Chips in a variety of flavours might have never seemed as attractive as you might suddenly find them when you are pregnant. Cravings come in all possible forms, and you might want to rip open a bunch of packets of chips, lie on your couch, and watch your favourite movie. But, eating potato chips during pregnancy is ill-advised since it can result in a ton of complications to your unborn child, many of them being irreversible. Let’s find out how.
The ideal answer to this question is “no” for a variety of reasons. However, there are specific cases in which eating chips might be allowed, but that too, in the absolute minimum amount. If you are sure you can let go of them if there are health issues, you can have a few, but only the ones that are prepared at home with clean potatoes under hygienic conditions, and are fried in good-quality oil. In all cases, women are highly advised to stay away from chips until they complete the first trimester of pregnancy, the reasons for which we will explain in the article below. If you know your willpower is weak, it is best to stay away from chips completely.
Chips are not a healthy treat during pregnancy for a variety of reasons. Let’s take a look at some of them.
The points mentioned above are some of the major health issues eating chips can give rise to. Now that you know how eating chips can affect the would-be mother’s health let’s also find out if it can affect the baby’s health too.
Eating chips during pregnancy does affect the health of the little one growing inside your womb. Several varieties of chips are known to contain acrylamide, which is a potent carcinogen. Acrylamide can disrupt the formation of the existing DNA, that leads to the child being underweight and have an abnormal size of the head. This can further result in behavioural conditions, birth defects, and developmental delays later in the baby.
Chips can be too hard to resist, especially when the cravings are too strong. But, it is necessary to understand that your baby’s safety has to be the number one priority. Therefore, eating chips during the first trimester is a strict no-no, and it is better to avoid them even when you are breastfeeding. Once you have a healthy baby in your hands, you can go back to enjoying chips, but in moderation, because anything in excess is never good for your health.