Should You Avoid Eggplant (Brinjal) During Pregnancy?

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Eggplant is highly nutritious and known as the king of vegetables. However, you may wonder if eating eggplant during pregnancy is safe for you and your baby. Some people consider eggplants safe for consumption during pregnancy, while others consider them harmful.

Since eggplants contain important nutrients for fetal development, pregnant women may consume them in small quantities. However, having eggplants in larger quantities may cause side effects in some women.

Read this post for more details about the safety of eggplant for pregnant women, their benefits, ways to include them in your diet, and precautions you should take while consuming them.

Can You Eat Brinjal During Pregnancy?

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Brinjal or eggplant (Solanum melongena) may be eaten during pregnancy but in moderate quantities. It contains several nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which could be beneficial for fetal development (1). But you may have to avoid taking it frequently since it is believed to be a heat-producing food and could cause abortion (2).

Nutritional Profile Of Eggplant

Eggplant is low in saturated fats and cholesterol and high in essential nutrients. It contains dietary fiber, vitamin K, thiamin, folate, pyridoxine, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and antioxidants. These nutrients are essential to maintain maternal health and support proper prenatal development.

According to the USDA (US Department of Agriculture), about 100g of eggplant contains the following nutrients essential during pregnancy:

The vitamin composition is around 0.039mg thiamin, 0.084 pyridoxine, 22mcg folate, and 3.5mcg vitamin K (1).

How Eggplant Might Be Beneficial During Pregnancy

Eggplant is nutritious and could provide the following health benefits.

1. Contains folate: It provides folate, which is important for the development of the brain and cognitive abilities in the baby. It could, therefore, reduce the risk of neural tube defectsⁱXCongenital disabilities of the central nervous system, usually occurring during the early weeks of pregnancy. and helps in the development of red blood cells (4).

2. Helps regulate sugar levels:  Eggplant is said to control the rise in sugar levels. This could help, especially if you have a risk of gestational diabetesⁱXA condition characterized by elevated blood sugar levels due to hormonal and physical changes in pregnancy.  (5). According to a study conducted by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year, two to ten percent of pregnancies in the US are affected by gestational diabetes. Expecting mothers can manage their sugar levels by including healthy foods in their pregnancy diet.
   

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3. Supports digestion: The dietary fiber in eggplant could help in relieving constipation and improving nutrient absorption (6).

4. Reduces bad cholesterol: It is believed to reduce the harmful cholesterol levels and increase good cholesterol levels in your blood.

5. Regulates blood pressure: BioflavonoidsⁱXNatural chemicals primarily found in plant-based products known to possess therapeutic properties. present in eggplant are likely to control blood pressure. In addition, they also help in relieving stress and prevent blood clots (7).

Despite its benefits, sometimes eggplant may not be the best vegetable to have during pregnancy. Let’s see why.

Reasons To Avoid Brinjal During Pregnancy

Ayurveda practitioners believe that you should avoid brinjal in pregnancy in excess quantities as it could have some side effects. However, there are no research studies to support most of the below claims.

• Eggplant contains phytohormonesⁱXChemicals produced by plants that aid in their growth and development. that have menstruation-stimulating properties. Eating brinjal in excess amounts is believed to induce labor, write Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa and Michael Tierra in their book The way of Ayurvedic Herbs.

• In areas where eggplants are cultivated, the soil is thought to contain toxoplasmosisⁱX An infection caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which is transmitted by raw meat and exposure to cat feces. that could pass to the pregnant woman and her baby through the vegetable. Toxoplasmosis could increase the risk of premature delivery.
  

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• It may also trigger allergic reactions such as itchiness on the lips, arms, and legs, diarrhea, hives, stomach pain, and cough.
  

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• Raw or undercooked brinjal may cause digestive issues and allergies (8).

Trivia

Although it’s alkaline in nature, excess eggplant intake is believed to cause bloating and acid reflux in sensitive individuals.

Things To Consider While Choosing Eggplant

Choose fresh eggplants as stale ones may ruin your meal.

• Take the small eggplants as they are tastier and fresh. Mature ones turn bitter.

• The skin should be smooth and shiny.

• Avoid the ones that have cuts, blemishes, shriveling, wrinkles, or uneven color.

• Eggplants with holes are likely to have worms – so check thoroughly and avoid them.

• When you press the vegetable, if it forms depression, it means the eggplant is not fresh.

• The stem should be bright green and firm.

• Wash them thoroughly before you cook to avoid bacteria or parasites that may reside on the surface.

• Cook the vegetable thoroughly as undercooked brinjal could lead to digestive problems.

Quick tip

Eggplants soon develop brown spots and turn bitter, so it is advisable to wrap them in a cover and store them in the refrigerator for a day or two (9).

Ways To Include Eggplant In Your Pregnancy Diet

When eggplant or aubergine is cooked properly, it could be really palatable. You can add it to your diet in many ways.

• Stuff the brinjal with your favorite puree to make a curry and eat with rice.

• Stir fry along with other vegetables.
  

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• Cook as a filling for a sandwich.

• Roast, peel, and serve over pasta or bread.

• Bake and serve with other vegetables.
• Make pickles or add to soups.

Point to consider

On frying, eggplant slices can absorb significant amounts of oil, which gives the eggplant a buttery texture but may also lead to excess oil ingestion (10).

Infographic: Reasons To Eat And Limit Eggplant During Pregnancy

Eggplant is typically a healthy vegetable to include in one’s diet. But just as with any other food, eggplant during pregnancy must be taken cautiously to enjoy the benefits without inviting complications. So here are the benefits of eating this vegetable and reasons to limit its intake during pregnancy.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

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Huda ShaikhM.Sc

Huda Shaikh did her graduation in Microbiology and post-graduation in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics from SNDT University. Through her private practice, NutriBond, she has been advocating healthy diets for weight loss for the last seven years. Huda is also a health and fitness blogger and conducts workshops on nutrition and fitness.more

Rebecca MalachiBSc

Rebecca is a pregnancy writer and editor with a passion for delivering research-based and engaging content in areas of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and post-pregnancy. She did her graduation in Biotechnology and Genetics from Loyola Academy, Osmania University and obtained a certification in ‘Nutrition and Lifestyle in Pregnancy’ from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). She has been into health and...more

Swati PatwalM.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA

Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a toddler mom with more than a decade of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children. Then she worked as a nutrition faculty and clinical nutrition coach in...more

Lorraine TeronMSc

Lorraine is a postgraduate in Life Science from Mount Carmel College and previously worked as a freelance scientific illustrator. As a project associate and lab technician at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Lorraine received valuable insights into Covid-19, transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, and neuro-degenerative diseases. In addition to being a science enthusiast, she has been an active writer since childhood. Lorraine has...more