Pregnancy is all fun with nutritious food!. As there is a list of foods full of nutrition that is recommended by doctors for pregnant women. When you build your healthy eating plan, it must contain proteins, fibers, carbohydrates, iron, vitamins, and minerals. You need extra calcium and proteins for the growth of your little one. To satisfy the calcium and protein requirements, milk, cheese, and yogurt must be on your list.
Dairy products accumulate two high-quality proteins that are whey and casein. You can get Zinc, B vitamins, phosphorous, and magnesium from dairy products. Especially yogurt contains more calcium and probiotic bacteria than any other dairy product.
Yogurt-Can Pregnant Women Eat Yogurt
Yogurt is formed when milk is cultured with probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus). This is a non-harmful type of bacteria and two healthy strains of that bacteria such as S.thermophillus and L.bulgaricus cultured in the milk so the process of fermentation started. Fermentation of lactose sugar into lactic acid takes place in the milk. Proteins start to coagulate when an acidic environment is provided that gives a gel-like and creamy texture to the milk and then forms yogurt.
Nutritional Value of Yogurt
Yogurt is a dairy product and it has all the nutritional benefits of milk as it provides calcium for the growth of your baby’s bones. It also provides proteins that is required in the formation of new cells and many other minerals.
Benefits of Yogurt in Pregnancy
Raw milk and pasteurized milk can be used to make yogurt but some women are confused about whether Can Pregnant Women Eat Yogurt ? so the answer is yes. Some benefits of yogurt are listed down:
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Digestion Improvement
For the health of the intestine, the body needs some beneficial bacteria that can be provided by yogurt. Eating yogurt may improve the overall digestion of food and nutrition absorption by the digestive tract as good digestion required probiotic bacteria or useful bacteria.
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Body temperature
Heartburn and acidity may occur in the body whenever you eat something spicy, due to this reason you need to add some yogurt with your food. Craving for spicy food is common in pregnancy so it’s good to take yogurt with your food.
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Immunity Improvement
By eating yogurt the probiotics population may increase and restore intestinal bacteria flora that helps in ease of digestion improvement and make immunity strong.
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High Blood Pressure
During pregnancy, high blood pressure is a risky problem for the mother and baby. Intake of yogurt may reduce the risk and lower blood pressure and cholesterol level.
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Stress and Anxiety
Pregnant females have problems like stress and anxiety. Yogurt is a good substitute for any other dessert such as ice creams and cakes.
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Pigmentation and Dry Skin
Dark spots and hormonal imbalance may lead to pigmentation and dry skin that can be recovered by eating yogurt. Vitamin E is naturally present in yogurt that keeps the skin healthy and prevents pigmentation.
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Body Weight
Weight gain is considered a healthy sign in pregnancy, but excessive weight gain may cause problems during pregnancy. Stress hormone and cortisol may increase during pregnancy that is harmful to mother and baby and it can be controlled by eating yogurt.
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Beneficial for Muscles
Yogurt provides proteins to maintain muscles and provides calcium for strong bones. In this way, yogurt plays an important role in forming and maintaining muscles.
Types of Yogurt
Different types of yogurt are found in the market including raw and pasteurized milk. Have a look at the types of yogurt that we have listed down.
- Unstrained or traditional cow’s milk yogurt.
- Greek yogurt.
- Goat’s milk yogurt.
- Sheep’s milk yogurt.
- Icelandic yogurt.
- Australian yogurt.
- French-style yogurt.
- Soy yogurt.
- Almond yogurt.
- Cashew yogurt.
- Coconut yogurt.
- Kefir.
- Drinkable yogurt.
Selection of yogurt for Pregnant Women
Different types of yogurts are available in the markets in containers and different packings. It may also be available in the pouches. Yogurt that is made from pasteurized milk is good for pregnant women.
Sugar content must be observed while buying the yogurt and also check that what you are looking for. Greek yogurt and kefir are considered as healthiest yogurt types that you can choose. 600gm of yogurt and divided into 3 servings are enough to consume in a single day.
Flavored yogurt
Can Pregnant Women Eat Yogurt? Plain yogurt or flavored yogurt. Flavored yogurt is healthy if you prepare it by yourself by adding fruit purees, natural sweeteners, cherries, and fresh fruits. If it’s low-sugar and low-fat but contains all-natural nutrients then flavored yogurt is not a bad option.
Storage of Yogurt
Pregnant women must try to eat fresh yogurt but if you want to store it and want to eat it cool then it can be placed in the refrigerator. As yogurt is formed by fermentation it may keep in the fridge for two or more weeks. If you have packages of yogurt then check the expiry date.
Best of the Best Yogurt!
Regular yogurt has a high amount of sugar while greek yogurt has a low sugar level that’s why considered the best type of yogurt. When whey is removed from the yogurt it gives a more creamy, thick, and sweet taste. Some manufacturers add the thickening agents to form the thick texture of yogurt and named as greek yogurt and it cant be the same as original greek yogurt with many health benefits. Greek yogurt may improve gut health, diabetes, and mental health as well.
Final Note
Yogurt is a healthy and beneficent substitute for milk and any other dessert. So if you ask Can Pregnant Women Eat Yogurt the answer will definitely is yes! Low-fat sugar provides really good nutrients to pregnant women and babies for the development of bones and the formation of new cells.
Yogurt may help to reduce stress levels and lower blood pressure that is very harmful to mother’s and baby’s health. Yogurt can be harmful during pregnancy if formed by raw milk. If you don’t want to gain much weight during pregnancy try to avoid buying yogurt from markets as it contains corn syrup and a high amount of sugar. Enjoy your life’s best time with healthy options and make it more useful for your baby!
