When you’re pregnant, it’s really exciting but it can also be tough. Your body changes a lot to take care of the tiny baby growing inside you. Eating the right foods during this time is super important to keep you and your baby healthy. Adding figs to what you eat when pregnant can be really good for you.
Figs are yummy and soft to eat, with a sweet taste that you’ll enjoy. But they do more than just taste good. They have lots of health benefits for you and your little one.
Here are 10 incredible things that eating figs can do for your health when you’re expecting a baby.
Table of Contents
1. Filled With Important Nutrients
Figs have a lot of important stuff that’s really good for pregnant ladies. They have fiber, folate, calcium, magnesium, and potassium in them.
The fiber helps stop you from getting constipated while pregnant. It also keeps your digestion going well, and makes sure you gain a healthy amount of weight. Folate is super important for your baby’s brain and spine to grow the right way. Calcium, magnesium, and potassium in figs are good for your bones and for keeping your blood pressure normal.
2. Give You More Energy
Because figs have natural sugars, they can give you a nice energy kick. This is great when you’re pregnant and feeling tired. The energy from figs doesn’t come all at once and then disappear, but it lasts, helping you stay energetic without feeling worn out later.
3. Helps Prevent Blood Sugar Problems
Figs have a low glycemic index, so they don’t make your blood sugar levels go up quickly. Eating foods like this can help stop you from getting gestational diabetes when you’re pregnant. The fiber in figs also helps keep your blood sugar levels steady.
4. Keeps Your Heart Healthy
The omega-6 fats in figs can help lower bad cholesterol, and their potassium keeps your blood pressure in a healthy range. Keeping your heart healthy is really important when you’re pregnant to avoid complications.
5. Boosts Your Blood Health
It’s common for pregnant women to not have enough iron, which can make them anemic. Figs have iron that helps make more red blood cells to stop anemia. They also have copper which helps your body use the iron properly, making sure both you and your baby have the red blood cells you need.
6. Makes Your Immune System Stronger
When you’re pregnant, your immune system can get weaker because of all the hormone changes. Figs have lots of antioxidants which fight off damage from bad particles in your body. They’re also full of vitamins like A, C, E, K, and B-complex, and minerals that help keep you from getting sick.
7. Helps Your Baby’s Bones Grow
Your baby needs lots of calcium to grow strong bones while growing in your belly. Figs are great because they give you a kind of calcium that’s easy for your body to use, helping both your bones and your baby’s bones.
8. Makes Your Skin Look and Feel Good
A lot of pregnant women get stretch marks and their skin changes because of hormones. The vitamins C, E, and K in figs keep your skin moist and healthy, so you can deal better with these skin changes. The antioxidants in figs also help protect your skin from sun damage.
9. Reduces Swelling
The potassium in figs keeps the salt in your body balanced to stop you from holding onto too much water and getting swollen. The magnesium in figs helps control the water in your body, too, which means you’re less likely to get swollen ankles and other types of swelling during pregnancy.
10. Lowers Stress
Being pregnant can be stressful, and you might feel moody or anxious because of the hormones. Figs have amino acids that help your brain make serotonin, which is a chemical that makes you feel happier and more relaxed.
So what’s the big picture? Figs are really nutritious and can make both you and your baby healthier in lots of ways. They’re good for your digestion, bones, blood, heart, and even your mood.
When you want something sweet and good for you, go ahead and eat some fresh, ripe figs (just be sure to wash them first). Start with a little and see how much they help!
