Many women are afraid to eat crab when pregnant, because it is said that all seafood, including crab, can have a negative impact on the fetus if consumed by pregnant women. However, is it true?
Pregnancy does require a lot of things. The activities you do and the food and drink you eat must be chosen with great care. This is because what pregnant women do and consume can have an impact on the condition of the fetus in the womb.
One of the things that is often prohibited for pregnant women is eating crab. If pregnant women like to eat crabs, this might be a little annoying. But, is it really forbidden to eat crab while pregnant? To answer it, see the following explanation.
Nutrition in Crab that Plays a Role in Pregnancy
Crab is one type of seafood which contains a lot of nutrients. Several types of nutrients contained in crabs include:
1. Protein
In 100 grams of crab meat, contained about 23 grams of protein. During pregnancy, pregnant women need about 70-75 grams of protein per day. Therefore, eating crab can be a good choice to meet the protein needs of pregnant women.
In the fetus, protein plays a role in forming the organs and tissues of the fetus. Meanwhile, for pregnant women, protein is useful in preparing the body for giving birth to a baby, strengthening the immune system, and producing breast milk.
When protein intake is not met, it can be difficult for mother and baby to gain weight, muscles feel weak, and be susceptible to infection due to weak immune systems.
2. Omega-3
Crab is also fortified with omega-3. These nutrients play a role in regulating blood pressure, blood clotting, strengthening the mother's immune system, and helping the formation and development of the fetal brain.
Pregnant women need about 1 – 1.5 grams of omega-3 per day. In a crab, contained about 0.3 - 0.4 grams of omega-3. That is why, eating crabs can be a good choice to meet the needs of omega-3.
However, pregnant women also need to meet omega-3 from other foods or supplements, because getting omega-3 intake completely from crabs risks increasing cholesterol levels in the blood.
3. Vitamin A
Pregnant women need about 800 micrograms of vitamin A every day. The intake of vitamin A for pregnant women can be met by eating crabs because a crab contains about 50 micrograms of vitamin A.
In pregnant women, vitamin A helps repair damaged organ tissue. As for the fetus, vitamin A has a function similar to protein, which helps the development of its organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, skin, and brain. Lack of these nutrients can make the baby's vision after birth becomes poor and his immune system is weak.
4. Vitamin B
Crabs also contain lots of B vitamins and folate. The nutritional benefits contained in crab meat are to prevent birth defects, reduce the risk of preeclampsia, and form red blood cells that pregnant women need more.
In addition to some of the nutrients above, crab meat also contains a lot of calcium, zinc, iron, vitamin D, and selenium. Each of these nutrients also has an important role in maintaining the health of pregnant women and the fetus in the womb.
So, is it safe to eat crab while pregnant?
Seafood, including crab, is a source of nutrients that the body needs during pregnancy. Rarely eating seafood can actually cause the body of pregnant women to lack nutrients that can trigger various pregnancy complications, such as anemia, hypertension, susceptible to infection, and the risk of babies being born with defects.
So, during pregnancy, pregnant women can still eat crab, how come. It's just that, the way it is presented must really be considered. Crab needs to be cooked until completely cooked. Otherwise, harmful germs may still be left in the crab and can cause disease when it enters the pregnant woman's body.
The following are some tips that pregnant women need to pay attention to when processing and consuming crab:
- Make sure the utensils used for cooking, such as knives, trays, to frying pans, have been thoroughly washed.
- If you don't want it all cooked, store the raw crab in the refrigerator at a maximum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. If you want to keep it longer, put the crab in freezer.
- When cooking, make sure the crab is cooked to a light red color before draining.
- Always wash your hands before and after eating.
- Discard cooked crabs that have been sitting for more than 2 hours at room temperature.
In addition to paying attention to how to serve crab, the portion also needs to be limited. This is because eating too much crab while pregnant can also cause a number of health problems. But so far, there has been no recommendation on how many crabs are still safe to eat during pregnancy.
And don't forget, to meet nutritional needs you can't just eat crabs. Pregnant women should also eat other healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish, and nuts.
If needed, pregnant women can also supplement their nutritional needs during pregnancy by taking prenatal vitamins according to the obstetrician's recommendation.