"Doctor, I especially like eating sour food after pregnancy. Is it a boy?" First of all, it needs to be clear that the baby's sex is determined by the sex chromosome. There is only one kind of X chromosome in female eggs, while there are two kinds of chromosomes in male sperm: X and Y, so the baby's sex is determined by the father's chromosome. Therefore, it is impossible to judge the baby's gender according to the pregnant mother's diet preference for sour or spicy food.
"Then why does my appetite change after pregnancy?" The pregnant mother likes acid because the chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) secreted by the placenta after pregnancy can inhibit the secretion of gastric acid, reduce the activity of digestive enzymes, affect gastrointestinal function, and lead to nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and other early pregnancy reactions. Acid taste can stimulate gastric juice secretion, improve digestive enzyme activity, promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, increase appetite, and facilitate food digestion and absorption. Therefore, many pregnant mothers prefer sour food during pregnancy. Because of different personal eating habits, some pregnant mothers prefer spicy food, and think that the more spicy, the better appetite. But eating spicy food needs to stop. Spicy food is easy to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract excessively, which is not conducive to the health of pregnant mothers and the development of babies.
From the perspective of nutrition, acidophilia is also more conducive to fetal growth and development. During 2-3 months of pregnancy, the fetal skeleton begins to form. The main component of the skeleton is calcium. Acids can make free calcium form calcium salts and deposit in the skeleton, which is conducive to the formation and development of fetal skeleton; Acids can also help iron absorption, convert ferric iron into bivalent iron, and promote hemoglobin formation; Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for pregnant women and fetuses. It can enhance maternal immunity and plays an important role in the formation of fetal cell matrix, cardiovascular growth and development, and the formation of hematopoietic system. Most foods rich in vitamin C are acidic.
Therefore, it is better for expectant mothers to choose foods with sour taste and rich nutrition, such as fresh vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, hawthorn, citrus, wild jujube, which can not only improve gastrointestinal symptoms, but also improve appetite, strengthen nutrition and facilitate fetal growth.
Wen/Wang Xin (Beijing Maternity Hospital)
