Can pregnant women eat thistles? | Dietary taboos for pregnant women
[Introduction to Thistles]
Thistles (scientific name: Cirsium setosum) is also known as small thistle. It is a high-quality wild vegetable. It is a perennial herb with an underground part that is often larger than the aboveground part and has long rhizomes. The stem is upright, the young stem is covered with white silkworm-like hairs, and has edges. It is 30-80 (100-120) centimeters high, with a base diameter of 3-5 millimeters. Sometimes it can reach 1 centimeter, with branches in the upper part, and the inflorescence branches are hairless or thinly hairy. The leaves are opposite, and the basal leaves wither when flowering. The lower and middle leaves are elliptical or elliptical-lanceolate, 7-10 centimeters long and 1.5-2.2 centimeters wide. The surface is green, the back is light green, and both sides have varying densities of white silkworm-like hairs. The apex is short-pointed or blunt, the base is narrow or bluntly rounded, nearly entire or sparsely serrate, and without petioles.
The diet of pregnant women is a topic of concern to many people. So, can pregnant women eat thistles, which are highly nutritious? Experts say that thistles contain rich vitamins and various trace elements needed by the human body. Thistles also contain abundant carotene, so they are suitable for pregnant women to eat.
However, it is worth noting that thistles have the effect of promoting blood circulation and have some slight toxicity. Therefore, pregnant women must not consume this wild vegetable for a long time, otherwise toxins will accumulate and have a certain impact on the fetus in the womb.
[Dietary Taboos for Pregnant Women]
Avoid high-sugar diet
Pregnant women with high blood sugar levels have a higher risk of giving birth to overweight babies, congenital malformations, developing preeclampsia, or requiring cesarean sections, which are 3 times, 7 times, and 2 times higher respectively compared to pregnant women with low blood sugar levels. On the other hand, high blood sugar levels will increase the burden on the kidneys of pregnant women and be detrimental to maternal health during pregnancy.
Avoid high-protein diet
A high-protein diet during pregnancy can affect the appetite of pregnant women, increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, and produce harmful substances such as hydrogen sulfide and histamine in the body, which can easily cause bloating, loss of appetite, dizziness, fatigue, and other symptoms.
Avoid high-fat diet
If pregnant women have a long-term high-fat diet, it will increase the risk of their daughters developing reproductive system tumors. Long-term consumption of high-fat foods can increase the concentration of bile acids and neutral cholesterol in the large intestine. At the same time, high-fat foods can increase the synthesis of lactogenic hormones, promote the occurrence of breast cancer, and be detrimental to the health of mother and child.
Avoid high-calcium diet
If pregnant women blindly follow a high-calcium diet, drink a lot of milk, and take calcium supplements, vitamin D, etc., it can be harmful to the fetus. Nutritionists believe that excessive calcium supplementation in pregnant women may cause hypercalcemia in the fetus, resulting in premature closure of the fontanelle, wide and prominent jawbone, and other adverse effects on healthy growth and development.
Avoid consuming moldy food
If pregnant women consume agricultural and sideline products and food contaminated by mold toxin, it can not only cause acute or chronic food poisoning, but also harm the fetus. During the early 2-3 months of pregnancy, when the embryo is implanting and developing, embryonic cells are in a highly proliferative and differentiating stage. The invasion of mold toxins can cause chromosome breakage or distortion, leading to genetic diseases or fetal deformities, such as congenital heart disease, congenital mental retardation, etc. In some cases, it can even cause fetal growth arrest, stillbirth, or miscarriage. On the other hand, in the mid-to-late stages of pregnancy, due to the incomplete development of various organs in the fetus, especially the fragile liver and kidney functions, mold toxins can also have toxic effects on the fetus.
