Cape gooseberry in pregnancy
We know what you must be thinking right after reading the article. Is it even a fruit? What exactly is it? Oh, I might have had it some time but wasn’t too appealing. Yes, that’s what we think when we hear the word Cape gooseberry. Known by many names, the Cape gooseberry is called physalis peruviana in medical terms. In common language, it is also called a golden berry, Inca berry, or simply gooseberries. These are the fruits that come as a seasonal option and hence, many of us are unknown about their benefits, especially for pregnant women. Let’s unravel some of the most beneficial aspects of having these today.
Cape gooseberry health benefits
Cape gooseberries are from the same family as tomatoes. This makes it evident that they are a good source of vitamin C and water in our bodies. Hence, they are good at regulating those functions in our body that are dependent on vitamin C. The foremost one is that it helps boost our immunity. Instead of taking multi-vitamins or Vitamin C lozenges, you can have some cape gooseberries daily and your daily need for vitamins will be fulfilled.
For skin
Our skin needs vitamin C and water content to remain healthy and glowing. This is easily helped out with physalis. They help make our skin more clear and radiant by increasing blood circulation with the help of vitamin C. Also, the berries help increase the water content of our body which is a positive sign of glowing skin.
Digestion
Cape gooseberries contain fiber in ample content. This means that they help our digestive system to pass down the food into our stomach and out through the intestine. The fiber content helps avoid digestive problems such as constipation. It also helps in diarrhea. When you have these berries, your gastro-intestinal tract becomes regular and helps in better absorption of food.
Helps in clotting
Since cape gooseberries have good fiber content, they help in clotting our wounds. Our wounds need fibrinogen to make a clot where the blood is flowing. If the content of fibrinogen is less, the wound will remain open leading to ample blood loss. Since fibrinogen increases with fiber content in our body, the berries help in clotting.
Cold and flu remedy
We often get caught in normal cold and flu several times a year also with Natural remedies for dry Cough.This happens as our immunity is low and our white blood cells are unable to fight the flu. Cape gooseberries help increase our immunity while making us stronger from within. They do it by increasing antioxidant levels in our body which decreases free radical formation. It is also a fact that the berries help soother our nasal passage during the conditions of cold and cough.
Some other benefits include an increase in vision due to vitamin A content, an increase in muscle mass, better posture, calcium enhancement and regulation of acid reflux.
Cape gooseberry in pregnancy
During pregnancy, vitamin C provided by Cape gooseberry plays an important role for both mother and child. The powerful water-soluble vitamin is also a rich antioxidant that boosts immunity. In the case of the pregnant mother, it helps develop the immunity of the child. It also reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancers.
During pregnancy, you do require vitamin C every day. It is because our body is not able to store the vitamin C itself. Hence, its requirement becomes more essential during pregnancy. Vitamin C from Cape gooseberry helps in developing tissues and repairing tissue with wound healing. It helps in building up the bones of the babies. Scientists also suggest that it also plays role in developing the teeth of the baby.
Absorption
Cape gooseberry helps in producing collagen in our bodies. It also aids in improving our body’s ability to absorb iron during childbirth. A pregnant woman is kept on regular supplements of iron during pregnancy time. Our body needs resources to absorb the iron as it’s not too easy to ingest iron. Cap gooseberry plays an important role in this and helps in the absorption of iron in our body. It also helps avoid a certain kind of condition call preeclampsia which occurs when the pregnant woman is not taking an adequate amount of Vitamin C.
Protection against influenza
A pregnant woman is susceptible to various diseases. This happens because her body is taking the load of handling two lives at a time and she needs a complete diet and immunity to fight certain diseases. One of the most common ones is influenza and laryngitis. Goldenberries can be eaten by cutting them into small slices and then consumed during pregnancy to fight these problems. The fruit can also be dried and after, wrapped to help them be nutritious for longer. Scientists also suggest that having cape gooseberries with 15 grams of boiling water can do more benefits in a fight with influenza. The boiling water process should be 2 times a day to see better effects. Consulting your doctor or medical practitioner before using this method is advisable.
Diabetes
In certain cases, the pregnant woman is giving birth to a child who is already diabetic from birth. This happens when there is a lack of nutrition in the diet during pregnancy. Physalis is rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants. It helps increase our health in case of prevention from not just diabetes, but heart diseases and cardiovascular syndromes as well.
The reason why Cape gooseberry is beneficial for curing diabetes is that it is rich in fiber. Fiber helps improve the levels of blood glucose and insulin in our bodies. This is more evident in Type 2 diabetes but can be helpful in type 1 also which is found in newborns. Furthermore, the antioxidants present galore in physalis can help reduce the chronic levels of oxidative stress. Such stresses are very common in people suffering from diabetes.
