Do you have sweet cravings during pregnancy and are you restricted to a healthy diet? If that’s the case, then this blog is to fulfill your sweet cravings with a healthy combination.
When women get pregnant, they start craving sweet or spicy foods. Many times they wake up in the middle of the night and crave ice cream or anything sweet.
Well, if you’re facing the same issue, then eating dates with milk is the healthiest way to satisfy your sweet cravings. Moreover, it not only satisfies the sweet cravings but also the benefits of dates with milk during pregnancy are innumerable.
Additionally, it was found that pregnant women who eat dates need less medical intervention when it comes to labor induction as compared to those who don’t eat dates.
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Read on to find out the benefits of dates with milk during pregnancy.
Nutritional Properties of Dates
100 g of dates can provide over 15% of the recommended daily allowance of Selenium, Potassium, Copper, and Magnesium. The flesh of dates is low in protein and fats. It is rich in sugars including glucose and fructose (40-80%). Moreover, it is a high source of energy. 100 g of dates flesh can provide approximately 314 kcal.
Dates are enriched with Vitamin A, C, E, Vitamin B-complex, and antioxidants like phenolics and carotenoids. Moreover, they are high in dietary fiber (8g/100g).
Is It Good to Eat Dates with Milk?
There are potential benefits of eating dates with milk at night. Dates with milk not only strengthen skin and hair but also promote improved blood circulation along with preventing anemia. They also improve eye health and improve vision.
Dates are enriched with sugar and also have micronutrients such as manganese, potassium, copper, and magnesium.
The combination of dates with milk also protects against dementia and memory loss by stimulating the nervous system.
RELATED: 10 Benefits of Dates with Milk at Night
8 Benefits of Dates with Milk During Pregnancy
As dates are rich in antioxidants, micronutrients, sugar, etc, they can provide potential health benefits to pregnant women. Some benefits of dates with milk during pregnancy are given below:
1. Instant Source of Energy
Pregnant women feel weak and get tired quickly as compared to others. They need more energy than usual to maintain their and the baby’s health.
They get tired quickly because there is a 40% increase in load on the kidneys and cardiovascular system. Moreover, weight gain and gravity change along with pressure on the lumbar spine cause tiredness.
Therefore, to address this condition, consuming a handful of dates with milk every day can provide the mother and the baby with essential natural sugar, nutrients, antioxidants, and minerals.
Dates are incredible food to have in the morning as they are enriched with fructose and glucose. Moreover, dates with milk can keep the stomach full for longer periods.
Hence, if you’re someone have a baby in the abdomen should rely on dates for an instant source of energy.
2. Prevent Anemia
Pregnant women are at a higher risk of anemia (iron deficiency) and they need twice the amount of iron as compared to those who are not pregnant. Generally, women face more iron deficiency as compared to men, as they lose blood every month during menstruation.
In pregnancy, the blood volume expands more than red cells and the iron absorption is low. This can cause iron deficiency or anemia.
To overcome this challenge, women can eat dates. Dates are full of iron and phytochemicals which can prevent anemia during pregnancy and generally.
Iron up keeps the hemoglobin in the body and keeps the immune system strong of the mother and the developing baby.
Severe anemia can raise the chances of having a low-weight or preterm baby and can cause postpartum depression. Therefore, one should eat dates with milk to maintain the iron levels and health of the baby.
3. Relief Constipation
Constipation is a common issue during pregnancy. Constipation during pregnancy is mostly due to the hormones that cause the gastrointestinal tract to slow down. Moreover, pregnant women usually take iron supplements which can also increase the chances of constipation.
Progesterone levels which support pregnancy and regulate periods are very high. Moreover, physical activity in pregnant women usually becomes less. Nausea can cause less food and water intake. All of these can cause constipation in pregnancy.
To relieve constipation, it is better to rely on natural methods than medicines. For that, you can take dates with milk. Dates are high in dietary fiber and can help in bowel movements. They also keep the digestive system healthy and help in relieving constipation.
4 dates have approximately 6.7 grams of dietary fiber which is equal to approximately 25% of the recommended daily intake of 20-35 grams.
4. Prevent Birth Defects
Dates are an excellent source of folate and iron. Folate prevents congenital defects that are associated with the spinal cord and brain.
During the early development of the baby during pregnancy, folic acid/ folate helps in the formation of neural tubes. The neural tubes form the early spine and brain of the baby. Folate can prevent major birth defects including spina bifida, anecephaly, etc.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends folate supplements and consumption of folate-rich foods before and during pregnancy. It can help in the prevention of congenital disabilities.
Thus, if you’re pregnant, then consuming dates with milk is the best choice to fulfill the folate dosage.
5. Help with Labor
It is long believed that dates can help in inducing labor. There is some evidence that suggests eating dates can help in shortening labor. However, it won’t kick-start labor.
A study reported that pregnant women who consumed 6 dates a day for 4 weeks before their due date had a short first stage of labor and their cervix was also softer before delivery.
Another study of more than 200 pregnant women conducted in 2013 showed that consuming dates can help with cervical ripening of labor and also aids in softening of the cervix.
