Ice cream is a sweet dessert made up of dairy products with some fruits, with some flavors added to it, most love ice creams, but most women have cravings for ice cream during pregnancy. Women can eat ice creams while pregnant so long as they control the amount consumed; they should also ensure they are hygienic.
Some pregnant mothers may have allergic reactions after consuming ice creams; when this happens, expectant mothers should seek their nutritionist for advice to avoid diabetes.
Pregnant mothers are also encouraged to eat ice creams in moderation because it is healthy and nutritious. It contains essential nutrients like calcium and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and many others; it also contains enzymes like niacin and saturated and unsaturated fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamin A, and B12 but in small quantities.
If pregnant women overeat ice creams, it leads to a high intake of fats. It may cause your body to lower temperature. It can cause metabolism effects, which may lead to disturbances of the digestive system.
Recently, ice cream flavors continue to change according to varied ingredients, like coffee and green tea contain a certain amount of caffeine. Traditionally there are certain myths and misconceptions about eating ice creams when pregnant. The fact that it is cold and chilly, they believed to affect the baby’s brain. So can I eat ice creams while pregnant? Yes, you can, but in moderation, keeping in mind that too much of something is harmful; too much ice creams can lead to;
- excess ice creams make pregnant women contract certain infections because of listeria, which cause food poison and can kill the fetus. Suppose the ice cream’s ingredients are unpasteurized – milk and cream. In that case, they may cause infections that end up affecting the growth of the placenta, amniotic fluids and cause birth time congenital infections to your fetus leading to birth before the expiry of nine months, or in worst cases, stillbirth and miscarriage.
- Pregnant mothers may gain a lot of weight if they consume excess ice creams, which leads to difficulty during delivery.
- Excess consumption of ice creams leads to a lot of sugar content in the body, which may cause gestational diabetes.
- Eating ice-creams may induce allergic reactions and respiratory problems because of the suppressed immune system during the gestation period.
Here are some of the things that pregnant mothers should put in mind while they enjoy eating ice creams during the gestation period.
Eating ice-creams is not safe because it can lead to certain risks, so expectant mothers can eat so long as they follow the set standards of hygiene practices.
- Check if pasteurized milk or creams are used to make your ice creams; if yes, enjoy eating. It poses no harm.
- Know what type of ice cream you want to buy. It should comply with the food act and regulations for your safety and that of the unborn.
- Pregnant mothers should avoid eating ice creams sold in the streets by vendors because they lack proper hygiene and sanitation.
- Make sure you eat ice creams with low-fat content.
When pregnant, you must eat healthy foods with a balanced diet; you can eat what you crave for so long as you follow precautions such as quantity and hygiene; pregnant mothers’ eating ice creams reduce stress.
Ice creams come in varieties, and best for pregnant women craving ice cream and risk-free are;
- Non-fat ice creams increase the number of cholesterols in the body because of saturated fats.
- Low or zero sugar varieties.
- Yogurt ice creams because it is free from fats and has low sugar content.
- Frozen desserts, ice creams
- Homemade fresh ice creams do not use any preservatives.
- Kulfi ice creams.
Can I eat ice creams while pregnant? Yes, you can, but there are some varieties you should avoid, including;
- Ice creams with caffeine.
- Ice cream with high-fat content.
- Avoid ice creams made of vegetable oil instead of milk and cream.
Most women have cravings for different foods, a large number of pregnant mothers crave ice creams. The most convenient ice creams are those with pasteurized milk and eggs, which are safe; some are unsafe—eating Mr. whippy ice cream when pregnant is a grave danger.
Raw eggs and raw dairy milk contain salmonella and listeria, which causes food poisoning, thus making it unsafe for pregnant mothers. When pregnant, Mr whippy ice cream is dangerous; it uses pasteurized milk and cream, but the machines used may be unclean, causing contaminations giving chances to listeria bacteria to grow in the device.
If you eat Mr whippy ice cream, it may be safe depending on the cleaning process and hygiene maintained in the machine.
Is store-bought ice cream safe during pregnancy? Most ice creams made commercially are safe for pregnant women, but there is a small risk of listeria contamination in unpasteurized ingredients.
Can pregnant mothers eat all flavors of ice creams? Pregnant women can eat ice creams so long as their ingredients are pasteurized, it makes it safe, and you can enjoy the flavors you like, including chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and alcohol.
Conclusion
So, can I eat ice cream while pregnant? Yes, you can, but ensure you eat ice creams made from pasteurized ingredients – cream and milk; ice creams contain many nutrients that are beneficial to your body and the fetus.
If you crave ice creams while pregnant, you can eat them in moderation. Excess of it may lead to other effects such as; obesity and diabetes because ice creams contain many sugars.
There are three ice creams; commercial ice creams, homemade ice creams, and Mr. whippy ice creams. Some pregnant mothers may make their ice creams at home; homemade ice creams are not safe because using eggs may cause salmonella if not well-cooked, so expectant mothers are advised to go for commercial options. What about store-bought ice cream? Is it safe to eat during pregnancy? Yes, they are safe only if they use pasteurized ingredients to make.
