirth and be calm. During this period, tomato juice will be very useful.

How to consume tomatoes correctly

The best way to eat tomatoes is in salads combined with other vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage, etc. And it is better to dress them with olive or vegetable oil with the addition of fresh herbs and a small amount of salt.

Specialists advise "stepping on it" while waiting for the baby to have a tomato drink made by yourself. Purchased product contains preservatives, so there will be no benefit from it, and even the opposite - it can be harmful.

If you add it to soups, then there is little benefit from such a vegetable, too. With heat treatment, tomatoes completely or partially lose their useful properties. The same applies to canned vegetables. In the preparation of marinades and pickles, hot brine is used, which destroys the valuable composition of the red fruit.

To get the maximum benefit from a tasty, juicy and useful tomato product, you should choose tomatoes correctly for it. You should pay attention to such characteristics:

1. Appearance. It is desirable to take fruits that have an uneven structure or heterogeneous color.
2. Size. Quality vegetables should not be too small or large. It is better to pay attention to the average size.
3. Smell. Fresh red fruit always has a pleasant aroma.

How much you can eat per day

Despite the fact that tomatoes are a treasure trove of a variety of vitamins, trace elements and minerals, you should not abuse them. It is not recommended to eat more than 2 pieces per day.

Is it possible to eat tomatoes at bedtime and on an empty stomach?

It is not advisable to eat tomatoes at night, although, according to some specialists, 2-2.5 hours before going to sleep, a salad with tomatoes will be very helpful for the woman in labor. It will calm you down, and allow you to sleep until morning. But, according to nutritionists, tomatoes should not be eaten at night. They activate metabolic processes and have a diuretic effect. So, instead of a good night, the woman will get the opposite reaction. Each person's body may react differently to certain foods, so you just have to try and see if you should eat juicy tomatoes at night.

As for whether or not you can eat them on an empty stomach - there are no prohibitions. If we are talking about fresh vegetables, then there's nothing wrong. If on an empty stomach eat pickled products, then perhaps it will cause discomfort to the future mother. In canned products there is always oxalic acid, which may have a negative impact on the gastrointestinal tract and cause unwanted heartburn.

Can I eat green tomatoes?

Green varieties of tomatoes on the one hand are useful, but on the other hand they are harmful for the human body. They contain a lot of important elements for human life, but there are also poisonous substances in the form of alpha-tomatine and solanine. They are rarely eaten because of their unattractive appearance and taste.

In pickled form, the poisonous substances escape, but there is a high chance that some of them could get into the body of the woman in labor. Is it worth the risk? Experts do not recommend that expectant mothers eat green tomatoes.

Can we eat sprouted tomatoes?

Sprouted tomatoes are the result of improper storage, but they can be used as a food. They have no poisonous elements, but their taste will be desirable. Therefore, the question whether you can eat sprouted tomatoes, the answer is unambiguous - yes.

Can we eat tomatoes with phytophthora

Phytophthora is a fungal disease that affects the plant. The causative agents of the disease are in the soil, where they reproduce. Fruits are not particularly affected. Of course, if you do not fight phytophthora, the tomatoes will begin to turn yellow and quickly deteriorate. But they are quite fit to eat. Only their appearance and taste will not be at their best.

Pregnant women are still better off eating fresh vegetables from the garden to be safe for their own well-being and the health of their baby.

The benefits of tomatoes during pregnancy

Let's understand which tomatoes are considered useful and which can harm a pregnant woman.

Fresh

If you really want to eat vegetables, you should not deny yourself, especially since the red fruits from the garden will benefit not only the woman, but also will have a beneficial effect on the formation of the future child. It is worth knowing that the vegetable can have not only red color. There are also yellow tomatoes, pink and even black.

The most useful, of course, will be fresh. They can be taken at any stage of pregnancy. They will be especially useful in the first trimester, when toxicosis is very painful. Lightly salted vegetable halves with the addition of vegetable oil will reduce gag reflexes, will remove nausea. From the second trimester it is desirable to reduce the amount of tomatoes consumed and completely eliminate salt. During the third trimester red vegetables from the garden will come in handy, as they will relieve the future mother from constipation, relieve fatigue, and calm the nerves.

Another good thing about tomatoes is their low caloric content. There are only 19 kcal per 100 grams of product. Therefore, you should not worry about extra pounds if you regularly eat 1 or 2 pieces per day. And for a woman who is expecting a child, extra pounds can be very detrimental during childbirth.

Fresh vegetables can help with varicose veins. To do this, it is enough to put the pulp of the tomato to the sore areas and support a little.

The most correct solution will be to take tomato juice, prepared by yourself. It is desirable to refuse from store options, so as not to harm yourself or the baby. There are a lot of preservatives that are bad for the health of not only the expectant mother, but also her unborn child. To make it is very simple. Take two medium-sized tomatoes and squeeze them in a juicer. The prepared drink can be diluted with water and add a little sugar and salt. The juice should be consumed immediately, so that all the useful elements were preserved and did not have time to "fly away".

Salty

It is desirable for women during pregnancy to give up salty foods altogether. This also applies to tomatoes. Salt disturbs the normal functioning of the kidneys, because it severely stresses them. This can worsen the general well-being of the expectant mother. The load on the kidneys can have a negative impact not only on the health of the woman, but also on the baby. Edema, which can be provoked by the excessive use of salty vegetables, is not good.

