Is It Safe to Eat Hot Spicy Food When Pregnant
Is spicy food safe during pregnancy?
Yes, spicy foods are safe for you and your baby when you're pregnant. They certainly don't make the long list of foods you should avoid when you're expecting.
Plenty of people (wrongly) believe that eating spicy food is dangerous, whether or not you're pregnant. It's not true! Spicy foods are safe, although your taste buds and digestive system may not always do well with the heat.
During pregnancy, spicy foods can have unpleasant effects, especially if they tend to upset your digestive system when you're not pregnant.
Effects of eating spicy food while pregnant
Eating spicy food during pregnancy has a number of effects – both good and bad – for you and your baby. Spicy foods may:
- Increase the risk of heartburn. Many pregnant women suffer from heartburn, and spicy foods can aggravate it in some people. Heartburn occurs as pregnancy hormones relax the valve between the esophagus and stomach, allowing stomach acids to creep back up into the esophagus. While heartburn can happen in any trimester, it's most common in the last trimester, as your growing baby pushes stomach acids up into the esophagus.
- Trigger abdominal pain. Spicy foods don't cause stomach ulcers (in fact, capsaicin – the chemical that gives peppers a bite – may even help heal ulcers). But spicy foods can trigger inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms in people who've already been diagnosed with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
- Boost your overall health. The capsaicin (spicy chemical) in peppers has anti-inflammatory properties. Some researchers believe that spicy foods could even support your immune system and your heart health.
- Expand your baby's (future) tastes. What you eat during pregnancy, your baby eats. The flavors in your diet are transferred to your baby via your amniotic fluid. As early as week 15, your baby's taste buds are fully formed and she's swallowing amniotic fluid, which means she's likely already tasting your meals. Research shows that what you eat influences your baby's later preferences, so eating a variety of flavors and spices just might help encourage an adventurous eater.
Why am I craving spicy food during pregnancy?
Up to 90 percent of all pregnant women experience specific food cravings during pregnancy. While researchers don't understand why, exactly, we crave spicy foods (or any other foods) during pregnancy, there are a number of theories.
For one, you may be more sensitive to certain tastes and smells during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. More likely, though, cravings are influenced by the culture around you. Researchers point out that in Japan, people tend to crave rice instead of chocolate.
One other theory that likely doesn't pan out: A craving signals a nutritional deficiency. If that were the case, all pregnant women would crave broccoli and beans!
Should I eat spicy food to induce labor?
Though plenty of women attest to eating spicy foods to get labor going, there's no evidence that this works. In fact, most of the rumored ways to naturally induce labor haven't been proven to help.
Some people theorize that spicy food causes contractions by stimulating the digestive system. Others suggest that spicy food increases production of prostaglandins, which can also help move labor along. But while an upset stomach or diarrhea could release prostaglandins into the body and stimulate mild uterine cramping, that's unlikely to be enough to cause labor.
One study that surveyed 663 women compiled 50 different triggers that have been linked to labor, including eating spicy foods. The majority of women said they couldn't link any specific trigger to the start of labor. The only trigger that did seem to have a possible noticeable effect in a small number of women was acupuncture.
Is It Safe to Eat Hot Spicy Food When Pregnant
Source: https://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy/diet-and-fitness/is-it-safe-to-eat-spicy-foods-during-pregnancy_1246919#:~:text=Yes%2C%20spicy%20foods%20are%20safe,avoid%20when%20you're%20expecting.