why should I avoid spicy food when pregnant?

Question

I am almost four months pregnant and can´t give up spicy food. My friends and books say this is bad. Why?

Answer 1

No its fine... the one thing I must warn you about is the HORRIBLE HORRIBLE heart burn that comes with it. Other then that its fine.

Answer 2

It's another old wife's tale..
I'm 30 weeks pregnant with my 2nd daughter and as long as your sensible, eat what ever you want. I think women who crave and eat coal and mud when they are pregnant are more at risk than if you eat spicy foods. I have always eaten curries and spice throughout day to day life so being pregnant is no different, sometimes tho I have been more prone to heart burn after eating spicy food when pregnant. Its not bad its just something which some people recommend you don't do. all pregnancies are different and whats good for someone else may be bad for you. It's right that spicy food can start labour but if your use to eating spicy( say 3chili hot) they mean eat something really spicy ( like 5,6 chillies hot)

Answer 3

Well your friends are probably stupid and think it will cause you to go into labor which is FALSE! The best thing for you to do is to read up about it like try websites like http://www.babycenter.com which to me is the best site about pregnancy. It will tell you everything you should ever need to know. Don't rely always on what people on here have to say most are complete idiots and believe way too much in old wives tales. Like more than half of these people are dumbasses.

The only reason I can think of that they wouldn't want you to eat spicy foods would be becuz....Spicy food causes heart burn, terrible heart burn. Which could cause acid reflux. Which would be burning up your throat. Which might cause you to vomit and thats not good at al while you are pregnant. If you enjoy spicy foods I'd say try eating 2 Tums exra-strength (totally safe f--k everyone who says its not read the label) then eat your food then eat 2 after. You ca et up to 4 at a time. Also drink milk or water while you are eating your dinner. Then after drink another bottle of water after. You should have any problems. Alot of pregnant women get horrible heart burn while pregnant and just can't handle it. I'm with you though the spicy-er the better.

Answer 4

There is no reason for you to avoid spicy food - it won't harm your baby.

The one thing is might do is make your morning sickness worse and/or give you heartburn.

Actually this wasn't a problem with me as I eat so much spicy food as a regular part of my diet that I am used to it and it doesn't upset my stomach, although it did make my heartburn a little worse. But if you are not used to spicy food then eating it might make your sickness and/or heartburn worse.

The thing about spicy food starting off labour is RUBBISH!! It does not! This is based on some idea that spicy food gets your digestive system going and that this can somehow have a knock on effect with labour. This is false and when women say they went into labour after eating curry etc it is just coincidence.

As for spicy food stimulating the digestive system, this is only the case with Western women who rarely eat spicy food - yes in that case it will make you go to the toilet! But if you eat spicy food regularly as part of your diet it has no effect on your digestion. It does nothing to me in that respect because I eat it all the time!!!

Answer 5

Why would there be any effect? After all, healthy babies are born also in cultures, where people eat mostly (or only) spicy food.

In other words, the issue of spicy food and pregnancy is not more than a myth. Having said that, naturally, if eating spicy food causes sickness (to the mother) or heartburn (which it might), the mother should avoid it.

Here are some articles on the subject:

BabyCentre: "Is it safe to eat spicy food when pregnant or breastfeeding?"
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/expert/562558.html

Donna Engelgau, "10 Pregnancy Myths", Discovery Channel Site,
-
"The Spicy Food Fraud"

Spicy food will bring on labor. "For the most part, pregnant women can eat just about anything, but there are certain foods that we tell them to look out for, or to try and avoid," says Dr. Stone. Those include very soft cheeses, unpasteurized cheeses and raw-milk cheese. Though rare, they may contain a bacteria called lysteria that has been associated with miscarriage or pre-term labor."

Ask a Midwife - Spicy Food


eatwell is the Food Standards Agency, Is it OK to eat spicy food during pregnancy?

(this is an official UK government site)

I hope this answers your question. Please contact me if you need any clarification on this answer before you rate it. My Yahoo! search terms were:
["spicy food" pregnancy]

Answer 6

when i was pregnant i could not eat anything with out mustard or tabasco, but this is what studies show:


Expert: Kay Daniels, assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Spicy foods won't hurt your baby, but you may get more heartburn after eating them. That's because the pregnancy hormone progestin relaxes the muscles that normally keep digestive acids in your stomach. Plus, your growing baby is pushing against your stomach. Add spicy food, and it can be a recipe for discomfort.


Expert: Carol Archie, associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

It's safe, but whether it's desirable is up to you. It may be uncomfortable, especially in the last half to last third of pregnancy, when your stomach is sitting somewhere near your throat and you're very prone to heartburn. Some women develop heartburn even earlier in pregnancy. Your body will tell if you shouldn't do it.

Answer 7

The "no spicy food" thing is for your own indigestion. Supposedly, if you eat more spicy food, you will have bad indigestion and the baby will be more active. I ate spicy foods throughout the entire pregnancy - actually, I couldn't get enough. I put hot sauce on almost everything I ate. Yes, I had to eat a lot of TUMS, but those are good for you, they have calcium. And my baby was active, but that's good too. Now I have a two-year-old who loves spicy foods!
It all comes down to what you are comfortable with.
Good luck!!

Answer 8

If you are used to spicy food then you can take some heartburn medicines (talk to doctor) n still enjoy the food! if you are not used to spicy food eat moderately due to heart burn, stomach upset and make you uncomfortable in the nite.... I have eaten spicy food both my pregnacies and got through without any problem..... it depends on your tolerance level.... people from west are not used to spicy food so they avoid totally! it is not true to everyone.... (BTW even doctors in US advice not to eat spicy food but go to any eastern countries all women eat is spicy!!) good luck and don't over do it!!

Answer 9

You don't have to. In fact, you shouldn't if that's part of your everyday normal eating life. Especially if you will breastfeed. Your amniotic fluid will take on the flavor of your diet, and prepare your baby to enjoy those flavors in your milk. Which is why they say it's so good to eat veggies when pregnant, they baby will actually like them more once he's born. Spicy food may start to give you heart burn later, though. As well as foods like pizza. But it's totally safe for the baby. Think about how all those women in countries where spices are common do it!

Answer 10

When carrying my son spicy food was all I wanted, I would eat, vindaloo curry with a spoon like soup, hot chilli, chillies anything. Luckily I never had heartburn or indigestion, it has done my son no harm, i didn't go into premature labour infact had to be induced 2weeks over, he was a healthy 9lb 8oz. (He wasn't so keen when I ate these things when breastfeeding him!!!)
12weeks pregnant with 2nd and my general love of curries has disappeared this time around infact looking forward to Christmas Day for some nice plain savoury food.
Don't give up what you love unless it has to be washed down with a glass of gaviscon:o)

Answer 11

I ate spicy food while pregnant. I don't see how it hurt anything. I did get horrible heart burn when I got around five months.