Dates & Pregnancy

Morning sickness, fatigue, constipation, blood pressure, dizziness, headache, folate deficiency anemia and vitamin deficiency: These are just a part of common problems women face during pregnancy.

The solution is just one word: Dates!!

But how is dates going to help you face these common problems during your pregnancy? Let’s start with nutritional values of dates.

Here is a table showing nutritional values in 100g of dates:

Iron: We all need Iron but pregnant women need more. Since dates are great source of Iron they can prevent anemia and also keep blood hemoglobin count at a healthy level.

Folate: Most women use Folic Acid during pregnancy. Folic Acid is a B vitamin that helps your blood makes red blood cells. Folate deficiency can also cause anemia during pregnancy. Dates is a great choice along with Folic Acids and it can prevent brain and spinal cord defects in babies.

Vitamin K: Dates are among the best sources of vitamin K. Vitamin K helps in development of your baby’s bone structure and lack of this vitamin can be harmful to your baby’s health.

Fiber: You can prevent constipation by eating dates. Dates have high fiber content which means they can be easily digested and at the same time make you feel you are full. Eventually it can help maintain healthy body weight which is very important during pregnancy.

Fructose: fructose can easily break down and offer instant energy without increasing your blood sugar level. Fatigue is very common during pregnancy. Eating dates can help you keep you energy level high.

Sugar: Pregnant women usually feel hungry as body metabolism also increases during pregnancy and especially when women get in their third trimester of pregnancy. So they need more calories and dates are good source of good sugar which helps them with needed calories.

Magnesium: Magnesium is essential for baby’s bone and teeth formation. It can also regulate your blood pressure. Date are good source of magnesium which can easily help you get enough amount of it during your pregnancy.

Protein: Dates contain protein which helps build Amino Acids which are essential for your baby’s body growth.

How to consume dates during pregnancy?

• Smoothie
• Syrup
• Dessert
• Cookies and Muffins

Which variety of dates to eat?

All varieties of dates are good during pregnancy. But you need to be careful about your blood sugar level.

Women with high blood sugar level during pregnancy should be careful with the type and the number of dates they eat each day and need to talk to their doctor about it.

Since Iranian Zahidi dates has the lowest level of sugar. generally doctors suggest this type for pregnant women with high blood sugar level and only a few numbers per day.