This post was most recently updated on July 25th, 2023
Overview
Eating mangosteen will not only help to relieve the boredom of pregnant women but also can bring certain health benefits because the fruit contains many of the nutrients.
Mangosteen is also known as the tropical fruit queen.
Although this fruit is not too eye-catching, it is very delicious and easily seduces anyone’s taste.
However, many pregnant women worry about safety on eating mangosteen because pregnancy is always considered as a quite sensitive period.
In the following article, you will be introduced about the benefits of this fruit as well as some accompanying notes.
Can pregnant women eat mangosteen?
The answer to you is yes.
Experts estimate that eating mangosteen in moderate amounts will neither affect the health of the pregnant mother nor the fetus.
Besides, thanks to the abundance of minerals, vitamins, and folate as mangosteen will promote fetal development, growth as well as protect the baby from the risk of birth defects or malnutrition with these nutrients.
Nutritional value of mangosteen
Mangosteen is relatively low in calories but provides many essential nutrients. According to experts, 196g mangosteen contains:
Nutrients | Amount |
Calories | 143gm |
Carbs | 35gm |
Fibre | 3.5gm |
Fat | 1gm |
Protein | 1gm |
Vitamin C | 9% of the RDI |
Vitamin B9(folate) | 15% of the RDI |
Vitamin B1(thiamine) | 7% of the RDI |
Vitamin B2(riboflavin) | 6% of the RDI |
Manganese | 10% of the RDI |
Copper | 7% of the RDI |
Magnesium | 6% of the RDI |
|* RDI: Recommended daily nutritional needs.
The vitamins and minerals in mangosteen are important for maintaining many body functions, including DNA production, muscle contraction, wound healing, immune system improvement, and nerve signals.
Moreover, 196g of mangosteen meat provides quite a lot of fiber – a nutrient that is often lacking in the diet.
Benefits of mangosteen for pregnant women
1. Reduce the risk of birth defects in the fetus
Folate plays an important role in preventing the risk of developing some abnormalities and birth defects, such as birth defects in the brain and spine.
So, besides supplementing with folic acid with supplements, eating mangosteen will protect your little angel from the risk of abnormalities.
2. Promote fetal development
Mangosteen contains manganese, an important mineral needed for cartilage and bone formation in the fetus.
Also, this fruit will promote fetal growth.
Just one cup of fresh mangosteen juice will give you about 0.2 mg of manganese.
3. Strengthen the immune system
Mangosteen contains a good amount of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is responsible for enhancing the mother’s immunity and reducing the risk of infections that can harm the unborn baby.
Besides, vitamin C will also promote the body’s production of collagen, thereby improving the elasticity of the skin, partially repelling stretch marks during pregnancy.
4. Adjust blood sugar level
Mangosteen is a great natural remedy for diabetes.
Eating mangosteen during pregnancy helps to regulate blood sugar levels quite effectively and protect you from the dangerous effects of diabetes during pregnancy.
5. Treating constipation
Medical studies reveal that more than half of pregnant women will experience constipation problems.
However, you do not need to endure for too long because the fresh mangosteen can help ease this discomfort.
Just a few mangosteen fruits give you about 3.5g of fiber to help the process of sweating becomes softer, faster.
Also, the fiber in mangosteen minimizes the risk of pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia.
6. Prevent tuberculosis
Studies have shown that pregnant women who eat mangosteen will inhibit and kill Mtb or Microbacterium tuberculosis, one of the causes of tuberculosis.
Mangosteen can be enjoyed as soon as you wash and peel.
Moreover, some mothers also like to use it with other fruits to make delicious desserts.
Tips on how to buy mangosteen
To be able to choose to buy fresh mangosteen, pregnant women should note a few tips below:
- Choose medium-sized mangosteen fruits, avoid choosing large fruits because big fruits will have many seeds, seeds are big again, not delicious.
- Pick up the mangosteen and look at the bottom (opposite the stem, shaped like a protruding flower) and count the number of wings.
How many petals does this flower have? The more citrus mangosteen, the fewer or smaller seeds.
Therefore, you should choose fruits whose bottom has many petals. - Choose fruits with brown, rough, rough skin, avoiding fruits that are too glossy. According to the experience of the seller, these will be delicious mangosteen.
- Gently press on mangosteen: The peel of mangosteen is very thick, but when ripe, it is also easy to press.
Therefore, you should gently press on the mangosteen, if it is soft, easy to press, this fruit is ripe and delicious.
If you find a hard, sassy, or hard bottle, you should not choose because these are often broken fruits. - Choose fruits that have yellow stains on the skin: This is a sign that the mangosteen is old, ripe, and tastes good.
Tips on how to preserve fresh mangosteen longer
Mangosteen has a thick skin, so you can put mangosteen in a basket or saucepan and leave it at room temperature for 3 to 5 days without affecting the quality of the flesh.
If you buy a lot of mangosteens to eat, mangosteen can be stored by putting it in plastic or paper bags in the refrigerator cooler.
With plastic bags, you should make holes in the bags to allow steam to escape.
If you store mangosteen in a perforated plastic bag, keep it in a cool compartment at a temperature of about 13 ° C, you can store mangosteen for nearly a month.
Instruct pregnant women how to eat mangosteen properly
To eat mangosteen, you only need to use a sharp knife to gently cut a circle in the middle of the fruit body and split in half.
Note that you should not be too deep or hard to cut because it can cut into the flesh of the fruit, making the plastic string, delicious.
If you don’t have a knife, gently and firmly press your thumb into the bottom of the fruit until the crust cracks.
Hopefully, the information provided through the article above will help you know the benefits of when pregnant women should eat mangosteen.
If still worried, consult your doctor before making a decision.
Cheers!