Pregnant women are always careful about what they eat to keep safe. In this article, we will answer your questions Is Egusi Soup Good For A Pregnant Woman? Benefits and If any side effects.
What is Egusi?
Egusi or melon is a West African name for the seeds of plants like squash, melons, and gourds that, when dried and ground become a staple ingredient in many West African dishes. Particularly, in Nigerian culture, egusi soup is popular with swallows like pounded yam, semo, Amala, fufu, wheat, starch, and tuwo.
In African countries, Egusi is known by many names like wild watermelon, ibara, agushi, ikpoghiri, egusi melon, neri niri, etc.
Where is Egusi Gotten From?
Melon seeds are extracted from melon and dried under the sun or air. After well dried, the yellowish-white shell is removed, and the white flesh is ground into powder or paste.
If you are more traditional, you can reduce the seeds into a paste using a grinding stone. This is often the practice when the seeds are ready for use.
If you have a modern kitchen, you can ground the seeds into their powdery form, using a dry mill blender, and use some and store the rest for later use.
What Food Goes Well With Egusi?
Egusi soup goes best with finger foods, otherwise known as swallows. However, some swallow foods do better than others do when it comes to flavor.
Pounded yam is perhaps the most popular finger food you’ll ever see on the table with this delicious soup. You can also sauce Fufu, Amala, Eba, and other swallows with this soup. You can also enjoy Egusi soup with Semo, and some even eat Egusi soup with Gaari.
Is egusi soup good for a pregnant woman?
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
Check out how to prepare egusi soup here: https://www.demandafrica.com/food/recipes/nigerian-egusi-soup/
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.
Health benefits of EGUSI SOUP (melon seeds)
Egusi soup has a lot of health benefits, some of which are:
- Improves Appetite
- Reduces Inflammation
- Good for diabetics
- Ensures growth of healthy and smooth skin.
- Good for stomach ulcer patients.
- Prevents Malnutrition
- Good for Bones
- Helps in Digestion
- Boosts immune system
- Improves Vision
- Prevent Anemia
- Reduce blood pressure
What are the Benefits of egusi soup in pregnancy?
Is Egusi Soup Good For A Pregnant Woman? The answer is YES.
Pregnant women are always careful about what they eat because they want to keep their pregnancy and their baby safe.
Egusi or egusi soup is completely safe and healthy in pregnancy, you have nothing to worry about.
It has no side effects whatsoever in pregnancy, rather, egusi has so many health benefits to both the pregnant woman and her unborn baby.
Here are some of the benefits of egusi in pregnancy:
- Egusi soothes the digestive system and prevents heartburns in pregnancy
- Highly proteins
- Boosts energy
- Regulates blood pressure in pregnancy
- Believed to reduce leg swelling in pregnant women.
- Lowers blood sugar
- Boost blood production and prevents anaemia in pregnancy
Side effects
So far, there have not been any reported side effects of egusi soup. Please enjoy your meal.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
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