Today it is very difficult to adhere to the rules of a healthy and balanced diet. And it’s not just about the frantic pace of life and a large number of temptations in the form of harmful fast food. Even the simplest, once healthy products turn out to be harmful and even dangerous. On the shelves of modern stores you can find vegetables and fruits with nitrates, dairy products with antibiotics, canned food with various flavors and artificial additives.
Pregnant women find themselves in a particularly difficult situation. They try their best to take care of the baby in the womb and adhere to a healthy diet. That is why lately we are increasingly turning to traditional medicine recipes. Of course, if you can cure an illness or cope with fatigue with natural products, why swallow pills? One of the most popular home remedies is milk and honey. This is not just an effective remedy for the onset of a cold, but also a powerful energy drink that can support the vitality of the body. In this article, we will try to figure out what beneficial properties milk has in combination with honey, whether the tandem is safe during pregnancy, and how much of the drink you can drink so as not to harm the baby in the womb.
Can pregnant women have tea with bergamot?
Can it be combined with honey?
When asked whether it is possible to have milk with honey during pregnancy, medical specialists answer that it is not only possible, but also necessary. However, this is true if the woman does not have an individual intolerance to bee products and dairy products.
Honey is assigned the following properties:
- antibacterial;
- antifungal;
- a remedy that restores the immune system.
With daily consumption of a small dose of sweets, the following beneficial changes occur in a woman’s body:
- Improvement of the cardiac system.
- Blood pressure returns to normal.
- The body's immune system is enhanced, and protection against colds and various infections is enhanced.
- Vasodilation.
- Elimination of the inflammatory process.
Often, the combination of products in question is recommended by attending physicians, but you should not throw honey into a hot drink. Milk with honey during pregnancy is recommended by medical specialists for colds and flu. And the most important thing is that this product is completely natural.
Properties of honey and milk
Honey is a beekeeping product known even to a small child.
It has antibacterial properties and helps strengthen weak immunity. Even if your immunity does not seem weakened to you, use honey as a preventive measure. In this case, you will not have to worry about the risk of catching a cold.
It is also useful for the reproductive system. In ancient times it was used to conceive a strong baby. By the way, that’s why the first month of a marriage relationship is called honey.
Milk is a product containing many useful substances. It contains animal proteins, amino acids, healthy cholesterol, calcium, iron and magnesium, which our body so needs. It is not surprising that the combination of such valuable ingredients has long been considered healing, especially for relieving coughs.
About the benefits of milk
Most women do not like to drink milk, for this reason they completely exclude it from their diet, but in vain. You should not eat dairy products only if you have disorders of the digestive system and gastrointestinal tract. In other cases, you should not ignore the beneficial properties of milk. It can be used in various forms, for example:
- Coffee with milk and honey (but here you should check with your doctor whether you can drink coffee).
- Tea with milk, but keep in mind that you should drink no more than a cup per day.
- Milk porridge with butter and honey.
- Warm drink in its purest form.
Milk provides the body with the necessary amino acids and milk fat, which supplies the body of the mother and the unborn child with vigor and energy. In addition, milk strengthens the human nervous system.
Thanks to milk, the human body receives the required amount of the following substances: phosphorus, iron, vitamins and minerals.
What you need to know when using baking soda
Few people know that for a long time soda was used only in culinary recipes. Although traditional medicine nowadays widely uses this substance. What do we know about taking soda during pregnancy? Can they use this substance for medicinal purposes? After all, we are accustomed to the fact that soda is a safe, quite effective and even “natural” remedy. Therefore, its use is of a recommendatory nature. I would like to note that:
- External use of sodium bicarbonate (soda) is very effective. It partially reduces inflammatory processes, although it cannot eliminate the causes themselves.
- Using soda to get rid of heartburn is not entirely justified, since it is highly likely to provoke a recurrence of the same symptoms.
- If there is a problem with how to replace a sufficiently effective medical drug that is not available, then soda is not the best option for this.
- The intestinal mucosa is irritated under the influence of soda, which tends to accumulate in the body and causes swelling.
How to drink milk with honey?
In order for milk and honey to be better absorbed by the body, you should not drink it immediately after eating, you need to wait at least 2-3 hours until the food is digested.
You need to forget about milk from stores, you should use only natural products. If the milk turns out to be too fatty, it can be diluted with warm water or tea.
