Eating a bowl full of veggies during pregnancy can help in lowering the risk of premature birth, says study

Eating vegetables during pregnancy is not just nutritious but is a ram-baan when it comes to lowering the risk of premature delivery.

Make your plate look as colorful as you can for maximum nutrition. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

ANI Published: 15 Apr 2020, 12:23 pm IST

Do you know the complications that are associated with a premature birth? Let us tell you – It includes immature development of lungs, difficulty in regulating body temperature, poor metabolism, and slow weight gain. This also means that during his/her entire life the baby has to deal with a lot of health issues.

If the case is a little more critical then there might be a need for longer or more intense nursery care, medication, and sometimes surgery. But thankfully, all this can be avoided by just doing a simple thing.

A study has suggested that consuming the traditional ‘three-veggies’ before pregnancy lowers the risk of premature birth.

Vegetarian diet — You don’t have to be fancy. Go for all the traditional vegetables that are easily available. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Vegetables are your best friend during pregnancy
University of Queensland PhD candidate Dereje Gete analysed the diets of nearly 3,500 women and found high consumption of carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, cabbage, green beans, and potatoes before conception helped women reach full-term pregnancy.

“Traditional vegetables are rich in antioxidants or anti-inflammatory nutrients, which have a significant role in reducing the risk of adverse birth outcomes,” Gete said.

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Gete added:

Women depend on certain stored nutrients such as calcium and iron before conception, which are critical for the placenta and foetus tissue development.

“Starting a healthier diet after the baby has been conceived may be too late because babies are fully formed by the end of the first trimester,” he said.

Great health risk awaits to those who are born premature
Professor Gita Mishra said the study suggested dietary intervention and strategies change behaviour that may be helpful when women start thinking about having a baby.

Also, read: High blood pressure during your first pregnancy can increase the chances of a heart attack

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“People born prematurely face a greater risk of metabolic and chronic diseases in adulthood, as well as poor cognitive development and academic performance,” Professor Mishra said.

yoga during pregnancy — Indulge in a healthy lifestyle and avoid junk food for a healthy baby. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Premature births, which are births before 37 weeks of gestation, are the leading cause of death in Australian children and affect 8.5% of births each year, a figure which is trending upwards.

So, stop cringing about eating those vegetables as they are a blessing for you as well as for your child.