Consuming coconut water during pregnancy boosts immunity, fights heartburn and constipation, effective and natural diuretic, fights dehydration and exhaustion, rich source of electrolytes, replenishes lost fluids, acts as a natural beverage and detoxifies the body.

Pregnancy kick starts a new and unprecedented phase in your life and aspects like ethnicity and lifestyle does not matter much. When you conceive, it becomes absolutely important to take care of everything related to your body and even mind. After conceiving, you need to be particularly careful of what you eat and drink.  

This is essential since your diet plays a pivotal role in development of the fetus and it is directly related to your health during this crucial stage. There are various benefits of coconut water during pregnancy for both the mom and the child. 

Why do we need coconut water during pregnancy?

Coconut water is slightly sweet tasting fluid that is found inside a raw coconut fruit. The drink is absolutely refreshing and nowadays you can find it in packaged form as well. Coconut water has a slight sweet taste and this makes it more enticing than plain water.

In pregnancy, your body requires optimal hydration and this can be a naturally obtained fluid to help maintain optimum hydration level in the body. You may even cool it before drinking.

Health Benefits of Coconut Water During Pregnancy

These are the major advantages you can get by drinking coconut water during pregnancy:

Immunity booster during pregnancy

When you are carrying the fetus on the womb, having strong immunity is important. The minerals, vitamins and antioxidants found in coconut water help boost the default immunity level in your body. This can help you and the fetus get adequate protection against several infections.

In fact, the elevated amounts of lauric acid in this water can help your body stave off many infections well. It also has antibacterial properties which is good for the baby.

Fights heartburn and constipation during pregnancy

In pregnancy, hormonal changes result in several unprecedented physiological changes. Like a lot of pregnant women, you may also have to cope with unexpected and sudden bouts of indigestion and heartburn. Drinking tender coconut water helps improve digestive health to a large extent. It can also help you get relief from the pain of heartburn.

Constipation usually takes place in the first few months of pregnancy and you get relief from it by in taking coconut water as well. The dietary fibers present in this water helps relieve your digestive system. This is actually way better than taking OTC medications to cope with those conditions when you are pregnant.

Effective and natural diuretic

When you become pregnant, it is important that the level of uric acid levels remain normal in your body. Drinking coconut water can be quite helpful in this regard. It ensures the urine flow is optimum in your body and urinary tract remains clean too. You face reduced risk of getting Urinary Tract Infections eventually. This eventually helps your kidneys functioning well.

Fights dehydration and exhaustion

You may occasionally feel dehydrated and exhausted in various stages of pregnancy. It is not abnormal and drinking coconut water can help you cope with such situations well. It helps your body cope with dehydration well. When your body is well-hydrated skin elasticity is enhanced, thereby reducing the severity of stretch marks.

Rich source of electrolytes

After getting pregnant, the electrolyte requirement of your body shoots up. Coconut water is imbued with electrolytes. When your body gets a supply of the right amount of electrolytes, blood pressure remains in control. The electrolytes ensure your body’s pH level is maintained as well.

Replenishes lost fluids

During pregnancy, your body can lose fluids in more than one way. You can sweat and lose fluid through occasional bouts of diarrhea. The same can be caused by vomiting induced by morning sickness. Drinking tender coconut water helps replenish the amount of lost fluids in your body without any hassle.

If you do light to moderate exercise during pregnancy that may also result in more fluid loss than usual and that needs to be replenished.

Acts as a Natural beverage during pregnancy 

You cannot always replenish fluid or stay hydrated with plain water! It may seem too bland. However, consuming ready-made beverages during pregnancy, including fruit juices may result in artificial preservative and colors getting into your body.

However, coconut water does not contain any such artificial flavor or ingredient and hence it is absolutely safe for both you and the body. Neither does it contain caffeine or such ingredients that can affect your nervous system.

Read More: 11 Must Avoid Beverages During Pregnancy

Low in sugar

In pregnancy, whatever is eaten makes an impact on your body and also on the fetus. You should not eat too much sugar during these months. However, controlling the amount of sugar is something you cannot control. You can regulate the amount of sugar added to tea, coffee or other types of dishes at home.

However, when you drink ready-made juices and beverages, you are unsure of the sugar intake by your body. Thankfully, drinking coconut water does not add excess sugar.

Compared to many popular sports drinks and energy drinks the amount of sugar in this natural beverage is way lower. Almost 95 percent of this is made of water. Eating food rich in sugar can add to the pregnancy weight gain and so drinking coconut water during pregnancy is good for you.

Detoxifies body 

Drinking coconut water during pregnancy can also be helpful in detoxifying your system. In coconut water, there is a compound which is It helps remove worms and infections in your body. Your intestines are detoxified and this reduces your risk of getting infections. The medium chain fatty acids in this natural water help preserve healthy bacteria in your guts while eliminating the harmful ones. Accumulation of bacteria or germs in the body during pregnancy can lead to several types of complications, as you know.

Low in fat/cholesterol 

Coconut water, when taken in fresh form does not have any fat or cholesterol in it. So, it helps you avoid putting on excess weight during pregnancy. On the contrary, it helps enhance the level of HDL cholesterol in your body which is good from a health perspective. You may worry a little less about indulging in some foods that are rich in fat -craving for which may happen during pregnancy.

Other benefits of coconut water during pregnancy

Drinking coconut water can be beneficial for you in pregnancy from other perspectives too. It is said that drinking this water can help you control hypertension.

Myths related to coconut water for pregnant women

The benefits of coconut water consumption for pregnant women notwithstanding, you may come across some myths related with it. It is important that you get the facts clear. Some such myths are:

• Drinking coconut water during pregnancy can ensure your baby will have a fair complexion.
• Drinking coconut water can ensure your baby boy or girl will have thick hair.

These are absolutely not true and complexion and hair of your baby will depend on genetic and several other factors. Of course, the goodness and nutrients obtained from coconut water will be passed to the fetus if you drink it.

Things to keep in mind 

• While drinking coconut water can be good for you in pregnancy, a few things should be checked before you drink the natural beverage. These are:
• Ensure you drink the water taken from a green and tender coconut. Drinking water of a ripe coconut actually leads to the onset of constipation. Light green colored coconuts are ideal and avoid buying those with a brownish exterior.
• It is better that you consume the water just after the coconut is cut. This ensures your body gets the maximum amount of nutrients.
• While there is no such documented side effect of drinking coconut water during pregnancy, you may still talk with your doctor about it. The doctor may guide you regarding the advisable amount of coconut water you may drink per day.
• If you cannot procure fresh tender coconut to drink water and buy packaged coconut water, check the label to find out details about any artificial ingredients used in it.
• Drink tender coconut water using a clean straw and ensure the fruit is cut in a hygienic way. This will ensure no contamination will reach your system. It is also said to be effective in generating breast milk.
• You also need to drink other types of beverage including fresh fruit juices and milk during pregnancy rather than relying only on coconut water. The vitamin C and fiber in it can help improve blood circulation in your body in pregnancy.

Conclusion

Pregnancy is one of the best phases in every woman’s life. It is a time to cherish and enjoy. It is important to eat and drink nutrient enriched food throughout your pregnancy so that your baby is born smiling and healthy. Coconut water is one such foods that will keep you feeling rejuvenated while also boosting your health in many ways.

If you cannot drink plain coconut water you can lace it with some lemon juice. The best part of coconut water is that it can be had any time of the day. You can drink a glass full before breakfast or sip on it through the day! So, what are you waiting for? Bring home some coconuts and reap the benefits of coconut water!