Benefits of Chocolate for Pregnant Women and Fetuses
Who doesn’t love chocolate? It feels like most people like chocolate. The taste is sweet, a little bitter, making chocolate liked by many people.
Besides being delicious, chocolate has many benefits for those who consume it. What about pregnant women? Is chocolate safe for consumption by pregnant women? Apparently, pregnant women can benefit from the nutrients contained in chocolate.
What are the benefits of chocolate for pregnant women that you can get when you consume it? Come on, see the reviews Popmama.com the following, Ma.
1. Serves as an antioxidant
Freepik
Chocolate helps eliminate free radicals in the body. According to research, preeclampsia can be caused by oxidative stress. So getting enough antioxidants may be an important part of prenatal care.
In addition, antioxidants can also make you less susceptible to disease during pregnancy.
Editors’ Picks
2. Reducing the risk of preeclampsia and stroke
Freepik / andreycherkasov
Many people are deficient in magnesium and often have cravings for chocolate. This is a sign that the body is deficient in magnesium. Consumption of chocolate can help meet your magnesium intake as can green vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Magnesium is very important for pregnant women, because magnesium deficiency is associated with preeclampsia. Magnesium is also a good nutrient to reduce morning sickness experienced in early pregnancy.
Resveratrol in chocolate can protect the brain and nervous system and prolong life. Chocolate also has anti-inflammatory properties that can lower the risk of stroke, Ma.
3. Affects mood
Freepik / valuavitaly
Anyone can attest to how chocolate influences mood. This is because the phenethylamine content triggers the release of endorphins, mimicking how we feel when we are in love.
Well, of course this can help pregnant women who often experience mood swings due to hormonal changes.
4. Chocolate is also beneficial for fetuses and babies
Freepik / Pressahotkey
In a Swedish study, researchers asked mothers how often they ate chocolate during pregnancy. And when their babies were six months old, researchers also asked mothers to rate their babies’ happiness.
The results show a significant difference between those who consumed chocolate while pregnant and those who did not. Mothers who regularly eat chocolate while pregnant give their babies higher happiness scores.
Although the cause is not yet known, it could be the chocolate itself that makes the baby happier by crossing the placenta or entering breast milk. Can be mood the mother who increases, from chocolate, makes the baby happier. Or maybe girls who eat chocolate every day are happier and see their babies happier.
What’s really interesting about this study is that chocolate during pregnancy appears to protect the baby from maternal stress before childbirth.
The study also took into account the stress levels of mothers during pregnancy and the fears of their babies. Mothers who never or rarely ate chocolate during pregnancy and had high levels of stress during pregnancy reported having babies who were more likely to experience fear.
So, besides making the baby happier, chocolate can also protect the fetus from the effects of stress during pregnancy.
What If You Have Gestational Diabetes?
Freepik / xb100
Pure chocolate is actually very low in carbohydrates and contains a lot of fat but is also very bitter. Sweetener added chocolate to make it taste better.
So, if you have gestational diabetes, you should eat chocolate that is low in carbohydrates and low in sugar. That way, you can still enjoy the benefits of chocolate, including amazing antioxidants and endorphins, without increasing blood sugar. Of course, ask your doctor if chocolate can affect your gestational diabetes.
That’s the benefits of chocolate for pregnant women. Enjoy chocolate, Ma!
Also read:
