8 Harmful Effects Of Eating Junk Food During Pregnancy

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  • What are the harmful effects of eating junk food during pregnancy?
  • How to control craving for junk food cravings?

Nothing can be tastier than junk food. During pregnancy, cravings can be at an all-time high but managing your weight during this time is healthy for you and your baby. Pregnancy is a time to be cautious about foods and eating healthfully.

MomJunction gives you some specific reasons limiting junk food during pregnancy, and how you can control your cravings for it. Read on to know more.

Why Should You Limit Eating Junk Food During Pregnancy?

You and your baby need a good amount of nutrients during pregnancy for healthy weight gain in you and proper development of brain, bones, organs and immune system in your baby.

Junk food is low in nutritional value, so it doesn't provide many of the necessary nutrients you need during pregnancy. If you fill up on junk foods, there's little room left to eat the nutritious food you need.

Here are the possible ways junk food may affect you and your baby :

  1. The baby develops a liking for fatty foods: A study published in Frontiers in Endocrinology (1) explains how a mother's diet can influence her baby's food preferences.

The study, which was carried out on pregnant rats, revealed that the rats that ate high-fat food during pregnancy had heavier pups, which preferred fatty foods. Their brain circuitry got altered to have a weakness for fatty foods throughout their adulthood. However, a balanced diet showed a lesser craving for fatty foods in the rat offspring.

  1. There may be an increased risk of allergies: High sugar content in the diet can lead to allergies and asthma. As per a study published in the European Respiratory Journal (2), children of women who had 'free sugars' (added sugars) in the form of sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juices or honey in their diet during pregnancy, had an increased risk of allergy and asthma between the ages of 7 and 9.

[ Read: Food Cravings During Pregnancy ]

  1. Chances of genetic abnormalities may increase: A study carried out on pregnant rats found that consumption of high fat or sugar diet by the mother lead to impaired peripheral insulin signaling at mitochondrial dysfunction in the female offspring. And this passed on to the next three generations (3).
  1. May result in an increased in-take of acrylamide: Acrylamide is a chemical that may be formed when foods are fried at very high temperatures, such as french fries, potato chips and other fried foods in the category of junk (4). Studies have found that a higher level of acrylamide can lead to smaller head circumference and low birth weight in babies (5).
  1. The chances of gaining excess weight might be higher: Too much junk food during pregnancy can lead to excessive weight gain, which can put the pregnant woman and the baby at the risk of various complications, including preeclampsia, birthing a large baby, preterm labor, gestational diabetes, sleep apnea, increased risk of birth defects, miscarriage, and stillbirths (6).
  1. Junk foods have zero nutritional value: Many foods we consider junk are high in sugar, salt, fats, and cholesterol, which should not be eaten in excess during pregnancy.
  1. Might lead to digestive problems: An excessive intake of deep-fried food may upset your stomach. It might cause gas, bloating, and indigestion. Also, many junk foods lack fiber content, which is essential for smooth bowel movements.
  1. Risk of gestational diabetes increases: Junk foods are often high in sugar and calories. Studies have revealed that the consumption of junk food increases the risk of gestational diabetes (7).

[ Read: Gestational Diabetes: Causes, Symptoms ]

Limiting your intake of junk foods may be easier said than done. Hence, read on as we share some tricks to manage cravings.

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How To Control Junk Food Cravings?

First decide that you want to eat healthy foods during your pregnancy to increase the health of you and your baby.

  1. Stock your shelves with healthy snacks. Avoid junk foods by replenishing your kitchen shelves with natural and healthy snacks. Baked foods are healthier than fried foods. Bake foods at home and enjoy your snacks without any additives and preservatives.
  1. Snack on fruit and nuts. Whenever you feel like munching, snack on dry fruits and fresh fruits. They will satiate your hunger as well as provide you with essential nutrients.
  1. Choose your foods sensibly. What you eat is what your baby gets. Make a list of foods that you eat and identify their nutritional content. This can greatly help you be more aware of the content of the foods. Snacking on a chocolate or pizza slice once a while will do no harm to your body or the baby. However, try not make it a daily habit.

Get smart and cook some dishes at home to feed your cravings. Here are the alternatives if you have a craving for:

  • potato chips or such stuff – go for baked kale chips, beet chips or dried seaweed.
  • cakes and candies – snack on bananas, apples or any other fruit paired with almond butter or a drizzle of melted chocolate.
  • ice creams – fruity yogurt or ice cream made with bananas.

[ Read: Healthy Snacks During Pregnancy ]

And, if you want to eat some food from outside, then here are some options (8):

  • Grilled chicken with salad greens and dressing on the side
  • A whole wheat roll-up of turkey breast with lettuce and tomato
  • Two slices of vegetarian pizza with a green salad as side dish
  • Chicken, beef, or shrimp fajitas
  • Stir-fried chicken or seafood, which is light on the oil and sauces
  • Low fat milk for a beverage
  • Brown rice or whole-wheat pasta
  • A cup of fresh fruit dessert

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Junk food can seem appetizing to your taste buds but will not meet all of your nutrient requirements. However, it doesn't mean that you have to totally avoid a pizza, hamburger, French fries, cool drinks and more. An occasional treat is fine, but do not make it a habit. When you are meeting your nutritional requirements every day, pampering yourself now and then with your favorite junk food is perfectly alright.

How did you deal with your craving for junk food while pregnant? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist and toddler mom with over eight years of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children. Then she worked as a nutrition faculty and clinical nutrition coach in different organizations. Her interest in scientific writing... more