Can Pregnant Women Eat Honey?

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Honey is popularly known as a healthy food and sweetener but some women wonder if it is safe to eat it when they are pregnant. Pregnancy is a special stage in their lives and eating the right foods is one of the important ways to keep women and the babies they are carrying healthy. This article will help give you the information you need about eating honey while pregnant and dispel old myths about it.
Can Pregnant Women Eat Honey?
Some women are afraid to eat honey during pregnancy because it may contain botulinum toxin from bacteria present in the product. Spores of bacteria may be present in honey but the toxins do not go to your bloodstream because your body gets rid of the bacteria. Adults, as well as older children, have a mature digestive system that can kill botulism spores. Pregnant women who eat honey do not pass on these spores to their babies in the womb. Therefore, they do not harm you or your baby. So yes, it is safe for pregnant moms to have their honey and eat it, too.
To be safe, experts, however, advise people to eat pasteurised honey. Pasteurisation is a process that removes harmful microbes from food such as milk and honey.
Pregnant women who develop a condition known as gestational diabetes (high blood sugar levels during pregnancy) can still have honey as long as they count its calories in their total caloric intake. Honey can raise the blood sugar level since it contains fructose, so you must take care not to take too much honey in your diet.
What Are the Benefits of Honey?
Honey is a substance composed of glucose, fructose, and other types of sugars. It provides many nutritional and health benefits. It boosts the immune system function, helps heal wounds and minor burns faster, neutralizes stomach acid ...

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...of health benefits of their nutrients as well as indigestion.
3. Consult a doctor if you are still concerned.
If you are still unsure about eating honey while pregnant, consult your doctor. It is also advisable to ask about using honey with other herbs as remedy for some health problems.
“It would be a good idea to consult your doctor if you are still worried about eating honey. You should also speak to her before trying any remedy that requires the intake of herbs along with honey.”
Summary
Eating pasteurised honey is a healthy way of replacing other types of empty-calorie sugars in the diet when you are pregnant. It is advisable, however, to watch the amount you eat to prevent weight gain and enjoy its health benefits.

Works Cited

http://www.babycenter.in/x1023106/is-it-safe-to-eat-honey-while-you-are-pregnant
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/about-honey.html

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