Pregnancy can have its ups and downs. The up side to pregnancy is knowing that a little person is growing inside of your womb.
The down side to pregnancy is the long list of no-nos. Like don’t eat lunch meat, undercooked fish, no roller coasters, and many many more. But does hummus make it on this list?
The reason for not being able to eat certain foods and doing certain things is to protect the little baby growing inside, and in the end it should be worth it. For some women the list goes on for 30-40 weeks but for women who had a hard time conceiving may have been restricting their diets and activities for longer than that.
The foods that have to be avoided is for good reason. Items like lunch meat may carry bacteria that can make you or the baby sick, and the same thing with sushi that contains raw fish. However, you can eat fish that has been fully cooked in sushi unless the fish is high in mercury, which is why it is best not to have to many servings of fish and limiting your weekly intake.
Can I Eat Hummus While Pregnant? Answer: Yes.
Eating hummus can be a great tasting and healthy snack and it is even good for the developing baby. Hummus provides folic acid, great for fetal brain and spine development, and has protein, calcium, and iron. All four of these are benefits and plays an important part of your everyday diet, for the health of you and your developing baby.
Since a pregnant woman’s immune system is not as strong as when she is not pregnant it may be a good idea to stay clear of store-bought hummus since it could contain a food-borne illness, Listeriosis is, caused by the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The bacteria can cause flu-like symptoms, a miscarriage, preterm labor or delivery, stillbirth, or can even cause a serious infection for your newborn.
Making Homemade Hummus
If the risk of listeriosis concerns you, then you can make a homemade version. Hummus has two main ingredients chickpeas and tahini both provide protein and calcium. Other ingredients for hummus is olive oil garlic, and lemon juice. The ingredients are pureed together until well blended. There are many recipes online and can be found on the website for Food Network by various chefs.
Making your own hummus may be a better idea in order to avoid bacteria. If you are still unsure about hummus you can ask your doctor.
The Benefits Of Hummus
Hummus contains many things that can help your baby’s development. It contains protein and calcium, which is great for bone development. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids which helps assist with the development of the brain. It also has an adequate amount of iron, folic acid, copper, manganese, and vitamin B-6.
Eating a healthy diet is an important part of pregnancy. Just because pregnant woman are supposed to have snacks in between meals does not mean it should be unhealthy. When consuming a snack like hummus you get an adequate amount of vitamins and other nutrients that are good during pregnancy. Eating a chocolate bar is okay once in awhile but the only thing that is found in it is fat, sugars, and caffeine.
How To Eat Hummus
There are many ways hummus can be enjoyed. It can even be used as a substitute for sandwich spread like mayonnaise. The most popular way to eat it is to dip pita chips and flat breads, like pita bread in it. For a pregnant woman it is best to use whole wheat or whole grain bread when possible. Another popular way to enjoy hummus is to dip raw veggies, like carrot sticks and celery. To add flavor to your hummus you can even add a few dashes of hot sauce.
No matter how you like your hummus it is still a better alternative to unhealthy snacks like chocolate bars and baked goods, like cookies and cakes.
Hummus and a Healthy Pregnancy
Eating hummus provides a pregnant woman with many nutritional benefits. Eating hummus that has been bought from the local grocery may be risky to eat, and could cause problems for both mother and the developing baby. It is up to you (the mother) whether or not you are going to risk it or not.
It may be a good idea to hold off on eating store-bought hummus until you can question your doctor about the potential bacteria that may be in the hummus. He may also have ideas on other healthy snacks as well.
