Proper nutrition is important when you are growing another life inside of you. This is why all
food for pregnant women should hold plenty of nutritional benefits for the body. Sugar, artificial sweeteners and processed foods lack nutrition and can cause a host of health problems for pregnant mothers and their babies.
Sugar is Dangerous to Eat While Pregnant
When you eat sugar while youre pregnant, it absorbs quickly in the blood stream and increases your risk of gestational diabetes. If you get gestational diabetes, your baby may grow too large and your chances of birth complications will increase. Sugar also:
makes you gain weight
increases your risk of type 2 diabetes
robs you of your youth
weakens your eyesight
raises the risk of osteoporosis
contributes to yeast infections
contributes to eczema in kids
If you crave sugar when youre pregnant, you can sweeten tea, lemonade or coffee with stevia or xylitol. These sweeteners are safer alternatives to sugar.
Processed Food is Dangerous to Eat During Pregnancy
Processed foods are popular because they are convenient, cheap and they last longer than natural foods. However, when foods are altered from their natural state, they are filled with chemicals, trans-fat, salt and other additives that can cross the placenta and affect your fetus. Some examples of commonly eaten processed foods include:
hot dogs and smoked sausages
lunch meats and bologna
canned meat
canned vegetables
pasta
flour
bread
crackers
cake mix
cheese
milk
Although the FDA approves the chemicals used in processed foods, some of them are known to have cancer-causing properties.
Trans-fat is made by mixing hydrogen atoms with liquid vegetable oil. This substance is commonly found in store-bought baked goods and fried foods like French fries and chicken. Trans-fat increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
Restaurants and manufacturers are well aware of the health risks of trans-fat, but they continue to use it because its cheaper than other oils, and it can be reheated over and over again without breaking down.
Artificial Sweeteners Are Dangerous to Consume During Pregnancy
Sucralose, saccharin and aspartame are popular artificial sweeteners that are readily available in grocery stores. These sweeteners are sold under popular brands names like Equal, Sweet & Low and Splenda.
If you are adding artificial sweeteners to your cereal, coffee or tea, youre putting yourself at risk for a number of health problems. Although these products are low in calories, they increase your appetite and put you at risk for gaining too much weight during pregnancy.
When you consume artificial sweeteners, the weight you gain is nothing compared to the other health problems they can cause. Aspartame has been linked to dozens of neuropsychiatric disorders. Listed below are just a few of them.
depression
joint pain
visual hallucinations
seizures
manic episodes
hearing loss
heart palpitations
slurred speech
breathing difficulties
mood changes
panic attacks
vertigo
fatigue
diabetes
Aspartame also contributes to or worsens Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsons disease, brain tumors, mental retardation, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, birth defects, chronic fatigue syndrome and lymphoma.
Saccharin causes cancer in laboratory animals. Consuming this sweetener may cause wheezing, tongue blisters, eczema, sensory neuropathy, headaches and diarrhea. Preliminary studies show that sucralose can enlarge the liver and kidneys, and cause the thymus glands to shrink.
When youre pregnant, your baby relies on you to make sound nutritional decisions. When you eliminate processed foods, artificial sweeteners and sugar from your diet, you reduce the risk of health problems during pregnancy.
