Foods To Avoid During The Third Trimester

Pregnancy is an important phase in every woman’s life. From food to clothing, each trimester brings in new changes and challenges. One such change is in your diet. The food that you eat will have an impact on the fetus. The third trimester is important for the mother and the baby. One should choose the diet with great care (in consultation with the physician) during the third trimester. A lot of food items (fruits, vegetables, dairy products, fast foods, beverages) are considered unhealthy during this stage and, thus, should be avoided.

The following foods, in particular, deserve special mention and are a big no during the third trimester.

1. Uncooked and raw vegetables

Pregnant women complain of gas and acidity during pregnancy. In extreme cases, the condition gets unbearable. One of the prime reasons behind this discomfort is indigestion. More than often, indigestion is a result of stale and uncooked vegetables. Uncooked vegetables can do the mother more harm than good. Vegetables are nutritious and pregnant women should eat them as much as possible, but only when they are fresh and well-cooked.

2. Hot and spicy foods

Heartburns, much to the dismay of pregnant women, are common during pregnancy. Hot and spicy foods, during the third trimester, can prove to be harmful. Though tempting and irresistible, the spicy foods act as catalysts, aggravating heartburns, acid reflux, and related digestive ailments.

Eating spicy foods can prove to be a bane in the case of morning sickness. In this regard, chillies deserve a special mention. In addition to the heartburns and ulcers, chillies (over-consumption) are known to lower the fibrin (blood clotting factor) levels in the blood. Reduced blood fibrin can, in turn, result in heavy bleeding during pregnancy.

3. Salt and salty foods

There is no doubt that salt makes a food palatable. However, the same taste enhancer can be dangerous if consumed in excess, especially during the third trimester.

In some cases, excess salt intake results in considerable loss of calcium from the body, leading to hypertension (pregnancy induced) and high blood pressure. This condition, in turn, gives rise to pre-eclampsia.

Thus, it is best to use salt in limited quantity (or as recommended by the physician) during the third trimester.

4. Alcohol

Pregnancy can be stressful and tax for some women. However, under no circumstance should one indulge in drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Though the first and the second trimesters are important (development of the baby), drinking during the third trimester can be equally harmful.

There are chances of low birth weight and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs).

FASDs is characterised by:

1. The short body stature

2. Hearing and speech problems

3. The size of the head is not proportionate to the body

4. Sleeping disorder

5. Facial deformity

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), a kind of FASDs, can result in:

1. Cognitive and neurological problems

2. Smaller brain size.

5. Caffeine

Caffeine should be avoided as much as possible during the third trimester. The caffeine can easily cross the placenta and enter the bloodstream of the baby, resulting in serious health consequences (low birth weight and other gestational disorders).

Further, the mother may suffer from increased heart rate, insomnia, iron deficiency and anaemia.