Super excited with the news you have conceived and enjoying all the attention and pampering extended to you by all your loved ones? Once you settle down after your initial excitement, your next concern is whether you are eating right, ensuring a nutritional diet for you and your little one growing inside you. If you happen to be one of those people who love sweets and want to include nutritious sweets to your diet during this period, you need to seriously consider beet-root which is an amazing storehouse of all the nutrients and minerals which are vital for expectant moms.

• What Are Beetroots?
• 10 Benefits Of Eating Beetroots During Pregnancy
• Precautions When Eating Beetroots During Pregnancy
• How Can You Incorporate Beetroot In Your Diet During Pregnancy?

What Are Beetroots?

Beetroots are a sweet vegetable with umpteen medicinal characteristics. These purplish red bulbs are loaded with anti-oxidants as well as lots of vitamins and minerals, which make it a super food in every sense of the word. They are packed with sugar and are found to rank second as far as source of sugar is concerned, sugar cane ranking first in the category. However, they can cause an increase in your oxalate levels, and hence it is advised to check with your doctor before including them in your diet.

10 Benefits Of Eating Beetroots During Pregnancy

1. Excellent boost for immunity: Your immunity levels need to be quite high during pregnancy for your systems to steer clear of unwanted risks of any infections and ailments. Beetroot which has innumerable antioxidant properties provides you with the much required boost as far as your immunity levels are concerned
2. Averts osteoporosis: Expectant moms are more osteoporosis borne compared to normal women. Beetroot is packed with silica and calcium. Consuming adequate beet-root during conception helps to ensure that osteoporosis is averted during pregnancy and also guards against de-calcification of one’s bones and teeth also
3. Controls metabolism: Adequate quantities of potassium are also present in beet-root. Consuming beet-root juice or including them in your salad provides the much required balance of electrolytes and helps to ensure proper metabolism rates during pregnancy. Beetroots also ensures a balanced rate of blood pressure levels in expectant mothers
4. Lowers the chance of any birth anomalies: Packed with folic acid, which is vital for growth of tissues as well as proper development of the baby’s spinal cord during conception, beet-roots when consumed during pregnancy helps in a considerable manner to avert any kind of anomalies during birth and pregnancy
5. Averts swelling and pain in the joints: Beetroot also has commendable traces of Betaine, which is actually a wonderful and proven anti-inflammatory element. Thus including beet-root in your daily diet will help to avert swelling and pain in your joints
6. Natural purifier: Beetroot is a super food which even has the ability cleanses your blood system. Purification of blood helps to prevent diseases and viral infections. Not only does it work as a purifier, beet-root also provides an excellent boost for your stamina which is completely required during delivery. They also help to keep blood pressure levels within required limits
7. Rich in iron: Loaded with excellent traces of iron, beet-root if consumed regularly will help to give a boost to your hemoglobin levels in the blood. This helps to avert anemia, which is quite a common problem in many women during conception
8. Supports proper development of the fetus: Packed with vitamin E and A, including beet-roots into your daily diet will ensure that your fetus is developing wonderfully well at a good pace
9. Good for digestion:
   Beetroot has been proven to be ideal for proper digestion and helps to avert any digestive issues which have chances of rearing its head during pregnancy. They are also good to prevent constipation and ensure regular and normal bowel movements
10. Helps To regulate sugar levels: Glycemic contents in beet-root are quite low and this makes the process of sugar conversion very slow. This property makes eating beet-root during pregnancy, helpful to regulate sugar levels in your blood

However, some adverse effects of beet-roots if consumed in excess have been found. Read on to know what they are.

Precautions When Eating Beetroots During Pregnancy

1. Consuming too much of beet-root juice may paralyze one’s vocal cords momentarily
2. Beetroots have traces of nitrate present in them and this may trigger fatigue during pregnancy if consumed in excess
3. Another substance betaine is also found in beet-roots which can trigger vomiting, nausea, gastric issues and even diarrhea during pregnancy period
4. Beetroot also contains high quantities of oxalate that is known to cause kidney stones
5. Overindulging in beet-roots can cause a condition known as Beeturia which is a case where your stools and urine turn reddish in color

How Can You Incorporate Beetroot In Your Diet During Pregnancy?

Incorporating beet-root in your diet to get the benefits is a welcome step and if your doctor has given a go ahead, you can:

• Add beet-root to your salads, make smoothies or prepare some delicious soup
• Make various recipes by baking beet-root
• If you have a sweet tooth, you can make some beet-root halwa or indulge in some beet-root milkshake
• Prepare a dough with grated beet-root and make them into crunchy parathas
• Prepare beet-root chutney and sauces to go with other dishes
• Boil beet-root and eat the same with some seasoning

Always buy beet-root that has an intact taproot and bright leaves. Opt for small, firm rounds that have a dark ruby blush.
All the above mentioned facts suggest you need to include beet-roots in your pregnancy diet in perfect proportions at ideal intervals which ensure you benefit from this lovely veggie rather than experience any kind of adverse effects due to overindulgence. Your doctor will be able to advice you about how much is beneficial for you.