Bursting Myths Around The Use of Saffron During Pregnancy

Introduction

Pregnancy is one of the most exciting times in a womans life. Women feel as if they are blooming and growing beautiful each day in the entire journey of 9 months. There is no correct or incorrect way to go through a pregnancy! it can be the best thing that happened to you or just as any other ordinary event in your life. Your feelings are completely acceptable. However, it can be full of worries and anxieties. Because of unnecessary restrictions imposed by myths, one such myth is about saffron during Pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a time to experience immense joy and happiness. The soon-to-be parents are usually full of anticipation, slight anxiety, and excitement to welcome the arrival of their baby. It is a natural phenomenon in the life cycle of a woman and, therefore, we should treat it as such. Unfortunately, anxiety and apprehension overburden many families.Encapsulated by myths and misconceptions generated by the society we live in. Lets understand a few of the facts and myths about using saffron during pregnancy.

What is saffron?

Saffron is a spice obtained from the flower commonly known as the “saffron crocus.” The fresh and pure crimson stigma and styles are called threads. These are carefully collected and dried, and are mainly used for seasoning or coloring agents in food.

Saffron is the most precious and expensive spice in the world. This is because it not only adds color, flavor, and aroma to food but also bestows some incredible health benefits.

Some of the impressive clinically proven health benefits of saffron during pregnancy are:

• A Powerful Antioxidant. 
• Improves Mood and Treat Depressive Symptoms & helps in controlling mood swings. 
• Have Cancer-Fighting Properties. 
• May cause reduced Appetite and help in subsequent Weight Loss. 
• Easy to Add to Your Diet & easy to use
• Helps in Digestion: Many women during pregnancy complain of certain problems like constipation, bloating, and heartburn. Saffron alleviates these symptoms by reducing acidity, improving blood flow, and boosting metabolism in general.  

Your legacy/ancestors affect what you eat more than you may realize. Your elders may even have multiple pieces of advice for you when youre pregnant about, whats good to eat for the baby, what to avoid.(If you have lots of aunts and grandmothers, youre probably nodding along in agreement with what I am saying).

So, if your family culture has saffron as a popular or commonly used spice, you might have already encountered some advice about saffrons benefits during pregnancy

In India, a very common myth exists.

It is believed that if a pregnant or lactating mother drinks milk with saffron, the newborn will have a fair/lighter skin complexion however, there is actually no evidence to support this, and it is not scientifically proven anywhere.

Drinking saffron milk will not change or affect your baby’s skin color. However, introducing saffron into your diet in any form is generally safe and beneficial.

But please do take your doctors advice for the inclusion or exclusion of saffron in your diets. (Want to know how to use saffron during pregnancy check our latest blog on how to use saffron during pregnancy)

To sum up, Saffron makes your baby fair-skinned – Not true! Saffron, when mixed in food adds an orange tinge! It is beyond my imagination why this expensive spice gained such a reputation in pregnancy. As per the research published in the Hindu, No food that you eat can have any effect on the color of your babys skin. Genetics determine a baby’s skin complexion, as the baby inherits these traits from its parents.