Can i drink lemonade when pregnant

Fortunately, many artificial sweeteners are approved for use during pregnancy, although unsweetened lemon water might be the best choice. Lemon juice alkalizes in water, creating a drink that Encyclopaedia Britannica biomedical sciences editor Kara Rogers said neutralizes stomach acids. Rogers told Livestrong that although the precise causes of morning sickness are unknown, the smell and taste of lemon are well-known for being soothing.

She added that in addition to increased stomach acids, pregnant women experience "an enhanced sense of smell" and high hormone levels during their first trimester that "appear to combine to give rise to symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

Naturally occurring sweeteners, such as table sugar and corn syrup, also are called nutritive sweeteners. They offer few nutritional benefits other than calories and can add up to unneeded weight gain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that a 12 oz. The CDC notes that calories from beverages have a big impact on weight gain and that a consumer can trim about calories a day through careful beverage choices, such as substituting zero-calorie lemon water for lemonade.

Artificial sweeteners approved by the Federal Drug Administration for use in moderation during pregnancy include Stevia rebaudioside A , Sunett acesulfame potassium , Equal or Nutrasweet aspartame and Splenda sucralose.

Your close friends and family have probably already offered up tons of unsolicited — though likely well-meaning — advice about what worked for them during their respective pregnancies. It can get super confusing knowing who to trust and, while we advise you to consult your doctor before making any changes, science has shown us what is — and isn't — safe to drink during pregnancy.

Here's everything you should know. Pregnancy aside, one of the most important things you should be drinking each and every day is water. However, if you are pregnant, drinking water becomes even more important than before.

Allen, a registered dietitian and clinical instructor of dietetics at Missouri State University, told The List. This is because, as the expert explained, "The amniotic fluid needs to be replenished and water helps the baby in many ways. According to Healthline , pregnant women should drink about ten cups — 80 ounces — of water every single day.

This is really only eight ounces more than is recommended for women who are not pregnant, but if you weren't an avid water-drinker prior to becoming pregnant, this might be more than you're used to. If you plan to breastfeed after giving birth, upping your water intake to the recommended level while pregnant will help prepare you for another increase.

According to Healthline , breastfeeding women need to consume about 13 cups ounces. So, drink up! There is one caveat to this whole upping your water intake business.

Depending on the age of your home or apartment, your tap water may be passing through lead pipes. Consuming lead-laden water is not good for anyone, but pregnant women need to be even more cautious. In an article for WebMD , Elizabeth Ward, a registered dietician and nutrition consultant, highlighted some of the risks.

High levels of lead can cause low birth weight, preterm delivery, and developmental delays. You might think turning to bottled water to be your safest bet, but Ward explained that's not always true. Instead, having your tap water tested is advisable. But try not to worry if the test comes back showing trace amounts of lead. Although ideally it would be great to remove all of the lead pipes in your home, water filtration systems have proven to be both effective at removing lead and — good news!

The Environmental Working Group advises purchasing a carbon-based filter that attaches directly to your faucet as "many pitcher filters are not certified to remove lead and do not work as well for this purpose.

Safe drinking water is the best thing you can drink while pregnant, but — let's be honest — sometimes you want something that's, you know, not water. Orange juice has been found to be a great choice for pregnant women.

Be sure to choose an OJ that's been fortified with calcium as this is vital for bone health, registered dietitian Natalie B. Allen told The List. The citrusy beverage also contains potassium , which can help lower high blood pressure, a potentially dangerous condition in pregnant women.

Orange juice also works well when taken with your prenatal vitamin. The expert explained, "The Vitamin C in the juice will enhance iron absorption and orange juice also contains folate, which is important in neurological fetal development.

Medical News Today revealed that iron supplements can cause nausea. The Vitamin C in the juice not only enhances the absorption, as Allen explained, but also helps reduce queasiness. Before you run out to buy all the OJ, you should make sure to choose one that is pasteurized as this will minimize the risk of any harmful food pathogens. You shouldn't have to search too hard to find orange juice that's been pasteurized.

More than likely , any of the orange juice you find at the supermarket will have gone through the pasteurization process. This means that the juice was heated to a high temperature to kill any lurking bacteria and then cooled, making it safe to drink. Still, it's important to locate the word "pasteurized" on the label before purchasing. You should also be wary of any juices — including orange — or ciders labeled "fresh-squeezed.

This means it can potentially be contaminated with dangerous bacteria such as E. Your safest bet is to only purchase pasteurized juice and cider. It's also wise to check with your friends, family members, and even the restaurants that you visit to make sure all are serving pasteurized juices too. Otherwise, you may just want to avoid fresh-squeezed juice and cider altogether.

