Are you pregnant? Try this healthy pregnancy snack

While the little baby inside of you is growing at a rapid pace, especially during the third trimester when they usually double in size, you need to fuel your body with energizing and nutritious food to help your baby develop, fight pregnancy fatigue and to satisfy your own cravings.

If you search for healthy pregnancy snacks the options are endless, but there is one specific snack that comes with extra benefits to all pregnant mamas: the date fruit.

You might have already heard that dates are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which you'll need enough of during pregnancy, including calcium, iron, folate, choline, and magnesium, but research has shown that there are more benefits to eating them when pregnant:

1) Dates can reduce the need for labor induction

A 2011 study published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found that women who ate approximately 6 dates per day during the last 4 weeks before giving birth had significantly less need for medical intervention to induce or expedite labor compared to those who didn’t eat any dates. The mamas who consumed dates had significantly higher mean cervical dilatation upon admission compared with mamas who didn't eat any of the date fruits. Spontaneous labour occurred in 96% of those who snacked on dates, compared with 79% of those who were non-date fruit eaters.

2) Dates provide constipation relief 

They say that 💩 happens, but hey - not always! Pregnancy constipation is quite normal, especially in the first trimester, but don't you worry because eating dates can actually help. Dates contain a lot of dietary fiber, which helps with bowel movements. Four dates have as much as 6.7 grams of dietary fiber, equaling to 20-33% of the recommended daily intake of 20 to 35 grams, which will help to get things going.

3) Dates can satisfy your sweet tooth 

If you have a sweet tooth try reaching for a date fruit, or four, next time you want a healthier (and dare we say more delicious.. ) alternative to treats like ice-cream or candy! Ripe medjool dates are a good source of natural sugar and they have a low glycemic index (GI), so while they give you the sweetness you crave they’re digested more slowly and won’t cause a rapid increase in your blood sugar levels.

Just remember, not all dates are created equal, so some will taste significantly better than others. This is why we have partnered up with our favorite Joolies Dates, which are certified USDA organic and grown in the Coachella Valley of Southern California, to get you a sweet deal on their delicious superfruits. Use code BABYDATE at www.joolies.com for 25% off and thank us later <3