Many mothers have probably heard the saying, "Eating grapes during pregnancy will make your baby's eyes bigger."
Does eating grapes really make a child's eyes bigger and brighter? While this cannot be proven, it's true that eating more fruit during pregnancy can make the baby smarter. Do you believe it?
A 2016 study abroad suggested that eating fruit regularly during pregnancy can enhance the baby's cognitive abilities.
Cognitive abilities include perception, attention, reasoning, memory, and imagination.
To verify this claim, Scavuzzo, a researcher from the University of Alberta in Canada, conducted a related experiment. In the experiment, they used fruit flies as their research subject.
Fruit flies are a species that shares up to 80% of their genes with humans. Although there are significant individual differences between them and humans, they are indeed a good model for human simulation research. You should have seen quite a few of them in your junior high school textbooks.
I won't post any pictures.
By controlling and isolating pregnant fruit flies, researchers exposed them to food containing fruit juice. The results showed that the offspring of the pregnant fruit flies performed better in memory tests compared to those that were not exposed to fruit juice during pregnancy.
This conclusion also applies to humans. Researcher Rachel Ward-Flanagan further confirmed this claim through subsequent in-depth research.
However, don't mistakenly think that drinking fruit juice is enough; you need to eat the whole fruit first!
In short, there is evidence to support the claim that eating fruit during pregnancy can make the baby smarter.
So, what fruits are best to eat during pregnancy?
TOP1: The Miracle Doctor for Pregnancy Support – Grape
Grapes are rich in iron, phosphorus, calcium, organic acids, vitamin B1, vitamin C, etc.
Pregnant women who experience blood deficiency, low blood pressure, poor circulation, or cold hands and feet in winter can benefit from eating more grapes. Even more remarkably, grapes can help stabilize the pregnancy and aid fetal development if the pregnant woman experiences bleeding.
However, grapes have a high sugar content, so mothers with gestational diabetes should eat them in small amounts.
TOP2: Iron Queen – Cherry
Among all fruits, cherries are particularly rich in iron, with iron ion content about 20 times higher than other fruits, truly deserving the title of "Iron Queen".
Anemia is a common symptom during pregnancy, so eating more cherries can not only provide iron from food, but also benefit the fetus.
TOP3: The Knight Who Protects Development – Grapefruit
Folic acid is not only very important in early pregnancy, but also essential throughout the entire pregnancy.
Grapefruit contains a lot of natural folic acid. During pregnancy, as the fetus's body tissues grow rapidly, pregnant women need a lot of folic acid to meet the fetus's needs.
Folic acid deficiency not only increases the incidence of neural tube defects in the fetus, but also causes megaloblastic anemia in pregnant women, leading to intrauterine growth retardation, premature birth, and low birth weight in newborns.
Therefore, grapefruit is also a top choice for pregnant women.
TOP4: Apple – The Perfect Fruit During Pregnancy
Apples contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, malic acid, tannic acid, and dietary fiber. Many pregnant women are afraid of gaining weight, and eating more apples can help prevent excessive weight gain while also being very helpful for fetal development.
Apples also have a regulating effect on gastrointestinal function. Another important benefit of apples is that they can relieve morning sickness, effectively alleviating discomfort such as poor appetite and vomiting.
What should we pay attention to when eating fruit?
1. Eat fruit in moderation.
Eating too much fruit can lead to abnormal glucose metabolism during pregnancy and an increased risk of gestational diabetes and hyperlipidemia.
Pregnant women who were overweight before pregnancy, have high blood pressure, diabetes, or are gaining weight too quickly should strictly limit their fruit intake, especially fruits with high sugar content.
You can usually choose fruits with lower sugar content, such as kiwifruit and papaya.
2. There are some things to keep in mind when eating fruit.
It is not recommended to eat fruit before going to bed, especially fruits high in fiber.
For pregnant women with poor gastrointestinal function, it is even more detrimental to their health.
Nutrition experts recommend that the best time to eat fruit is between meals, either in the morning or afternoon.
In addition, eating fruit immediately after a meal can cause discomfort such as bloating and elevated blood sugar. Therefore, it is advisable to eat fruit 1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after a meal.
3. Fruits cannot replace vegetables.
Some pregnant women like to replace vegetables with fruits, but this is actually incorrect.
Although fruits and vegetables have many similarities, the nutrients in fruits cannot replace those in vegetables. Some fruits are very high in sugar, and eating too much may lead to gestational diabetes.
In addition, pregnant women often experience fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and often crave sweet and sour fruits, such as hawthorn.
However, consuming large amounts of hawthorn can have a contracting effect on the uterus, and excessive consumption can easily lead to miscarriage.
Many mothers with gestational diabetes have a love-hate relationship with fruit.
Wanting to eat but not daring to, and even if they do eat, not daring to eat too much—this is perhaps the most accurate reflection of their inner feelings! So, how should these "sugar moms" eat fruit correctly?
1. Choose low-sugar fruits, such as apples, oranges, and strawberries;
2. Do not eat too much fruit at one time; it is best not to exceed 100g at a time.
3. Eat between meals, not after meals. It can be eaten directly as a snack to prevent hypoglycemia without causing excessive fluctuations in blood sugar. Generally, 9:00-10:00 AM or 3:00-4:00 PM are good choices.
4. After eating fruit, reduce your intake of staple foods accordingly. For every 100-125g of fruit consumed, reduce your staple food intake by 25g; this is beneficial for blood sugar control.
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