The fruit also has natural sugar fructose in it which gives it, its sweet taste. Fructose it has is a natural element and it does not increase sugar levels as is the case with artificial sugars. In this way, it is reducing the stress of insulin to convert glucose
When a pregnant woman has diabetes, she can face several other problems such as cardiac arrest, nerve damage, eye damage, or kidney problems, to name a few. This happens usually when the blood sugar becomes out of bounds. In this case, Cape gooseberry acts as a savior with its rich fibers and nutrients. It can bring down sugar and can help as an overall nutritional supplement to control or bring down sugar.
Cape gooseberry weight loss after pregnancy
When a woman gives birth, she has to face post-pregnancy trauma. This is the time when she feels depressed and needs more love. Above all, the worry of losing the shape of the body causes major depression in many women. When the work loss routine becomes, Cape gooseberry can help a lot. A 100gram of fruits gives us 53 calories and only a single gram of fat. This means that the fruit is rich in nutrients yet does not stress our calorie intake. This is the reason that you can add various berries to your diet without having to worry about weight gain. When you want to have a little fruit or snack, you can have these and fulfill your intake hunger without increasing calorie intake.
The fruits also contain strong fiber content which helps you feel fuller and you will get a good grasp of your dieting regime. The antioxidants in the fruit help aid digestion and your digestive system remain healthy.
Vitamin A content
A newborn child requires an adequate amount of vitamin A when in the womb and when he is out. Ground cherries consist of 720 units of vitamin A. These are calculated based on the international units. The quantity is around 14% of the total composition of Vitamin A an adult should consume in a day. When taken by pregnant women in limited amounts, golden berries can help in developing good eyesight. It can also help in increasing the health of the skin of the newborn. The vitamin A content further aids in the improvement of our immune function. Studies also suggest that it can also help in gene transcription which is important during pregnancy. The anti-oxidant properties come into play which can neutralize the negative effects of free radicals. This helps create a strong shield from several degenerative diseases including cystic fibrosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Cape gooseberry in pregnancy helps in preventing nausea
Pregnant woman often goes through long sessions of nausea. This happens as the body releases the pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin. While many women have their way of dealing with nausea, some can take the assistance of cape gooseberries. It is their tangy, sour and sweet taste that helps reduce nausea to a certain level. The water and vitamin C content are natural acid reflux ingredients and can help reduce the sense of vomiting in various cases. Few slices can help with the issue.
Vitamin B supplement
Ground cherries contain different quantities of vitamin B. This is an essential nutrient for pregnant women. A 100 gram of the cherries contain 0.110milligrams of thiamine. This is 7.3 percent of the total required by our body. It also contains 0.040 milligrams of riboflavin and 2.800 milligrams of niacin. These are essential elements found in the vitamin B complex and are beneficial for both child and mother. Thiamine is essential to provide a healthy central nervous system, the same reason it is called anti-stress hormone. Riboflavin helps facilitate cell growth and cell damage repair. Niacin helps in DNA formation and also aids in the regulation of energy levels in our body.
Cautions to be taken
So there you have it, the prime benefits of having Cape gooseberry during pregnancy. We understand that it might be overwhelming to see the fruit imparts so many advantages to a pregnant woman. But we strongly advise that you take some precautions before taking the fruit. These are few things to note:
- Always take the proper advice of a gynecologist or a medical practitioner before taking cape gooseberries during pregnancy.
- Never consume them unripe which can be very harmful.
- Avoid taking too much quantity of fruit. Always take them by chopping them into slices
- Cape gooseberry contains a toxin called solanine that can cause diarrhea and cramping when the fruit is taken unripe. Hence, always consume the ripened fruits.
- Try including them in your diet with other fruits and not taking them as a whole. You can also have them in the form of shakes, jams, or a salad. Sauces are a good option too.
Conclusion
Cape gooseberries are the gems of the natural world which most people are unaware of. No matter if you are pregnant or not, healthy or not, you can have them easily and reap their benefits for a longer period. Most of the health advantages are permanent and last longer in our bodies. The fruit can be grown annually or in a perennial manner. In most parts of the world, it is available in the season and can be bought at a cheap price.
In the end, note that not all cape gooseberries are having edible fruits. Certain species are cultivated only for eating. Some other species have edible fruits like tomatoes and have a firm texture with a sweet taste like pineapple. They can be eaten. Mostly all fruits have a little bit of acidity which is normal. In recent times, some species of this fruit such as tomatillo are cultivated to get various flavors ranging from sweet to savory to tart. These are used in commercial jams and sauces.
Cape gooseberries can simply be used as tomatoes. When they are extracted from the husk, they can be used to achieve great combinations in the salad. Some varieties are also used in cakes and desserts and even as flavoring agents. They are also made into fruit preserves and might be dried to be used as large raisins.