Homemade milk contains more useful substances, and the calcium content is 10 times higher than in a pasteurized product. Making this drink is quite simple. The simplest recipe is:
- Dissolve a tablespoon of fresh honey in a warm glass of milk.
- The milk must be boiled and allowed to cool until it becomes warm.
It is recommended to take it throughout the day; you can also drink milk with honey at night. This simple recipe will help get rid of a severe cough during pregnancy and give a slight sleeping pill effect.
To slightly soften a throat irritated by a cough, you can add a teaspoon of butter to a milk-honey drink. Milk with honey and butter will give an enveloping effect, as a result of which the pain and sore throat will subside. Drink a glass of milk and butter 3-4 times a day.
To prevent coughing from bothering you and strengthen your immune system, add freshly squeezed lemon juice to milk and honey. This drink contains a large amount of vitamin C. It helps the human body fight infectious diseases.
For a dry cough, add a tablespoon of natural honey, 4 cloves of garlic, and finely chop a small onion to 500 ml of fresh milk. Mix all this thoroughly and cook over low heat until the garlic softens. Then the drink must be filtered through cheesecloth and consumed every one to two hours.
Sometimes a woman is faced with a choice: what kind of milk to drink, goat's or cow's? Goat milk is considered to be the most nutritious and beneficial; it is completely absorbed by the body, but during pregnancy it can cause allergies or toxicosis. For this reason, it is best for a pregnant woman to use cow's milk.
All milk drinks should be drunk slowly and in small sips. Milk should not be taken cold; it must be boiled and then cooled slightly to the optimal temperature (warm).
Is it possible to consume honey during pregnancy?
Interestingly, the composition of honey is similar to human blood plasma. During pregnancy, it is simply irreplaceable. Well, at least because it is an excellent prevention and the number one remedy in the treatment of colds. And due to the fact that medications are usually contraindicated during pregnancy, honey is often the only possible treatment option. It is able to enhance uterine blood circulation, improve lymphatic drainage, and have a relaxing effect on the smooth muscle of the uterus, blood vessels, and bronchi. Injections of honey solution prevent a woman from exhaustion in the event of a long, difficult labor and serve as a natural stimulation of labor in case of weakness. Honey is also incredibly valuable because it helps pregnant women fight nausea due to toxicosis. Even with severe vomiting, honey is more effective than any other treatment. Honey can also help prevent stretch marks on the chest and abdomen when applied to the skin. And if there is a threat of miscarriage, traditional healers recommend beebread, queen cells and bee brood.
Contraindications
Unfortunately, this natural sweetness is very allergenic, so it is not available to everyone. The good news is that, as a rule, only certain types of honey cause allergies. But intolerance to all bee products is not uncommon. People suffering from diabetes and overweight also need to be careful with honey. In such cases, if honey can be consumed (only with the permission of a doctor!), then no more than a spoon or two per day.
If you are accustomed to using honey as a medicine for various ailments, in particular for colds, then you should know that it is strictly forbidden to carry out honey inhalations if the lungs or heart are unhealthy (with pulmonary tuberculosis, myocarditis, valvular heart disease), as well as with a tendency to asthmatic symptoms and high fever.
In all other cases, eating honey is not only possible, but also necessary. And especially for pregnant women. After all, it contains the entire spectrum of vitamins and microelements. Honey is rich in nitrogenous substances, mainly amino acids, which are involved in the structure of cells and tissues, which is very important during pregnancy.
Dark varieties of honey are considered the most valuable and healthy: they contain 4 times more iron, 2 times more copper and 14 times more magnesium than light ones. Among others, beekeepers also recommend honey collected from different flowers.
Of course, honey cannot satisfy a pregnant woman’s daily nutritional needs. However, with its help you can significantly compensate for the deficiency of vitamins and microelements. But we should not forget that everything is good in moderation. It is believed that the daily dose of honey for an adult (including a pregnant woman at any stage) is 50–100 g, that is, 2–3 tablespoons. But doctors recommend not to abuse it and be careful. And do not forget that at temperatures above 42 degrees, honey loses all its beneficial properties, so it should not be heated or filled with hot water. It is best to put honey under the tongue for quick and effective absorption, and drink tea as a bite with honey, without dissolving it in a hot cup.
