Can a pregnant woman eat Egusi?
Pregnancy is a period in which you’re careful about a lot of things. This is because you’re not just thinking about yourself but also about the little one inside your body.
Egusi is a popular soup in Nigeria. It is got from the fat- and protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants (squash, melon, gourd). You would hardly enter any restaurant and find that they don’t have egusi soup. As the name suggests, egusi is the main ingredient in this soup. Other ingredients include:
- Water
- Red oil
- Vegetables (bitter leaves, spinach, ugu)
- Pepper
- Shrimps
- Fish
- Beef
- Crayfish
- Other seasonings of your choice
Egusi itself has a lot of health benefits, not just for pregnant women but for anyone who enjoys ‘swallow.’ The vitamins B1 and B2 contained in egusi help to improve your appetite during pregnancy. Egusi is rich in other vitamins like vitamin E and alpha-tocopherol. Vitamin E works to improve the overall health of your skin, helping reduce dry skin and other skin conditions during pregnancy. While alpha-tocopherol is present in a lot of skincare products, helping to reduce wrinkles on the skin.
Furthermore, some women suffer from constipation during pregnancy. The consumption of egusi will help with this problem since it improves the proper digestion of the food you eat. The dietary fibre present in egusi also helps control the movements in your bowels during pregnancy.