Dalia in Pregnancy: A Superfood for the Health of Both Mom and Baby

Pregnancy is a time of joy, anticipation, and the utmost care for both the mother and the growing baby. As an expectant mother, it is crucial to maintain a healthy diet that provides essential nutrients for the well-being of both mom and baby. While there are numerous superfoods available, one often overlooked is dalia in pregnancy. In this article, we will explore the incredible benefits of dalia during pregnancy and why it should be a staple in every expectant mother's pantry.

What is Dalia?

Dalia is a dish prepared from cracked wheat and has been eaten for centuries. High in fibre and manganese, it is a nutrient powerhouse. Dalia's complex carbs and low glycemic index make it suitable for weight management and those with diabetes. When mixed with milk, it can also help increase muscle mass and keep cholesterol levels in check.

This is just a fancy way of describing how advantageous dalia can be for you and your baby. The magic dalia can work on your body and your baby must be well-engrained in your minds by your elders, family, and friends already. So, all in all, dalia is great, and you must make it a part of your diet on an everyday basis.

You may also like: The Daily Balanced Diet of a Pregnant Woman: What to Eat and Avoid

Nutrient Value in Dalia

Let us now understand the nutrients dalia has to offer per 100 g:

• Energy - 152 Kcal
• Fat - 3.41g
• Saturated Fats - 1.615g
• Trans Fats - 0g
• Monounsaturated Fats - 0.893g
• Polyunsaturated Fats - 0.478g
• Carbohydrates - 27.7g
• Sugar - 0.97g
• Fibre - 1.4g
• Protein - 5.03g
• Sodium - 143mg
• Cholesterol - 6mg
• Potassium - 193mg

Benefits of Dalia in Pregnancy

Other than what our elders have always told us about how beneficial dalia can be, let us talk in detail about the benefits of dalia during pregnancy:

1. Helps in Weight Management

Pregnancy means staying fit and ensuring that your growth and your baby's development go hand-in-hand. Being pregnant does not mean eating more than needed or putting on unnecessary weight. Dalia is low in fat and calories, making it an ideal food for maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy. It provides a feeling of fullness, reducing the urge to overeat.

2. Keeps Gestational Diabetes in Check

Dalia has a low glycemic index, which helps regulate blood sugar levels and prevents spikes and crashes. The low glycemic index of dalia enables a gradual release of glucose into the bloodstream due to the lengthy time to digest the food. This stability is crucial during pregnancy, as it reduces the risk of gestational diabetes.

3. Packed with Vitamins

There are many times in pregnancy when you just don't feel like eating anything, whether average food, junk food or even fruits and vegetables. At this time, Dalia can be your saviour. Dalia is made up of wheat, and every piece of the wheat grain is packed with vitamins that help fulfil all the needed and missing vitamins in your body.

4. Helps in Improving Your Hemoglobin

During pregnancy, there is a chance that a woman's hemoglobin count may rapidly go down and increase the risk of anemia during pregnancy. Consuming dalia can help you in keeping your hemoglobin in control. Your hemoglobin should be around 12, and Dalia can help you achieve this number in quite an impactful way!

5. Helps Alleviate Constipation

Dalia is nothing but wheat and husk. Because of the husk, this food is naturally high in fibre, which helps to keep the intestines healthy and free of constipation. For maximum benefit, dalia should be a part of your diet daily, either with milk or vegetables. The best way of avoiding constipation is by consuming dalia, whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner.

6. Easy to Cook

The best part about dalia is that it is very easy to cook and takes lesser time than other foods. Pregnancy is full of mood swings and laziness. You may not feel active all throughout and might want to cook something easy yet nutritious. Dalia can be your go-to food during such times!

You may also like: Ways in which you can handle street food cravings during the pregnancy period

7. Maintains Cholesterol Levels

No mother-to-be wants to have health issues during pregnancy. If you get diagnosed with cholesterol, managing it can be challenging, especially if you don't eat a lot of fibre in your diet. Dalia is high in fibre, which helps the body eliminate waste and impurities.

By lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) and increasing HDL (good cholesterol), it helps stabilise cholesterol levels (good cholesterol levels). Dalia in pregnancy, then, is a heart-healthy meal option.

8. Helps in the Growth of Baby

As soon as a woman conceives, the first thing that she always thinks about is her unborn baby's health and development. Consuming dalia during pregnancy can be highly beneficial not just for the mother but also for the baby. It is a rich source of plant-based protein, vital for the growth and development of the baby, as well as supporting the mother's tissue repair and overall health.

9. Helps You Stay Active

As your body undergoes a multitude of changes during pregnancy, it's common to feel tired, lazy and exhausted. Dalia is packed with complex carbohydrates, providing a sustained release of energy, which is essential for supporting the increased energy requirements of pregnancy.

10. Helps in Lactation

As you approach the last trimester of your pregnancy, you cannot help but wonder about the mammoth task that lays ahead of you- breastfeeding. In preparation for this, many expecting moms start consuming galactagogues (foods that help in breast milk production) from the third trimester itself. Dalia is one such food that can help your body start producing breast milk for your baby.

References

1. Jha, A. (2013). Optimization of instant dalia dessert pre-mix production by using response surface methodology. NCBI

2. Yang, J; Wang, H; Zhou, L et al. (2012). Effect of dietary fiber on constipation: A meta analysis. NCBI

3. Cooper, D.N; Martin, R.J and Keim, N.L. (2015). Does Whole Grain Consumption Alter Gut Microbiota and Satiety?. NCBI

Tags

Dalia in Pregnancy in Bengali, Dalia in Pregnancy in Tamil, Dalia in Pregnancy in Telugu