Indian Cow Ghee and Pregnancy : Why are people swearing by it?

During Pregnancy, expectant mothers undergo a lot of hormonal changes that impact them physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is important that they have a healthy diet as their diet would have a direct impact on the health and well-being of the fetus. Everything from, diet to sleep to exercise becomes a question.
 
If you’re a pregnant woman or on the family way these questions are bothering you too, here’s your answer. For pregnant women, there is a necessity to include Ghee in their diets on a daily basis. 5 to 8 teaspoons of fat is the medical recommendation for fat intake in pregnancy, out of which 10% to 12% from Saturated fats are necessary. Ghee makes” smart babies” being a direct source of Good Cholesterol.

The popular myth is that pregnant women can consume fats in liquid form and not the solid ones; however, cow ghee doesn’t fit into these categories as the solid or liquid state of it depends on the season.

Not just during pregnancy, cow ghee has a great role to play in a woman’s diet even postpartum. Traditionally in India the post-pregnancy diet always has huge dollops of ghee included as it helped women get back in shape quickly hence pregnant women could consider swapping it with cooking oil, provided the ghee they use is made from A2 milk.
 

Fitness expert Rujuta Diwekar, in her book, Indian Superfoods, explains that rice, ghee, sugar, and cashews are foods that one should never avoid and always include as part of our diet. She mentions that “addition of ghee to your meals reduces the glycaemic index of food,” which is essential in fighting PCOD, diabetes, and obesity.

How to introduce Desi Cow Ghee in your everyday diet: 

• Topical application on Rotis, rice, bread, and vegetables.
• Preparation of Desserts like Ladoos, kheer, halwa, etc.
• Milk and Ghee is a healthy, tasty, and a refreshing drink

Ghee supplies nutrition to mother and child

Since ages in India and in other Asian countries pure cow ghee is offered to would be mothers as well as married ladies. Some of the advantages of having pure cow ghee are:

• Ghee increases fertility of a woman by nourishing womb and seeds
• Ghee facilitates a healthy pregnancy for the carrying mother
• Ghee ensures proper care of the fetus in mother’s womb
• It boosts lactation in post pregnancy period for nursing mothers

The Natural Tonic
 
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of medicine prescribes the consumption of pure cow ghee by pregnant women on a daily basis by mixing it with boiled milk, 1-2 drops of saffron, 3-4 drops of honey and a pinch of turmeric to boost brain health of the fetus and ensures a safe delivery of the baby.
 
Ghee not only boosts brain health of the fetus, ghee for pregnancy diet ensures safe delivery of the baby. It also acts like a brain tonic for the development of kids brain.
 
Natural Stress Reliever
 
Pregnancy could be a stressful time with all the hormonal imbalances, physical changes, altered metabolism, fear of exhaustion from labor pain, etc. Desi Cow Ghee when consumed regularly has been proved to have calming effects on the nerves, reduce stress and induce feel-good hormones in the pregnant women.
 
 Regain lost vitality

Pure ghee is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, During the 9-month pregnancy period a major portion of nutrients are added to fetus’s development and often the mother starts suffering from lack of vitality. A regular dose of cow ghee in everyday diet would help restore this lost strength and vitality in the mother.

Ghee for pregnancy is believed offers following effects:

These are some of the expected benefits of ghee if ghee for pregnancy diet is followed under the supervision of dietician:

• It nourishes health systems and takes good care of skin beauty of the pregnant lady.
• Pure Cow Ghee in diet improves digestion and relieves constipation thus controls irritation and mood swing of the carrying mother
• Ghee induces normal labor by acting as a mild laxative: it adds a lubricating effect in vaginal passage at the time of labor
• Ghee supplies strength for the mother to withstand the side effects of pregnancy and ghee supports in proper development of the baby’s brain.

When to avoid Ghee during pregnancy
 
Ghee consumption has to be downsized in the case of women with Gallstones in pregnancy, an excessive and disproportionate weight gain, or any other medical condition where the Obstetrician/Nutritionist has advised against it.
 
It is important to ensure that you have ample volumes of Ghee to ensure a happy and healthy pregnancy, however, the mode of delivery (normal or Caesarean) cannot be dependent on Ghee consumption.

Desi Indian Cow Ghee and Pregnancy : Why are people swearing by it?