It might seem odd to see sports drinks appear on the "should drink" side of this list. Nevertheless, sports drinks with electrolytes can be safely consumed during pregnancy. Even for pregnant women who do not experience leg cramps, sports drinks fortified with electrolytes are a good choice.

Complete Women's Care , a team comprised of board-certified OBGYNs and certified nurse practitioners, claims that sports drinks — "such as Gatorade , Powerade" — are one of the best choices for upping your fluid intake. Not all sports drinks are created equal. In good health, it's okay to consume sugar during pregnancy, but you may still want to consider monitoring how much you're drinking sugary beverages.

That is, make sure you're not solely relying on sports drinks, or drinks with even higher amounts of sugar, to meet your fluid intake goal. Registered dietician Natalie B. Allen agrees that sugary beverages are not generally harmful to the baby, but she also pointed out that they're not all that nutritious either. Occasionally indulging in a sugary beverage is probably A-okay, but it's best to maintain balance and overdoing it throughout your pregnancy.

Pasteurized milk is one of the best things an expecting mother can drink. The United States Department of Agriculture advises pregnant women to consume three cups of dairy products per day — but that doesn't necessarily mean whole milk.

Registered dietitian Julie Redfern revealed in an article on Baby Center that drinking nonfat or low-fat milk can help you avoid unwanted saturated fat. Amazingly, even if you had symptoms of lactose intolerance before conceiving, you might find that you're able to tolerate cow's milk now that you're pregnant.

This means "you might be able to drink milk and eat other dairy products without discomfort. Although raw milk is seeing a bit of a movement, the United States Food and Drug Administration advises everyone to avoid consuming it. But what exactly is raw milk anyway? According to the FDA, raw milk is "milk from cows, sheep, and goats — or any other animal — that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. Though the bacteria found in raw milk isn't good for anyone, it can be especially dangerous for pregnant women.

You don't need to eat special foods, but you do need to eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes a variety of foods from all the food groups to support both you and your growing baby's nutritional needs. Your pregnancy eating plan should include:. Your nutrient needs increase during pregnancy, which means you need to make a sincere effort at maximizing the nutritional quality of every bite you take.

To prevent excessive weight gain and support good health, you should limit foods with added sugar and unhealthy fats. Yes, that means limiting foods like ice cream, cake, cookies, fried foods and even sugary drinks like lemonade or calamansi juice.

While all essential nutrients are needed for a healthy pregnancy, certain nutrients are especially important, including folic acid and iron. An inadequate intake of folate before and during pregnancy increases your baby's risk of birth defects such as spina bifida.

Women need micrograms of folate a day during childbearing years and micrograms during pregnancy. In addition to a vitamin supplement, you can also up your folate intake by adding spinach, beans, avocados and fortified breakfast cereals to your daily diet. Although it's not a significant source of folate, lemon juice can also help you up your intake a bit.

During pregnancy, your blood volume doubles to help deliver the blood, oxygen and nutrients your baby needs to grow and develop. This increase in blood count means you need to up your intake of iron from 18 milligrams a day to 27 milligrams.

You can improve your body's iron absorption when you combine an iron rich food — meat, poultry, beans or fortified cereals — with a vitamin C-rich food, such as lemon juice, oranges or tomatoes. In addition to iron and folate, you also need to ensure you get enough calcium in your diet. If you don't get enough calcium-rich foods to meet your daily calcium needs when you're pregnant — 1, milligrams a day — your body takes it from your bones, increasing your risk of osteoporosis later in life.

Calcium is also needed to support the development of your baby's heart and muscles. Be sure to include plenty of calcium-rich foods in your healthy pregnancy diet to meet your increased needs and support your bone health , including milk, fortified plant milk, spinach or yogurt. When it comes to pregnancy, there is a lot of misinformation, especially when it comes to diet. Yes, you are eating for two, but that doesn't mean you get to eat twice as much. Your daily calorie needs do increase during pregnancy, but not until the second trimester , and your calorie needs may vary depending on your pregnancy weight-gain goals.

In general, your needs increase by about calories during the second trimester and calories during the third trimester. You need the extra energy to support the growth and development of your baby, and those extra calories should come from nutrient-rich foods so you and your baby also get the vital vitamins and minerals necessary to support that growth and development. Lemon juice is low in calories and provides some of the essential nutrients your body needs during pregnancy.

To maximize nutrient intake, especially vitamin C, you're better off using juice from fresh lemons rather than lemon juice concentrate.