thread: Watermelon & Bananas dangerous to fetus during pregnancy - a myth?

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  1. #1
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Taking a ride on my grdonkey :D
    2,716

    I've never heard of avoiding bananas and watermelon during pregnancy, I'd be inclined to say it's just a myth. A midwife at my local hospital was absolutely horrified when she found out I was eating peanut butter on toast while pregnant with DD though, she told me I had to avoid peanuts and strawberries because it could cause an allergic reaction in the fetus and I could miscarry or have a deformed baby or something... I totally ignored her because I could find absolutely no other evidence from any source that eating peanuts and strawberries while pregnant could kill or harm the baby in any way...
    So I'd put them both in the myth basket and ENJOY
    (I hate bananas though, so you're quite welcome to them haha )

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Mar 2009
    1

    Watermelon?

    Well this is a stretch but I though I'd throw it out there anyways. Maybe a nutritionist or a Dr. can help us out.

    Watermelon is high in Arginine. In fact I think it has a high arginine to lysine ratio (both of those are amino acids).

    People with viruses like herpes are told to try and eat foods that have a high lysine content in comparison to arginine. What can happen is that you could have a greater tendency to break out or get an infection.

    So having a vaginal infection, could possibly (don't quote me here, I told you it is a stretch but I wanted to put it out there) or significantly raise your risk of your baby having a stroke. For example, no one knows what causes cerebral palsy but "some" people think it may come from an infection in the vaginal area that causes the baby to have a stroke. This is a theory.

    Now I know a Doula who swears by Watermelon for pregnant woman. She says that it is the best thing for the amniotic fluid....to keep the numbers high and properly flushed...the whole diuretic thing. Also, this doula says to have lots of sex. That the sperm helps soften the sac and allow an easier pregnancy. Again, I think that could also be high risk if you get an infection.

    Well, this is a reach but I was just trying to figure out "how" watermelon could be bad. For banana I could think of nothing. Hope I didn't scare anybody too much.