If you crave for pickles, then, according to nutritionists, pregnant women are better off using the so-called sea salt. It is saturated with iodine, it contains the necessary microelements for the health of a woman and her unborn child.

Pickled

Canned vegetables, including tomatoes, have always been considered the most popular homemade snack. But for a woman who is expecting a baby, will they be useful? The question is debatable. For example, lycopene, which is present in the flesh of fresh red tomatoes, which is a powerful antioxidant, is recommended by experts themselves to pregnant women. And after all, it is several times less in the fresh product than in the canned one.

A few more advantages of pickled tomato vegetables:

1. The presence of vinegar in small doses will raise the appetite and reduce the activity of harmful bacteria.
2. Beta-carotene will help women cope with fatigue and lift their mood.
3. Alpha-tomatine will prevent cancer cells.
4. Serotonin and tyramine will help relieve depression and cope with nervousness.
5. Vitamin K will take part in the formation of the child's muscle and bone tissue and help in the development of healthy teeth.
6. Quercetin is a well-known natural antibiotic. It will help with inflammation.
7. Choline is able to increase hemoglobin.
8. Germanium monitors the normal functioning of the immune system.

To choose pickled tomatoes in the store, you need to look at the composition. The most ideal if the list of ingredients will not contain preservatives. The brine should be transparent, without turbidity. It is worth looking at the vegetables themselves. It is desirable to choose a jar that contains tomatoes of the same size and color, and the product itself contains only vegetables, vinegar, spices and water.

Pregnant canned red fruits will not hurt at all, but you need to eat them in moderation. A couple of pieces a day - it will be both useful and delicious. But from the brine have to give up, even when you really want to.

Dried

Dried or dried vegetables contain almost the same amount of useful substances as fresh ones. Therefore, they will be useful for a woman during pregnancy. You can add them to salads daily, especially when there are problems with the intestines. They will get rid of constipation, improve well-being and lift your spirits.

Can tomatoes harm the future mother?

Tomatoes are not only useful for the mother, but also for her unborn child. But, despite all the value of the vegetable composition, we should not forget about the contraindications. It is better to give up tomatoes for those who have kidney problems or have kidney stones. Especially harmful for them are salty or pickled vegetables. First, the excess salt will certainly cause swelling, and secondly, it will have a negative impact on the renal system, because the load on the organ will be double. And this will entail a violation of the activity of the urogenital system. Stressed kidneys will not cope with their work, resulting in increased protein in the urine, and the woman "will be rewarded" with such a disease as cystitis.

It is not advisable to consume tomatoes if cholelithiasis has been diagnosed, or if there is suspicion of gallstones in the gallbladder. You should be especially careful with canned products, as they contain oxalic acid, which can provoke the formation of stones.

Some expectant mothers are allergic to red vegetables. In this case, it is desirable to refuse the red varieties and choose, for example, yellow or pink. If this is not done, then the body may show rashes. In pregnant women, allergies can occur even to those products that used to be a favorite delicacy. This is explained by changes in the body of the future mother.

It is not recommended to consume tomatoes during pregnancy if:

• There are pathologies of the gallbladder;
• is diagnosed with arthritis.

It is better not to risk the health of the baby, because some substances and elements in the juicy tomato can aggravate the situation, and this, in turn, will adversely affect the normal development of the child.

In any case, tomatoes are prohibited to take only those who really have contraindications. The rest of the women will only benefit from a few red juicy fruits with vegetable oil. If there are health problems, but the body requires a juicy tomatoes, it is better to consult with a doctor or a nutritionist on this issue.

Why do you want tomatoes so much during pregnancy?

Women who are expecting a baby, change the taste preferences, though everyone in different ways. Some crave sweets, some prefer salty foods. And someone certainly wants juicy red tomatoes. Why does this happen?

1. During pregnancy, the body undergoes serious changes, especially it affects the hormonal background. A woman catastrophically lacks vitamins and minerals, which are contained in a delicious and useful vegetable.
2. Pregnant woman often suffers from insomnia, she constantly wants to rest, as she feels very tired. Sometimes she loses her appetite, and mood swings often occur. It is for the reasons listed above and there is an irrepressible desire to eat fresh red vegetables.
3. Tomato fruits and tomato juice can quickly make up for the lack of useful elements and vitamins. Due to their composition, tomatoes, even in combination with other vegetables, are able to bring a weakened person "back to life", that is, give him vitality. Pregnant women always feel tired and exhausted, and natural wonder vegetables fill the body with energy, lift the mood and strengthen the immune system.

In addition to the above, the benefits of tomatoes are considered to be that they normalize metabolic processes in the body, blood pressure, and in the case of bloating of the abdomen - relieve all pain and eliminate the cause.

According to some experts, already in the first trimester, many future mothers complain about memory. So, tomatoes can solve the problem and improve it.

Interesting conclusions: Many people believe that if a woman in the period of expectation of the baby does not want pickles, but requires exactly tomatoes, then it will necessarily be a boy. Of course, doctors do not agree with this statement, seeing no connection between the desire of women to eat certain products and the sex of the future baby, but the fact remains.

Conclusion
It is up to the woman herself to decide whether or not to eat tomatoes during pregnancy. If the body requires them, then why not give yourself the pleasure. The main thing is to avoid allergic reactions and kidney problems. If you consider all kinds of risks, delicious and juicy tomatoes will only benefit the future mother and her baby.