Honey is known to have many health benefits thanks to the nutritional content in it. For pregnant women, honey can also provide a variety of additional benefits. Come on, find out what are the benefits of honey for pregnant women!
Honey is a yellow-brown liquid produced by bees. In addition to containing sugar that gives it a sweet taste, honey contains many important nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, folic acid, and iron.
These are the benefits of honey for pregnant women
As stated above, honey is not only good for general health, but also has additional benefits for pregnant women and their fetuses. The following are some of the benefits of honey for pregnant women that pregnant women may not know:
1. Reduce morning sickness
It's natural for pregnant women to experience morning sickness. This nausea can appear at any time, either morning, afternoon, evening, or night. To relieve this complaint, pregnant women can use honey.
Drinking honey mixed with lemon tea or ginger tea is believed to relieve nausea during pregnancy. How to make it quite easy. Pregnant women just mix 2 tablespoons of honey with a cup of lemon tea or ginger decoction, then stir until evenly distributed.
2. Maintain endurance
The antioxidant content in honey has the benefit of maintaining the immune system so pregnant women don't get sick easily, especially during a pandemic like now. In addition, antioxidants can also counteract free radicals that can damage body cells.
3. Controls weight gain
Although the sugar content in honey is quite high, honey has more vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for health than ordinary sugar. Therefore, honey can be a healthier choice to replace sugar as a sweetener.
A study shows that consuming honey as a sugar substitute can help prevent weight gain and suppress appetite. It is very good to control excessive weight gain during pregnancy.
4. Prevent anemia
Thanks to the iron and magnesium content in it, honey can help prevent anemia during pregnancy which can cause complications in the fetus, such as premature birth or low birth weight.
Even so, the content of these two minerals in honey is not high enough when compared to the sugar content, so pregnant women cannot rely solely on honey to prevent anemia.
5. Improve sleep quality
Not a few pregnant women who complain of difficulty sleeping, both when pregnant young and pregnant. In fact, lack of sleep can have a negative impact on the health of pregnant women and fetuses.
Well, if you have trouble sleeping, don't sleep well, or often wake up while sleeping, pregnant women can use honey. According to some studies, honey can improve sleep quality.
How to get the benefits of honey for pregnant women is to drink honey 30 minutes before bed. Pregnant women can consume tablespoon of honey directly or mix it with milk or warm water.
6. Overcoming urinary tract infections (UTI)
Although common during pregnancy, UTI is not a disease that can be taken lightly. If not treated immediately, this infection can cause pregnant women to experience premature labor.
The benefits of honey for pregnant women with UTI is to help overcome infections in the urinary tract. There is a study that shows that honey has the potential to be a substitute for antibiotics to treat UTIs in pregnant women.
Even so, much further research is still needed on this matter. Pregnant women can consume honey if they have a urinary tract infection. However, the honey here is only an adjunct therapy and cannot replace antibiotics. So, pregnant women still need to consult a doctor if they experience UTI.
Those are a series of benefits of honey for pregnant women that pregnant women can get. However, do not consume honey in excess to avoid the risk of honey in pregnancy. Remember, honey consumption needs to be limited because it contains high sugar and calories.
In addition, pregnant women also need to be selective when buying honey. Choose honey that has been pasteurized and has a permit from BPOM. If you are still confused about consuming honey during pregnancy or the right dose of consumption, pregnant women can consult a doctor.