6. Improve Bone Health of Mother and Baby
Milk has a significant amount of calcium and when dates are added to the milk, the benefits are doubled.
Moreover, Magnesium also helps in the bone health maintenance and formation of teeth. It also aids in sugar management in the blood and also regulates levels of blood pressure.
Dates have magnesium, selenium, and manganese which can prevent mineral deficiency during pregnancy. Magnesium deficiency can increase the risk of placental dysfunction, premature labor, chronic hypertension, preeclampsia, etc.
Additionally, the micronutrients including magnesium, selenium, and manganese in dates can improve bone health by lessening the chances of osteoporosis (a common bone disease in women).
Dates also increase bone density and reduce joint pain.
7. Lessen Hairfall
Women usually experience hair fall during and after pregnancy.
To overcome this issue, dates can help in increasing blood flow. Dates have high iron content and can increase blood flow to the hair and scalp; therefore, they can be beneficial for the health of the hair.
8. Provide Vitamin K for the baby
Normally, babies are born with very little amount of Vitamin K in their bodies. This can cause serious bleeding issues, clotting, and bone development issues.
If the mother eats dates during and after pregnancy, then the baby can get some Vitamin K through breast milk. This can save the baby from serious bleeding and bone issues.
Can Dates Help in Labor?
The date palm trees are native to the Middle East and are a staple food in the Middle East.
Dates are believed to have therapeutic and medicinal benefits from ages. They have antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory properties. One other major benefit of dates is their ability to improve and induce labor.
Consuming dates to induce labor may seem like a myth or an old urban ritual but as per the researchers, there are some proofs that back up this claim.
Therefore, dates can be used to induce natural labor without the help of medicines.
In a study conducted in 2011, 69 pregnant women ate 6 dates a day for 4 weeks up to their calculated delivery dates. On the other hand, 45 pregnant women didn’t eat any dates before their due dates. At the end of the study, it was seen that the women who ate 6 days a day for 4 weeks had a short first stage of labor, had intact membranes upon arrival at the hospital, and had a high mean cervical dilatation.
Moreover, 96% of pregnant women who consumed dates experienced spontaneous labor as compared to 79% of the women who didn’t consume dates.
A recent study was conducted in 2011 on 154 women. In the study, 77 women ate dates in their pregnancy and 77 women didn’t. It was found that the women who ate dates had less need for medical intervention to induce labor as compared to the non-eaters.
According to the above-mentioned findings, researchers consider that consuming dates can reduce the need for induction of labor. However, more research is needed to ensure whether dates induce labor or not.
When To Eat Dates During Pregnancy?
It is highly recommended to consume dates with milk during pregnancy. This combination is low in sodium and high in calcium. It also has a good quantity of natural sugars which is good nutrition during pregnancy.
Now, you must be wondering when to eat dates during pregnancy.
The good news is that dates can be consumed at any stage of pregnancy. However, you need to be cautious about the quantity of dates you consume.
- In the first trimester, constipation is faced by many women. Hence, dates can help in preventing consumption and upkeep a healthy digestive system. But, one should eat dates in moderate amounts in early pregnancy.
- In the second trimester, pregnant women are at a high risk of developing gestational diabetes. Therefore, you should take the nutritionist’s advice and ask for low-glycemic dates.
- In the third trimester, dates can make the labor easier and shorter. Pregnant women can consume 6 dates a day starting from the 36th week (4 weeks before the estimated delivery date).
Some women do not eat dates during summer. This is because they think that their body produces heat and can upset the stomach or temperature of the body. However, this is not scientifically proven.
How to Make Dates Infused Milk?
To make dates infused milk, one should follow the below-mentioned steps:
- Simply add warm milk to the dates and let it rest for 10-15 minutes
- Then thoroughly mix the milk and dates,
- After that, you can consume milk with dates,
One can also soak dates in milk overnight and then consume it the next morning.
You can also watch this video by Ms. Lalarukh, a professional nutritionist, in which she talks about the sexual benefits of milk for males and females.
Other Ways to Eat Dates During Pregnancy
Dates can be consumed during pregnancy in many ways. Some of them are as follows:
- Dates soaked in milk
- Dates with yogurt to make a smoothie
- Date desserts
- Use as a sweetener
- Add dates in cookies, bars, muffins, etc
- Can be used as a salad dressing
- Remove the pit and add nuts with peanut butter in the pit of the dates
- Blend dates and milk and use it as syrup on toast, ice cream, oatmeal, waffles
Final Words
The benefits of dates with milk during pregnancy are undeniably incredible. Pregnant women should consume dates with milk to reap its benefits.
It not only fulfills the nutritional and iron deficiencies in the mother but also helps in the development and growth of the baby.
One can incorporate dates in their pregnancy diet in many different ways. However, it is essential to talk to a professional nutritionist or gynecologist before incorporating anything new into your pregnancy diet.
Consult with a Nutritionist to discuss the benefits of dates with milk during pregnancy.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I drink milk with dates during pregnancy?
Yes. You can drink milk with dates during pregnancy. It provides a range of potential benefits to the mother and the baby.
Dates provide numerous benefits during pregnancy. It helps prevent postpartum hemorrhage, induces labor, and speeds up the delivery progress.