During the nine months of pregnancy, you experience almost every emotion possible—pain, happiness, anxiety, worry, craving for food—you name it and you experience it! While you secretly crave for some foods, you need to be extremely cautious to understand what your body needs on a daily basis in those 9 months that can keep you and your baby safe until the delivery and the period of recovery that follows. Thanks to the giant leaps in technology, information on anything is just a click away. Even then, apart from the regular foods, you need to get your doctor’s nod to go ahead with those that might cause reactions.

Talking about food, are you fond of pumpkins, but are not certain if can you eat pumpkin seeds during pregnancy? Do you also like eating pumpkin seeds, but do are not sure whether they are safe to consume during pregnancy? Here are answers to all your questions.

• Pumpkin Seeds—Why Do We Need Them?
• Benefits Of Pumpkin Seeds During Pregnancy
• Side Effects Of Eating Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds—Why Do We Need Them?

Pumpkin seeds can be added to salads, breads, smoothies and are absolutely safe for mother-to-be. Not just safe, it is healthy and a source of important nutrients for pre-natal development. Pregnancy is a time when a woman’s body undergoes changes internally and externally to make room for the growth of the baby inside. As the uterus expands, the back, abdominal and hip muscles need to stretch. This push, pull and stretch calls for extra protein in the diet and pumpkin seeds can come to your rescue at this crucial time, particularly for vegetarians. 1 cup of pumpkin seeds takes care of half of your daily nutritional requirement. Apart from protein, it also contains calcium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.

Benefits Of Pumpkin Seeds During Pregnancy

Not only are pumpkin seeds safe to eat during pregnancy, but they are also loaded with many important nutrients. Some of the benefits of eating pumpkin seeds during pregnancy are:

• • Rich in fiber, pumpkin seeds keep your bowels active during pregnancy. It also keeps diarrhea in check and is a natural deworming agent. Moreover, it prevents chances of stomach infections
  • Iron deficiency is a common problem that most pregnant women experience. Rather than going for supplements, it is easier to go the natural way and add pumpkin seeds to your diet. Every 100 grams of pumpkin seeds is known to contain approximately 8.8 milligrams of iron. Iron helps produce red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. During pregnancy, the body is known to produce more red blood cells to enhance the baby’s growth; hence the need for more iron. One cup of this seed can fulfill the daily requirement
  • It ensures that the heart pumps blood effectively and at the same time enables your baby to develop strong teeth and bones
  • Rich in zinc, pumpkin seeds strengthen the immune system and helps control mood swings which are common during pregnancy. Besides, zinc helps in production of DNA that aids rapid cell growth in the fetus. Higher intake of zinc is also known to prevent miscarriage, low birth weight of the baby, and other complications that may occur post-delivery. To ensure this, a minimum of 13 milligrams of zinc is recommended for pregnant women on a daily basis
  • Pumpkin seeds regulate insulin levels to ensure that you need not worry about the risk of contracting diabetes during those 9 months
  • Regular intake of pumpkin seeds increases good cholesterol in the body
  • It contains tryptophan, which means consuming pumpkin seeds a few hours before going to bed would ensure that pregnant women can get sound sleep

• As pregnancy advances, women tend to feel exhausted. One way to overcome this is by consuming foods rich Vitamin B that produces energy. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of Vitamin B. Besides, one ounce of the seeds provides 16 micrograms of folate, an important source of Vitamin B that prevents birth defects
• Pumpkin seeds are also known to be an important source of healthy unsaturated fats and Omega 3 fatty acids that aids development of the brain and the central nervous system
• What’s more, they also help you get rid of nausea that pregnant women detest and want to do away with to enjoy eating
• Pumpkin seeds are assumed to be good antidepressant so consuming them can help with the mood swings of the pregnant women and also help to reduce their stress level

Side Effects Of Eating Pumpkin Seeds

Like always here also moderation is the key. To get its benefit, consume pumpkin seeds in reasonable amounts only. Do not have them in plenty in order to avoid any complications during pregnancy.

• Since the fiber content in these seeds are high, consuming too many pumpkins seeds may lead to abdominal discomfort
• In rare cases, some women may be allergic to pumpkin seeds and may experience wheezing, vomiting, shortness of breath or even abdominal cramps, but these kind of side effects are still debatable in pregnant women

So, pregnant women can sit back and happily eat pumpkin seeds and enjoy their benefits. Research shows that roasted pumpkin seeds are more nutritious than raw ones. So, it is better to buy them and roast them at home and consume it as it is or toss it in salads. You can even enjoy them in soups. Look up the internet for interesting recipes and make sure to include them in your everyday diet. After all, nothing can compensate natural foods when it comes to good health and when the health of your unborn baby is also in question, who wants to take chances?