Is It Safe To Eat Peanuts During Pregnancy?

Your diet is the most important thing during pregnancy, and the most profound changes you experience are related to your diet. In this article on “Hipregnancy”, we’ll explore whether it is safe to eat peanuts during pregnancy.

Peanut is one of the most popular nuts worldwide, and with a delicious sweet taste and fragrance, there isn’t any surprise for craving peanuts during pregnancy. However, peanuts are known for their allergic reactions, and in fact, once was forbidden to eat peanuts while pregnant.

Can You Eat Peanuts While Pregnant?

As mentioned above, for both mother and fetus, eating peanuts while pregnant was forbidden because of the believed allergic reactions to peanuts. This advice was so powerful that it continued after the baby was three years old.

This concern gave birth to many questions and worries about the safety of peanuts in pregnancy regarding the probable allergic reactions of the unborn baby to peanuts.

Based on some studies, ‘mothers don’t need to avoid these allergic foods. They might be beneficial. In fact, studies show that eating peanuts, while not allergic, can even reduce the likelihood of allergic reactions in babies to nuts.

Back to our question: Is it safe to eat peanuts during pregnancy? Yes! Peanut is good for pregnancy, but if and only if you don’t have a strong history of allergies, and you are allergy-free, then eating peanuts in pregnancy is considered safe when consumed in moderate amounts. [1: webmd]

Health Benefits of Eating Peanuts During Pregnancy

Peanuts are full of nutritional value and a good source of antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals everybody needs.

Therefore, eating peanuts during pregnancy isn’t necessarily bad; on the contrary, it has many health benefits. First, let’s take a look at the nutritional value of peanuts:

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	567kcal
Water	6.50g
Carbohydrates	16.13g
Protein	25.80g
Fiber	8.5g
Fat	49.24g
Sugars	3.97g
Vitamins
Folic acid (Vitamin B9)	240mcg
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)	0.348mg
Niacin (Vitamin B3)	12.87mg
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)	0.3mg
Thiamin (Vitamin B1)	0.640mg
Vitamin E	8.33mg
Electrolytes
Potassium	332mg
Sodium	1mg
Minerals
Calcium	62mg
Iron	2.09mg
Magnesium	184mg
Zinc	3.34mg
Phosphorus	336mg
Lipids
Saturated fatty acids	7.32g
Monounsaturated fatty acids	21.41g
Polyunsaturated fatty acids	16.5g

[2: momjunction]

• Nutritional Value

Peanut is rich in iron, monounsaturated fats, oleic acid, phytosterols or beta-sitosterol, Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin E, an essential amino acid called tryptophan, protein, and manganese. Of course, it is rich in fiber and calories, so if you are underweight, you can use peanuts to gain a healthy weight while pregnant.

• Rich in Antioxidants

Peanuts, especially the ones with skin, have an antioxidant effect that protects the body against radicals.

• Bone Development

Manganese, as one of the main ingredients of peanuts, helps you develop more healthy bones for yourself and the baby.

• Easier Digestion

The other important ingredient of peanuts is fiber content. Consuming peanuts during pregnancy third trimester helps you relieve constipation issues.

• Help Curing Anemia

Some people decide to eat peanuts while pregnant to help cure anemia. Anemia is common during pregnancy if you do not get enough iron. [3: parenting.firstcry]

Also Read: Cinnamon During Pregnancy

Possible Side Effects and Dangers of Peanuts During Pregnancy

Besides many health benefits that peanuts may deliver, there exist some side effects of using peanuts during pregnancy. However, all these side effects are related to excess amounts of eating peanuts.

Hence, if you are not used to eating peanuts in your regular diet before pregnancy, it is a good idea to check with your healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your diet.

• Possible Allergies

The fear of allergy is the first reason some people cannot eat peanuts. One out of four women experience allergies to peanuts. However, if the mother doesn’t have allergies to peanuts beforehand, there isn’t any refrainment necessary.

• Increasing Blood Pressure

Usually, peanuts are sold in salted form, and consuming excessive amounts of salted peanuts (or any other nuts) can harm your blood pressure; this doesn’t apply to moderate amounts of non-salted peanuts.

• Liver Cancer

Peanuts are susceptible to aflatoxin contamination, and consuming excessive amounts of peanuts with aflatoxin can cause an increased chance of liver cancer. Cancer.gov recommends only buying reputable and major nuts and nut butter brands for consumption to prevent contamination.

• Pesticides Containment

Usually, to make mold go away on peanuts, using pesticides is necessary. Dizziness, headache, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, nervousness, blurred vision, and sweating are possible side effects of using too many peanuts.

• Saturated Fats

As mentioned before, consuming salted peanuts, besides causing problems with blood pressure, can also increase levels of saturated fats in the body (whether salted or non-salted). So, only consume peanuts in a moderate amount.

Also Read: Eggs and Pregnancy

When Should You Avoid Peanuts During Pregnancy?

As you’ve guessed until now, there are multiple occasions in which you have to refrain from using peanuts during pregnancy. The most important thing to remember and consider is possible allergies which we’ve concluded above. Other than that, here are some occasions in which consuming peanuts are not advisable:

• When you are overweight: peanuts contain too many calories and saturated fats, and eating peanuts during pregnancy can make you gain more weight than normal.
• When you have digestive problems: if you experience vomiting, loose stool, or other issues related to digestion, eating peanuts is not advisable. Also, if you are suffering from stomach irritation like inflammation, eating peanuts while pregnant increases this effect.
• You suffer from kidney stones: according to experts, eating peanuts while suffering from kidney stones is something you should avoid.

Conclusion

All in all, eating peanuts is considered a safe and healthy snack. However, when it comes to pregnancy, everything about what is and is not healthy changes. Peanut is among the many foods that, along with misconceptions, side effects, and avoidance situations, make expected moms worrisome more.

If you are used to consuming peanuts; or considering consuming peanuts during pregnancy with moderate amounts and special care to considerations mentioned above, you should be fine. But it is always best to consult with your healthcare professional to eat peanuts in pregnancy.

FAQ

1. Can I eat peanuts while pregnant?

Peanuts and pregnancy can be good friends if you don’t show allergic reactions after eating peanuts.

2. Is it safe to eat salted peanuts during pregnancy?

Yes, having salted peanut in pregnancy is fine if you don’t have a peanut allergy. But, you should not consume it in excessively, as its salt content can increase blood pressure levels.