Choosing Acai for Pregnancy: Nutrition Tips and Benefits for Expecting Moms
Indulging in a cold and creamy bowl of acai is not only tempting but also safe for pregnant women. Choosing acai for pregnancy offers nourishing benefits at any stage, providing essential nutrients and minerals for both mom and baby in building a balanced diet during warmer days.
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Balanced nutrition
On the subject of a healthy diet, seeking advice from a nutritionist is indispensable in any circumstances and, during pregnancy, that’s especially important for the health of the mother and the baby’s.
For the whole course of the pregnancy, a specialized medical follow-up is essential to provide the woman with all the orientations and exams (clinical and laboratorial) needed to check and improve the baby’s development and the mother’s wellbeing.
Regardless of the type of food, there are some particular “golden rules” to ensure a healthy pregnancy, like:
- Avoiding raw or rare foods, like some vegetables and meat;
- Taking special care with the hygienization and the prepare of those ingredients;
- Complementing the normal diet with nutrients, according to the doctor’s and the nutritionist’s recommendations.
A good “pregnancy diet” must contain enough:
- Proteins;
- Iron, present in vegetables such as beans, chickpeas, and soybeans;
- B-complex vitamins found in tomatoes, peas, and broccoli;
- Calcium, present in milk, yogurt, and cheese;
- Grains and cereals’
- And fibers, that will help the bowel function.
A healthy menu for the mother and for the baby will also avoid foods with excess of:
- Salt;
- Sugar;
- Low-quality fats;
- Chemical additives, like conservatives and food coloring.
How to choose your acai?
According to specialists, the main aspect that must be observed when choosing your meals and ingredients is the origin of the product. That’s why you should always check for pasteurized acai, with guarantee of origin and processed according to the highest health and environmental standards.
Also, when choosing your acai it’s important to pay attention to the percentage of fresh fruit in the product. It’s recommended to consume foods with fewer additives and preservatives – that have a higher caloric rate, with very little nutritional value.
What are the benefits of acai for pregnancy?
Acai can offer many health benefits to the mother and to the baby. The fruit is rich in fibers, which contributes to digestion, combined with other enzymes that help balance the levels of sugar in the organism. It also has natural antioxidants that assist the body in eliminating toxins. And for pregnant women who constantly suffer with nausea, the consumption of cold foods like acai can help decrease those annoying feelings.
5 reasons why açaí for everyone.
Whether you’re pregnant or not, everyone should enjoy the benefits of acai, and there are countless of those in a single bowl. We will list five of those for you.
1. It fights premature aging
Thanks to its high concentration of antioxidants – with a focus on anthocyanins, responsible for its purplish color- acai reduces the damaging action of free radicals that accelerate cellular wear and tear throughout the body.
2. It lowers cholesterol
This claim was confirmed in a study conducted at the Federal University of Pará (homeland of acai in Brazil), which compared two groups of guinea pigs, one that drank the fruit-based drink and another that did not ingest this food.
After 12 weeks, the researchers found that the first had a drop in LDL, the bad cholesterol, which did not happen in the second. The credit in this case goes to phytosterols and anthocyanins, abundantly present in acai. The first competes with cholesterol during digestion, decreasing the absorption of harmful molecules. The latter fights the oxidation of LDL, which prevents the formation of plaque in the blood vessels.
3. It protects the heart and improves circulation
Besides being the enemy of bad cholesterol, which is already great for the health of the chest, it has substances that help ward off atherosclerosis, the hardening of the vessels, controlling high blood pressure and improving blood circulation. This was shown by a study published in the scientific journal Atherosclerosis, of the European Society of Atherosclerosis
4. Provides energy
The fruit provides extra gas for the body, as it provides plenty of high-quality carbohydrates and is rich in nutrients. Acai is especially welcomed before a workout, because it is digested quickly. In other words, it guarantees more willingness in a fast way, without leaving that heavy stomach feeling.
5. Prevents degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s
The effect here is twofold: its antioxidant substances combat the oxidative stress produced by free radicals and reduce the accumulation of a protein called beta-amyloid, two factors that are directly linked to this type of the disease. This was the result of a study carried out at the University of Adelaide in Australia.
Got a craving?
Now that you know all the benefits of acai and how it can be an ally in your pregnancy, visit our online store and enjoy this treat!