Grapes during pregnancy - the benefits and harm

Grapes are a tasty and healthy berry, which has long been consumed both raw and used to make drinks. Juice, wine, brandy, port wine, vinegar, oil are made from various grape varieties. In addition, the berries are dried to create raisins. In general, grapes have many beneficial properties, but is it useful for pregnant women? Wine in this position is not to be consumed exactly, but in the case of fresh berries, you should go bust more.

General information about grapes

Grapes are a genus of plants of the family of the same name, which grows in the form of a climbing vine. Berries of grapes grow in the form of clusters, have various color and the sizes. The color of the grapes varies from dark blue to light green, and the dimensions are a few centimeters. The shape of the berries is oblong-oval.For ripening fruits need about six months of a warm mild climate.

The first mention of this berry dates back to 8 thousand BC. er Georgia is traditionally considered the birthplace of grapes; however, it is known that grapes in Armenia and North America were also eaten around the same time. In Georgia, jugs with remains of wine on the walls were found, the age of these jars is more than 8 thousand years. Wine-making attributes dating back to about the same time were found in Armenia. It is believed that our ancestors learned to make wine from the grapes almost immediately after they discovered the taste of this berry.

An important role was played by grapes for the inhabitants of ancient Greece, where it was brought from the countries of the Middle East. This berry in Greece was considered as an integral part of cultural identity, like olives. It is worth saying that in those days not only grapes, but even wine was consumed not only by men, but also by women, and even children.

Grape varieties

The grapes are different. All fruits of the grape are culturally usable, but they differ in appearance and taste.There are several grape varieties, which are divided by purpose:

1. Dining room. The fruits of this grape have a beautiful presentation and sweet taste, they are large, juicy and identical.
2. Technical. It is rarely used for food due to its tart taste and not very presentable appearance. But from it make juice, vinegar, oil, wine and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
3. Seedless. The fruits of such grapes are small and do not contain seeds. They are eaten and used to make raisins.
4. Universal. Such grapes are suitable for any use and processing. It is sweet enough and has a lot of juice.

Each variety corresponds to many species. Each species has its own habitats, useful and dangerous properties. On the shelves of our markets and stores most often the following:

1. Black grapes. These are large dark purple oblong berries with a tart taste. Black grapes belong to technical varieties, it contains a lot of juice, which quickly begins to ferment. It is because of the fermentation to use this type of grapes during pregnancy is not recommended.
2. Green grapes. These are light medium sized oblong berries that contain moderate amounts of juice and pulp. Green grapes belong to the table and has a characteristic grape flavor. To use it during pregnancy is possible.
3. Kishmish These are small green berries that do not contain bones. Accordingly, this species belongs to seedless. Kishmish is very sweet and pleasant to taste, it is made from raisins. This type is the safest for pregnant women, because it does not contain pits that may contain hazardous substances.

Properties of grapes

Of course, each variety and type of grape differs in its properties from others. Moreover, the growing of grapes, the number of rainy and sunny days in its habitat is of great importance. The following are averaged data for the most common grape varieties.

It is worth knowing that 100g of grapes contain approximately 70kkal. Almost like 100g of potatoes or 200g of cabbage. However, this product cannot be called dietary. The fact is that grapes consist almost entirely of carbohydrates and not just carbohydrates, but sugar.The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is 4: 1: 26. At the same time, sugar makes up almost 90% of all carbohydrates. A distinctive feature of grapes is that instead of fructose, it contains glucose, which predetermines the possibility of fermentation. We can say that the grapes are almost candy.

However, grapes contain a large amount of ascorbic acid, as well as some vitamins of group B, vitamin A and vitamin E. In addition, it contains many useful organic acids, including the unique - tartaric. As for microelements, grapes contain a lot of calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. It also contains iron, but in small quantities.

The benefits of grapes during pregnancy

Then we will discuss those grapes that can be used by pregnant women. These berries have the following beneficial properties:

1. Help to cope with toxemia. The mechanism of this action has not been studied, but empirically it was found that grapes with moderate use of it reduces the likelihood of nausea and other disorders characteristic of pregnant women.
2. Strengthen the immune system. Vitamins and organic acids contained in grapes have a positive effect on the body's immune system, which is important for protecting the expectant mother from infection.
3. Improve eyesight. Thanks to vitamin A, which is simply necessary for our eyes, eating grapes can help preserve vision, which often decreases during pregnancy.
4. Helping develop baby. In order for the tissue of the fetus to grow and develop, you need a large number of different plastic materials and vitamins. Especially useful in this regard, the B vitamins contained in grapes.
5. Fighting anemia. As already mentioned, grapes can not be called a record for the content of iron, but it contains another very important element - vitamin C or ascorbic acid. The fact is that this vitamin significantly improves the absorption of iron and increases its intake in the body. That is why it is useful to use grapes with foods that contain a lot of iron.
6. Give energy. Glucose contained in grapes, very quickly turns into a source of energy, which is very important when carrying a fruit.

Harm and contraindications

As already mentioned, black grapes are absolutely contraindicated for pregnant women due to the fact that fermentation processes begin quickly in it. In addition, grape seeds, which cause constipation and a source of toxic substances, have a negative effect. The grapes are contraindicated for pregnant women who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to constipation, these berries can cause flatulence and abdominal pain.

In addition, grapes are absolutely contraindicated for people with diabetes due to the high content of glucose in it. Pregnant, obese, also should forget about these berries. In addition, if a woman has a large fetus, doctors also recommend to give up everything that contributes to weight gain.

You can not eat grapes in the third trimester, because it is a strong allergen. The same rule applies to nursing mothers.

Thus, we can conclude that grapes are a really useful product that can be consumed during pregnancy. However, there are some limitations. First of all, it is necessary to choose the right grade and decide on the presence of contraindications.In addition, it is important to remember that any product benefits only when it is used moderately.

Video: health benefits of grapes