Eating Butter During Pregnancy: Safe or Unsafe

By: Ambili S Kartha

Pregnancy diet should be nutrient-dense and should provide enough energy for the healthy growth of the baby. The diet should be such that the body of the mother-to-be can cope up with the physical changes. A balanced and nutritious diet should have the right and adequate amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vegetables as well as fruits. The diet does even get impacted by beliefs, the health of the mother, the cultural ethics etc. so the best is to take advice from a medical practitioner before planning a diet for the pregnancy.

Fats are very important for the growth and the development of the child and they equally offer strength to the mother. Butter is one such fat on which many myths prevail. So let us burst some of them and find out the safety, benefits and other important topics as below.

Is Consuming Butter Safe During Pregnancy?

Butter is safe to be consumed as long as the quantity is not too much. However, in case the mother-to-be has developed any kind of allergies to dairy products it is best to not consume butter during the pregnancy phase.

What Are The Benefits Of Consuming Butter During Pregnancy?

The benefits accrued from the consumption of butter during the pregnancy phase are as below:

• Building Muscles: Even though it is believed that the consumption of fats leads to obesity yet butter has a good amount of saturated fat that accounts for building up the baby’s muscles
• Healthy Bones: Butter is enriched with calcium and assists with the healthy development of the teeth as well as the bones of a baby.
• Reduces Stress: Pregnant women are always advised to eat healthily and stay happy, follow a no-stress routine as that greatly impact the baby as well. Butter even has flavonoids and its consumption helps in minimizing the stress levels.
• Better Brain Development: Vitamin E is a major component of butter which greatly helps with the brain development of the baby.
• Look Younger: Pregnancy comes with many hormonal and physical changes which can make one look dull and tired. Butter is enriched with antioxidants that can help in regeneration of the skin cells offering a radiant glow to the skin by making one look younger.
• Energy Giver: Many vitamins like  D, E, and K, which are a part of the butter and help to absorb the rich minerals which end up in more energy.
• Hormonal Problems: Butter helps in curing all hormonal related issues but prior to its consumption, it is best to seek a doctor’s assistance.
• Maintains cholesterol level: Butter contains short and medium chain fatty acids thereby, helping in regulating the cholesterol levels of the expecting mother.

What Are The Risks Of Eating Butter During Pregnancy?

• The saturated fat present in the butter can aggravate obesity. Therefore think twice before having this high-calorie content food.
• Excess of fat intake leads to acute heart ailments as well as diabetes issues.

Which Is Better? Salted or Unsalted Butter?

Butter is not a great choice to be consumed frequently during the pregnancy phase. However, unsalted butter tastes quite similar to the salted butter and is any day better than the salted one. Having butter in moderation does no harm whether salted or unsalted.

How Much Butter Is Recommended During Pregnancy?

Butter certainly adds a creamy texture to any food item, whether it’s a dish or even a cookie or simple piece of bread. Unsalted butter during pregnancy is not harmful to the pregnant women and if consumed in limits is important for the diet as it can absorb many other minerals and offer rigorous energy so butter should never be removed from the diet plan. A teaspoon of unsalted butter once a while is not dangerous yet should not be a part of a regular diet plan. More emphasis has to be given on the quantity as the over-consumption can cause serious health hazards.

Are There Any Healthy Alternatives For Butter During Pregnancy?

In case it is difficult to give up the craving for butter one needs to find alternatives as an excess of unsalted butter is also not good for the health. Some alternative ways to replace butter which would also make food tasty and appealing as well as healthy are as below:

• One can apply a fat reduction whipped margarine to a slice of toast.
• One can consume muffins, desserts with applesauce that is sugar-free.
• Usage of olive oil in place of butter while consuming the saturated fats.
• Instead of using butter with baked veggies, one can replace it with a low-fat plain yogurt.
• Seasoning of vegetables with chicken broth and add fresh herbs than the unsalted butter.

Eating Butter During The First Trimester

Many expecting women who are experiencing nausea and morning sickness reports butter helps them to combat these issues. The taste of butter makes food more appetizing and easy to consume. Always use unsalted, low-fat butter during pregnancy.

Eating Butter During The Third Trimester

The last or the third trimester is very taxing for the mother as the weight increases by leaps and bounds, it is a crucial period and extremely challenging one as well. The baby is full term as the 37^th week is over, after which the baby can be born any time.

Butter is laxative in nature and can induce labor if consumed frequently. It can aggravate the bowel movement to increase the contractions till the uterus. It even helps in lubricating the vagina making the delivery a smooth affair. Nevertheless, ghee is considered to be a healthy source of fat that you and your baby can benefit from. Read more about it next.

Guidelines For Consuming Butter During Pregnancy

• Butter can be used as a spread for the baked items.
• The vegetables can be steamed as well as sautéed with butter.
• Butter can be added to any dish to enhance its taste.
• All sorts of continental food can be made with butter.
• Every instance you eat some butter, make sure you balance your meal with healthy items. Making it part of a nutritional diet (that comprise fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) will help to minimize its side effects.

Thus an expecting mother-to-be requires a healthy and wholesome diet which offers maximum nutrition and should have food from all the food groups. Fat is also a requisite as it is the factor that offers maximum energy and is good for the overall growth and development of both the mother as well as the baby.

Source: https://www.beingtheparent.com/eating-butter-during-pregnancy-safe-or-unsafe/

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