Can you eat okra while pregnant?

Can you eat okra while pregnant? Are you a big fan of okra? It's getting more popular around the world. And why shouldn't it be? It's pretty easy to Cook gumbos with green okra. Red okra is also making the rounds these days.

In today's article, we'll discuss everything you need to know about okra. Can it make you look younger? Should pregnant women stay away from it? we'll discuss all that and more. Let's first cover the basics.

What is Okra?

Okra is an edible flowering plant native to Africa and South Asia. Not only do they feel fuzzy, but they can also be pretty sticky. People often get annoyed at okra for how sticky it is. Even the seeds on the inside will stick to your knife when you cut it up. Luckily, okra gets thicker as you Cook it.

Have you already tried some recipes with Okra? Share your recipe in the comment section. One can safely say that flavor-wise, okra is a little on the bland side. I mean, sometimes it can be sweet, but that's about it. The ideal season to buy okra would be summertime.

You're more likely to get a better taste out of it during the season. It's also a lot cheaper. That's a big plus in my books. When you go shopping for okra, make sure the stems are still intact. Choose the little guys measuring no more than two to three inches.

This will ensure that the vegetable is tender. If you don't mind the tough texture of okra, you can go for the longer ones. Look out for dark spots and blemishes. Remember to chop off its stem and bottom end before cooking. After buying it from the store, you can safely refrigerate it for four to five days until it goes bad.

Can you eat okra while pregnant?

You can steam, pickle, bake, roast, and even saute thinly chopped okra. This is done with Bell peppers, garlic, and spices to make a killer summertime okra recipe. It also goes really well with corn, tomatoes, and eggs. A secret to making good okra is to Cook it whole without cutting it into small wheels to remove all the sliminess. You can also try cooking it in acidic sauces like tomatoes or vinegar.

Making healthy okra snacks

For making healthy okra snacks, just slice them and Bake them in the oven with salt, pepper, and Curry powder. My personal favorite is grilling them until they are charred. I mean, all these recipes sound great, but what can okra do for your body?

Nutrient-dense

Nutrient-dense, vegetables, and fruits will fill you up with nutrients. Okra is no exception. When we're looking for fat-free food options, we tend to forget about okra. Okra has absolutely zero fat and carries a decent amount of carbs and fiber.

Most fruits and veggies don't have much protein. Okra, on the other hand, will surprise you. Okra is a gold mine of magnesium, folate, and all the vitamins you need. These are all essential for keeping your body working like a well-oiled machine. Vitamin C is especially important.

It helps safeguard your immunity and protects you from infections and germs. Vitamin K can bring on faster blood clotting after a cutter wound and prevent excessive blood loss.

Health Benefits of Okra

Packed with antioxidants

Okra's star antioxidant is a polyphenol, which gets help from flavonoids vitamin A and C. In order to work properly. The job of antioxidants is to fight off free radicals.

These damage your cells, causing your body to deteriorate faster. Antioxidants reduce free radicals and keep your body healthy. Free radicals can age you quickly, giving you dull, wrinkled skin. If you're getting the proper amount of antioxidants, you'll look younger for a longer period of time. Studies have shown that polyphenols improve your heart health by freeing your blood vessels of unwanted clots and oxidative damage.

Polyphenols also work to improve your brain health. They make your memory much sharper, helping you store knowledge and learn things quicker. Polyphenols will also stop inflammation of the brain.

keeps Your Heart Healthy

Heart disease is the number one cause of death around the world. This is normally due to high cholesterol, that gel-like, sticky substance in okra that people don't like.

Well, that actually helps your heart. This material is called mucilage, the cholesterol from all the junk food you can eat, combined with mucilage during digestion. Once it's mixed with this sticky substance, it won't be absorbed by your body. Instead, it will be excreted. In other words, okra can stop cholesterol from hurting you.

There's an animal study supporting this fact. Mice that ate a high-fat diet mixed with okra powder had lower blood cholesterol levels than mice that didn't have okra. This is again, thanks to polyphenols. It's like there's nothing it can't do. Inflammatory markers can point out inflammation in major organs of your body.

A long-term study showed that people eating a diet rich in polyphenols had these inflammatory markers. As a result, their risk of heart disease was much lower. Before we continue, do you get sick a lot? You're probably not getting enough vitamin C. Take a quick look at these nine signs your body needs more vitamin C.

Reduces your risk of cancer

Cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell growth in your body. A specialized protein called lectin is found in okra and can stop the growth of cancer cells. Today, breast cancer is becoming more and more common among women.

A test-tube study showed that lectin from okra can stop the growth of breast cancer up to 63%, which is also helpful against skin cancers. The credibility of these studies isn't as strong as they're all done in test tubes. More detailed human research needs to be done to draw any kind of hard conclusion. But having okra on the regular won't hurt and may be able to save you from cancer as a whole. What do you have to lose?

Can lower your blood sugar

Okra can be beneficial if you're diabetic. Research has shown us this over the years. Animal studies have found that eating regular okra extracts can prevent your blood sugar level from spiking. This is because okra doesn't let your digestive tract absorb the extra sugar.

In the end, your blood sugar levels are stable. But if you're a diabetic and on regular medication, okra can interfere with your blood sugar. It causes your levels to go up and down. If you're taking drugs to combat diabetes, talk to your doctor before you start eating okra.