During the Lunar New Year, families typically stock up on various fruits. While fruit consumption benefits both maternal health and fetal development, excessive intake can have adverse effects. Therefore, even during this festive season, expectant mothers should consume fruit in moderation.
Guidelines for fruit consumption during pregnancy:
Limit daily fruit intake to no more than 200 grams. Opt for low-sugar varieties and avoid excessive consumption of high-sugar fruits like watermelon.
Eat fruit within 2 hours after meals or 1 hour before meals. Consuming fruit immediately after eating may cause bloating and constipation.
Since fruits contain fermentable sugars, it's best to rinse your mouth after eating them.
Maintain strict food hygiene when consuming fruits. Always wash the outer skin thoroughly before eating raw fruits. Avoid using kitchen knives to peel fruits to prevent transferring parasite eggs onto the fruit.
Hawthorn and papaya are best avoided.Hawthorn has a stimulating effect on the uterus, promoting contractions. If pregnant women consume large amounts of hawthorn, it may lead to miscarriage. Papaya contains female hormones that can easily interfere with hormonal changes in pregnant women. Green papaya, in particular, should be completely avoided by pregnant women. Not only is it harmful to fetal stability, but it may also cause miscarriage.
So, why does the editor say that pregnant women should not eat too much fruit during the New Year?
Pregnant Women Should Avoid Excessive Fruit Consumption During the New Year
For pregnant women, eating one piece of fruit after each meal daily is sufficient to ensure adequate nutritional intake. Excessive fruit consumption not only increases the risk of hyperlipidemia but also elevates the likelihood of developing gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes refers to abnormal glucose metabolism during pregnancy, leading to elevated blood sugar levels, which typically normalize within two months postpartum.Its primary cause is often improper diet, with excessive fruit consumption being the biggest trigger. If left unmanaged, gestational diabetes first impacts maternal health—some patients may develop type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years—and increases risks of pregnancy infections, miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, and polyhydramnios. Second, it severely harms fetal growth and development: high blood sugar in mothers can cause macrosomia (excessively large babies), leading to difficult labor and higher chances of obstructed delivery or postpartum hemorrhage.
What fruits are good for pregnant women during the New Year?
Apples: Rich in various vitamins, minerals, malic acid, tannins, and dietary fiber, apples help prevent excessive weight gain—a concern for many expectant mothers—while supporting fetal development. They also regulate gastrointestinal function. Eating apples with the skin can alleviate both constipation and diarrhea, making them a worthwhile option for pregnant women struggling with constipation.In clinics, we often see pregnant women with poor complexions, frequently linked to anemia. Eating apples can help improve this, giving them a beauty-enhancing effect. Another key benefit of apples is their ability to alleviate morning sickness, offering significant relief for poor appetite and nausea.
Cherries: Among all fruits, cherries are exceptionally rich in iron—nearly 20 times more than apples, oranges, or pears. They also contain carotene (4-5 times more than grapes, apples, or oranges), vitamins B1, B2, and C, along with citric acid, calcium, phosphorus, and other nutrients. Regular consumption aids blood replenishment and supports digestive health.Pregnant women with poor appetite should actively incorporate cherries into their diet, as they greatly benefit the fetus. Many expectant mothers who regularly consume cherries give birth to babies with rosy, healthy complexions.
Strawberries: Extremely rich in vitamin C, they help prevent colds. Their pectin and organic acids break down fats in food, stimulate appetite, and enhance gastrointestinal motility. Foreign research also indicates strawberries can remove heavy metals from the body.A potential concern is that strawberries can be difficult to clean thoroughly, raising worries about pesticide residue. Grapes: Rich in iron, phosphorus, calcium, organic acids, lecithin, carotene, and vitamins B1 and C. They can help improve anemia, low blood pressure, poor circulation, and cold hands and feet in winter. Notably, grapes also have a stabilizing effect on pregnancy and support fetal development if bleeding occurs.
Autumn Pears: With a sweet, cool, and slightly sour nature, they clear heat, promote urination, moisten the throat, lower blood pressure, clear the heart, nourish the lungs, suppress coughs, eliminate phlegm, quench thirst, and generate fluids. They can treat pregnancy edema and gestational hypertension. They also calm the mind, nourish the heart, protect the liver, reduce inflammation, and relieve pain, helping prevent and treat lung infections and hepatitis.Regularly consuming stewed pears increases oral fluids, preventing dry mouth and lips. This not only protects the throat but also serves as a dietary remedy for pneumonia, bronchitis, and hepatitis. Remove the core from a fresh pear, stuff it with 10g rock sugar, 5g fritillary bulb, and an appropriate amount of water. Simmer over low heat until tender. Consuming the pear and broth helps prevent and treat wind-cold invasion, coughs with excessive phlegm, and similar ailments.Grapefruit: Contains natural folic acid. Folic acid is not only crucial during early pregnancy but remains essential throughout the entire gestation period.As fetal tissues rapidly develop during pregnancy, expectant mothers require substantial folic acid to meet the baby's needs. Deficiency not only increases risks of preeclampsia and placental abruption but also causes maternal megaloblastic anemia, leading to intrauterine growth restriction, premature birth, and low birth weight in newborns. Thus, grapefruit is a top choice for pregnant women.
Citrus Fruits: Citrus varieties are diverse, including sweet oranges, mandarins, seedless tangerines, and pomelos. They share the common benefits of being nutrient-rich and valuable in their entirety. Their juices are rich in citric acid, amino acids, carbohydrates, fats, various vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other nutrients, making them a favorite among pregnant women.However, despite their deliciousness, citrus fruits should be consumed in moderation. Being warm in nature and sweet in flavor, they tonify yang and boost qi. Overconsumption can be counterproductive, potentially causing internal heat and inflammation, leading to conditions like stomatitis, periodontitis, or pharyngitis. Pregnant women should limit daily citrus intake to no more than 3 pieces, totaling under 250 grams.
During the New Year period, pregnant women should remember to limit their fruit consumption.