What are the benefits and properties of coconut water for pregnant women?. Is it dangerous to drink coconut water during early pregnancy?. And is it okay to drink coconut water every day during late pregnancy?.
The questions above may often arise in your mind, especially when you are pregnant.
You may have often heard from some people who say that drinking young coconut water during pregnancy can make babies born with white and clean skin. You may have also heard that coconut water can be consumed when the pregnancy enters the third trimester. So, which opinion is correct?.
Coconut fruit has a nutritional content that is very much needed during pregnancy. And a pregnant woman must really maintain her nutritional intake and know the rules for drinking coconut water correctly and safely.
If you want to know what the benefits and uses of coconut water are for pregnant women, see the discussion below!
Table of Contents
Benefits of Coconut Water for Pregnant Women
Coconut fruit is believed to be very good for pregnant women, starting from being useful for reducing nausea and vomiting, to being effective for improving blood circulation.
What are the benefits of young coconut water for pregnant women? Let’s see together!
Reducing Morning Sickness
When someone is pregnant, there will be hormonal changes that can cause digestive disorders, causing nausea and vomiting or what is commonly called Nausea Gravidarum and Emesis Gravidarum or what we are more familiar with as Morning Sickness.
In addition to nausea and vomiting, pregnant people often experience constipation. Well, the first benefit of coconut water for pregnant women is that it can overcome these digestive disorders.
Prevent Dehydration
Pregnant women need more fluid intake, which is three liters per day. Well, coconut water can be used to meet the need for fluid intake to avoid dehydration.
Increase Body Immunity
Coconut water has natural antibacterial and antiviral content. This is useful for increasing immunity and body resistance. Therefore, it can prevent viral infections such as flu and others.
Trigger Fetal Growth
The results of several studies state that coconut water contains active compounds that are beneficial for fetal development.
Reduce Bad Cholesterol Levels
The next benefit of coconut water for pregnant women is that it can increase good cholesterol levels while reducing bad cholesterol levels in the body of a pregnant mother.
Maintaining Weight
Coconut water has a low calorie and fat content, therefore it can be effective in controlling the fat and calories consumed by pregnant women so that their weight remains ideal even though there is a fetus in the womb that must be provided with sufficient nutrition every day.
Overcoming Heartburn Disorders
The next benefit of coconut water for pregnant women can be to overcome bloating, heartburn, and relieve other symptoms of ulcers. In addition, coconut water is also useful for overcoming free radicals that can attack the stomach lining.
Preventing Urinary Tract Infections
Because the development of the uterus occurs along with the increasing age of pregnancy which can press on the bladder, pregnant women are very susceptible to urinary tract infections. And this can endanger the fetus.
The benefits of coconut water for pregnant women can overcome this problem by drinking it regularly, because coconut water is a natural diuretic that is useful for overcoming urinary tract infections and facilitating urination.
Smoothens Blood Circulation
Coconut water is rich in magnesium and potassium which can help the heart work when pumping blood throughout the body. Potassium also plays an important role in helping the kidneys when filtering blood so that blood circulation is smooth.
Rules for Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
In order for the benefits of coconut water for pregnant women to be truly felt by the body, you must know the rules for drinking coconut water safely and correctly, namely as follows:
- Drink fresh coconut water that has just been picked from the tree. Do not consume packaged coconut water. and drink coconut water without any additional sweeteners.
- To prevent excess potassium and sodium in the body of pregnant women, coconut water consumption should not exceed 2 glasses a day.
- Coconut water should not be used as a substitute for water, because after all the main fluid intake is water.
- To avoid electrolyte imbalance in the body of a pregnant person, do not drink coconut water together with other drinks that have high sodium and potassium levels.
- If you are planning to have a cesarean section, do not drink coconut water two weeks before the delivery process is carried out. Because, it can cause unstable blood pressure before and after the operation.
CONCLUSION
Although there are so many benefits of coconut water for pregnant women, it does not mean that you can consume it excessively, because anything that is done excessively will definitely have bad results and can even be dangerous for you.
And it needs to be underlined that coconut water can be maximally beneficial if consumed regularly and in accordance with the rules for drinking coconut water during pregnancy.
