Raw papaya contains latex, a substance which may cause uterine contractions

I am having my first baby. The doctor says I should include a lot of fruits in my diet. Even papaya is okay, she says. But my mother and mother-in-law strongly oppose the idea of eating papaya. Whose advice do I follow? What kind of fruits and vegetables do I need to avoid during pregnancy?
—Kanchan Srivastav

Like all mothers, your mom, too, worries and wants the best for you. However, they’re not the most qualified sources for dishing out the A-to-Z on child development and nutrition. Your doctor has years of experience, training and knowledge in the field and is a more reliable source of information. My advice: listen to what everyone’s saying, they mean well. But do only what your doctor/nutritionist tells you to. And yes, you are allowed to eat papaya — as long as it is ripe. In fact, you are allowed to eat all fruits and vegetables. Everything that’s healthy for you, is healthy for the baby. A well-ripened papaya is a great source of vitamin C and E, fibre and folic acid. It also helps prevent constipation and heartburn. Including a moderate amount in your diet will actually do you good. However, a semi-ripe or raw papaya contains a substance called latex, which may trigger uterine contractions. The papain content in the latex is also known to increase chances of embryotoxicity and weaken the vital membranes of the fetus. Hence the bad reputation that the fruit has acquired. Stay away from unripened papaya, papaya skin and seeds. Some amount of latex is also present in ripened papayas, and thus don’t go overboard.

The more varied the mother’s plate during pregnancy, the more the baby’s taste buds are tickled, and they are more receptive to these tastes once solids are introduced to them.

Hi, I have weight issues primarily due to my sweet tooth. I have been trying to cut out sugar from my beverages, like tea and coffee, to balance my mithai cravings. I am not pro sugar-free pellets. I recently read about stevia. Is it a healthier alternative?
— Ramisha Motiwala

Everything you eat is eventually converted to sugar. This includes dal, roti, rice, bread, chicken, muffins and fruits. So much so, that we don’t really need to consume any refined sugar at all. Processed sugar is a man-made addition to our eating habits. The bittersweet truth is that your body doesn’t need it. Artificial sweeteners may contain aspartame, saccharine or other sweetening agents like sucralose. All of these have been linked with a wide variety of diseases and side-effects, ranging from migraines, memory loss, bloating and swelling of the kidneys and liver to even weight gain. So it’s a good idea to skip this ‘sweet stuff’.

Stevia, on the other hand, is not artificial. It is extracted from the leaf of a plant called stevia rebaudiana. So yes, it is a healthier alternative to chemical-based sweeteners. However, it may interact with certain medications and it is best advised to consult a doctor before consuming it in large quantities or making it a part of your daily diet. While it is true that stevia by itself is calorie-free, you must not forget that mithais and desserts that you add stevia to are not calorie-free by themselves. These are loaded with ghee, butter, cream and lots of other calorie-dense ingredients that will cause you to pile on the pounds. It’s best that you learn to be the boss of your cravings. The quicker you learn this trick, the quicker you get your health back in your hands.

Pooja Makhija
Consulting nutritionist and clinical dietitian

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Mail your queries at: dnahealthpage@gmail.com; you can contact Pooja at: pooja@nourishgenie.com