Turmeric has been heralded as a bit of a super food lately. Bloggers are recommending turmeric
lattes for everything from cancer prevention to fending off wrinkles... but as you know,
we have to be a little more discerning about what you consume during pregnancy... especially
when it comes to medicinal spices. So, if you're wondering 'can I have turmeric during pregnancy'?
The answer depends on the quantity you're planning to consume.
If you plan to add some turmeric to your cooking occasionally, it's unlikely to cause any issues.
If on the other hand you are considering taking turmeric capsules, or are drinking
five turmeric lattes each day in an effort to boost your baby's brain health... keep
listening and I'll update you on the benefits of turmeric during pregnancy, and the risks!
Hello! If this is our first time connecting, welcome! My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm
a pre and postnatal dietitian. I specialise in Early Life Nutrition and focus on giving
baby's the best start possible, using the power of good food. To help you get started,
I'd love you to download my free pregnancy meal plan from melaniemcgrice.com/pregnancy.
There's seven days worth of meal suggestions that can be mixed and matched to provide you
with loads of nutritious ideas to optimise your pregnancy diet. It would also be fantastic to
connect via social media! You can find all my details in the description box below this video.
In this video, I'm going to discuss turmeric during pregnancy.
Firstly, let me say that I LOVE that you're investigating whether or not
you should take a spice during pregnancy before taking it.
The reason that turmeric is renown for its health benefits is that it has medicinal properties that
change the way cells and hormones function, and while that can be a fantastic thing...
it can also have it's risks, especially during pregnancy.
This is why, I'd recommend that you avoid taking turmeric capsules, or medicinal quantities of
turmeric unless you're taking them under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
Let's start by discussing some of the potential reasons why large doses of
this spice should be avoided during pregnancy... 1. There's very few human pregnancy
studies - because of the risks associated with medicinal doses of turmeric,
it hasn't been seen as ethical to undertake large research studies, and without safety studies
conducted in pregnant mummas, no-one can really say how safe it is or isn't during pregnancy.
2. One of the reasons why everyone raves about turmeric is its anti-inflammatory benefits.
Reducing inflammation in the body has a host of health benefits, and this is
also true during pregnancy. However, some other anti-inflammatory medicines which are commonly
used in non-pregnant women (like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs known as NSAIDS
and glucocorticoids) are not recommended during pregnancy due to their risk of side effects.
3. Studies seem to suggest that turmeric, and its active ingredient, curcumin,
may impact reproductive hormones when consumed in medicinal doses.
This is why turmeric is particularly discouraged during the first trimester of pregnancy.
With all this in mind, I'm sure you can see why,
I'm cautioning you about having turmeric during pregnancy.
However, evidence is building for the potential benefits of turmeric
for some pregnancy complications. For example, insulin injections are typically the most popular
treatment of gestational diabetes, yet they can result in additional weight gain, and have a risk
of causing low blood glucose levels. Consequently, some researchers argue that the benefits of
turmeric may outweigh the risks for these mummas. If you have gestational diabetes,
or another pregnancy condition that you think would particularly benefit from turmeric,
I'd advise you to get personalised advice from a healthcare professional.
There's also emerging data to suggest that turmeric may be beneficial for mummas with
pre-eclampsia, those whose baby's are showing fetal growth restriction, those with perinatal
depression and those who have a high risk of a pre-term birth. Consequently, I predict that we
may start to see a change in perspective on this powerful spice in the near future.
Make sure that you subscribe to my channel so that you don't miss out on my weekly videos so that you
can get the best evidence-based advice for food and nutrition during pregnancy and postpartum.
I'll look forward to seeing you in my next video!