Compresses for colds
During a cold during pregnancy, you can apply a compress to the throat. It will produce a warming effect, softening the irritated walls of the throat, thereby relieving pain. It should be taken into account that a compress on the throat during pregnancy can only be done in the absence of fever.
A self-prepared honey-based compress effectively copes with colds
Preparing a compress is not at all difficult; for this you need to take two tablespoons of honey, the same amount of butter, and half a squeezed lemon. Mix all these ingredients thoroughly and pour onto a gauze bandage. Then place the gauze with its contents on the throat and wrap it with a warm towel. You need to keep it for an hour, after which you can get rid of the compress.
Contraindications
In general, there are no specific contraindications to drinking milk and honey during pregnancy, but there are cases when such a drink may not be beneficial, but only harmful. Milk with added honey is not recommended for pregnant women in the following situations:
- For chronic intolerance to dairy products, lactose, bee products, as well as allergic reactions.
- For disorders associated with the gastric tract, digestive system, intestinal tract (for example, ulcers, colitis, etc.).
If a pregnant woman has the above contraindications, then the honey and milk product should be replaced with another one with a high calcium content.
It is best to discuss the issue of consuming honey with milk at a doctor’s appointment.
Benefits of honey-milk drink
Milk with honey for cough is an ideal remedy. It's no secret that honey has a huge amount of useful and nutrients that supply the body with energy, strength and health; cow's milk is also a fairly healthy product. If you consume two “storehouses of vitamins” at the same time, you can easily get rid of colds and various infections. The main thing is that the milk and honey must be fresh and natural. It is recommended to drink only warm boiled milk, never cold.
Based on the many advantages of the honey-milk drink, we can conclude that pregnant women can not only drink this milkshake, but also need to. The exception is women who have individual intolerance to dairy products and bee products, with digestive and gastrointestinal disorders. In this case, you should not drink milk with honey; you should replace it with something else high in vitamins and minerals. Of course, first of all, if a pregnant woman has a cold, she needs to see a doctor so that he can conduct a full examination and prescribe a specific treatment. If you drink this drink in combination with the main course of treatment, then recovery will not take long.
Medicinal recipes
It is recommended to use the remedy for the treatment of colds in situations where most medications are contraindicated. The advantage is that the drink is completely safe, provided there are no allergies.
Honey and milk relieve inflammation and destroy germs. A large number of vitamins and minerals strengthen the body and have a pronounced calming effect. Even a severe cold recedes under the onslaught of natural medicine.
It is worth remembering the diuretic and diaphoretic effects of honey. Together with the liquid, the body gets rid of toxins, due to which health is restored.
To prepare the drink, take:
If the milk is purchased, it is heated to 40–45 °C. And homemade boiled milk is cooled to a warm state. Stir honey in it and drink in small sips. Drink at one time and, depending on the severity of the disease, drink the drink 1-2 more times during the day. Duration of treatment is one to three days.
A severe cough is dangerous for pregnant women, as it can cause placental abruption and spontaneous abortion. In the later stages, premature birth is not excluded. For these reasons, pregnant women should not be allowed to cough for a long time, and most medications have contraindications.
Milk and honey for coughs come to the rescue. The drink will soften your throat, reduce the intensity and severity of attacks, and help you fall asleep. You can use the recipe of two components - honey and milk, which is described above. Milk with honey and soda for coughs during pregnancy can alleviate the condition of the expectant mother without much harm to the health of the child.
- 250 ml milk;
- 1 tsp. nectar;
- 1/3 tsp. soda
Stir honey and soda in a glass of warm milk. Drink in small sips. Drink the drink 1–3 times a day. One dose should definitely be taken at night.
If you have low stomach acidity, you should not use more than 1/5 tsp. soda for making medicine.
A sore throat
Milk with honey and butter is effective at the initial stage of throat diseases. The oil contains triglycerides, carboxylic acids and proteins. They make the product one of the most useful for sore throats during pregnancy. In addition, it contains the alkaloid theobromine, which modern medicine actively uses in the treatment of the lungs and bronchi.
To prepare the medicine, you need to take:
- a glass of warm milk;
- 1 tsp each honey and butter (butter can be replaced with cocoa butter).
The components are mixed and drunk up to three times a day to relieve pain caused by tonsillitis or pharyngitis. Do not get carried away with the drink if you have a purulent sore throat.
