Is Sabudana Healthy During Pregnancy?
Sabudana is rapidly gaining a reputation for being one of the more nutritious food items a person can consume. While that may well be true considering sabudana’s nutritional makeup, so
Is Sabudana Healthy During Pregnancy?
Some individuals are even claiming that consuming it can be helpful for women during pregnancy. These claims have all led to a massive online debate on whether sabudana is truly healthy during pregnancy.
A debate we’re about to put an end to with this article, as we’ll be discussing the exact nutritional value sabudana has to offer along with the ways in which a sabudana meal can help women during pregnancy. So, with that said, let’s jump straight into the article.
What is Sabudana?
Sabudana, also known as tapioca pearls or sago pearls, is a substance extracted from the roots of the cassava plant. Sabudana is regularly used to make sabudana khichdi and sabudana kheer, and is considered a staple of almost every Pakistani’s diet.
As you might’ve noticed, sabudana is quite a versatile ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes because it has the ability to absorb flavors from other ingredients.
Apart from that, it’s also known for the nutritional value it offers which is what makes it a must-have ingredient in every balanced diet.
Analyzing Sabudana’s Nutritional Value
Speaking of sabudana’s nutritional value, let’s go a bit deeper into the nutrients it contains. First and foremost, sabudana is a great source of carbohydrates giving it the ability to supply instant energy to your body.
On top of that, it also does wonders for your digestive health due to it being rich in dietary fiber, which helps you regulate your bowel movements. Thus, ensuring that the condition of your digestive system remains steady and functional.
However, the question you must be asking at this point is: What does it contain that makes it healthy during pregnancy? Well, for one the ingredient is incredibly low in fat. It’s also completely cholesterol-free, making it an ideal ingredient for pregnant women.
Sabudana also supplies the body with much needed minerals like iron, calcium and potassium. Iron is one of the most important minerals in your body as it’s directly responsible for the production of red blood cells.
While calcium is responsible for building up your bones and teeth, making them stronger in the process. Potassium, on the other hand, is an essential nutrient as well, as it helps regulate your blood pressure and supports your nervous system while also maintaining your muscles.
Lastly, sabudana also contains trace amounts of some vitamins like thiamine which help your body produce more energy.
How Sabudana Helps During Pregnancy?
Now that we’ve broken down the nutritional value of sabudana, and filled you in on all the nutrients and minerals it supplies to your body, let’s now talk about how the ingredient is healthy for pregnant women specifically.
Generally, pregnant women require a higher amount of calories and nutrients to keep themselves satiated and support the growth and development of their fetus as well.
Since sabudana is rich in nutrients, minerals and vitamins that the body needs, it can help pregnant women reach their nutritional requirements. With that said, let’s now talk about the numerous ways in which sabudana helps women during pregnancy, specifically.
Can be a Great Source of Energy
Pregnant women have to deal with plenty of fatigue and tiredness, owing to the fact that they’re carrying another human in their body for 9 whole months! The first and third trimesters especially can be pretty hard to get through. During this time, they need plenty of foods that can give them a much needed energy boost.
Sabudana can be one of these foods due to the huge amount of carbohydrates it contains, ensuring that you get a near instant energy boost as soon as you consume the ingredient.
Consume enough of it and it can keep you full of energy throughout the day, making your day to day pregnancy life much easier. In addition to its carbohydrate content, sabudana is also rich in proteins which helps ensure that the supplied energy boost lasts as long as it can.
All the while ensuring that you consume close to the same number of calories as you would consuming rusk.
Maintains Your Digestive Health
We’ve already mentioned how consuming sabudana can be really helpful for every individual’s digestive health. That’s mainly because sabudana is rich in dietary fiber that plays a huge role in regulating the bowel movements of your body.
And considering how pregnant women undergo constipation and other digestive issues almost on a daily basis, we’d highly recommend including sabudana in your daily or at least weekly diet.
It’ll be great for your digestive system and overall gut health thereby ensuring that you have a healthy and joyful pregnancy.
Helps in Regulating Blood Pressure
One of the most common and dangerous issues pregnant women may need to work through during pregnancy is high blood pressure. Regulating your blood pressure during pregnancy is extremely important both for your health and the baby’s health.
Fortunately, sabudana can help in that respect as well, as the ingredient is low in sodium, making it an ideal consumable for pregnant women with hypertension. Of course, if you’re suffering from hypertension continuously, then we’d suggest reaching out to a doctor about that.
Consuming the ingredient daily or even twice a week can help a pregnant woman regulate her blood pressure and save herself from conditions like preeclampsia.
Impact on Fetal Development
When anyone suggests a “healthy” food item to pregnant women, their first response is more or less: “Will this be good for my baby.” Well, we’re here to tell you that sabudana is helpful for both you and your baby.
In fact, sabudana contains a few nutrients that are considered crucial for fetal development. Nutrients like iron, which as we’ve mentioned before play a huge role in the production of red blood cells.
Plus, the ingredient is also rich in folic acid which prevents birth defects in babies and helps in the proper development of the fetus’ brain and spinal cord.
Final Thoughts
And that folks completes our answer to the question: Is sabudana healthy during pregnancy? The overall answer is yes, sabudana can be very beneficial for the health of both the woman and her fetus.
It plays a vital role in regulating the digestive health of pregnant women, provides them with energy and even has a minor impact on fetal development.
However, if you’re still not convinced, we’d suggest getting in touch with Dr. Ayesha Nasir, one of the leading nutritionists in Pakistan. She should be able to answer any supplemental questions you have about sabudana.
