Pregnant? Avoid Aloe! Here's Why....

Aloe is widely popularized for it's natural health benefits both topically and ingested. It is able to sooth burns, moisturize skin, and when taken internally, can help with digestion and gut health. That's why I was surprised that while pregnant, I was denied my precious aloe when I tried to order it. The waitstaff who noticed how clearly I was showing told me that he would exclude aloe in my order because I was pregnant. I just said ok, but didn't question it at the time. It's been a couple years, and just something that had happened in passing so I forgot about it... until recently. While having lunch with Vanessa, she had mentioned she had skin allergy to aloe when used topically, but that it happened to be an ingredient in her drink. She wondered if she would show any reaction to it if she ate it versus used it topically. I then shared my experience when I was pregnant and it prompted us to look up the reason why.

Turns out that aloe contains anthraquinones. These are special compounds that have laxative and anti-inflammatory effects, but can also potentially stimulate uterine contractions. During pregnancy, consumption of aloe is considered unsafe because the stimulation of uterine contractions may cause complications like early labor or miscarriage. Many sources state specifically the latex portion of aloe should especially be avoided. It is noted that topically, aloe use topically should be okay, unless you are like Vanessa and have a reaction to it. We also learned that if you do have a topical allergy to aloe, you should not consume it at all. Additionally, it's not recommended to eat aloe while breastfeeding either, because the latex portion of the aloe can cause diarrhea and vomiting in children/infants and can be transferred from the breast milk.

If you were interested, other foods that contain anthraquinones are peppers like chipotle and Carolina Reaper. Other foods that contain a similar effect to uterine contractions and laxative in the latex is unripe papaya, which is also recommended to be avoided during pregnancy and nursing. Papaya also contains papain which may contribute to early labor as well, as it can sometimes be mistaken in the body for prostaglandins.

I hope that this information is helpful to my mama's out there! And if you love aloe, spicy peppers, and papaya, don't despair, there are plenty of other foods that can replace those! Anecdotally, I was told an Asian superstition that eating blackberries while pregnant would help make your baby "more beautiful." With all the food sensitivities and aversions, it may be difficult but just remember it's temporary and for your baby! For the record, I don't eat spicy food normally, and the blackberries quelled my fruit cravings, so I didn't miss aloe or papaya one bit.

Do you have any interesting cravings or aversions? Were you as surprised as I was to learn about these fruits to avoid? Do you know of any others that I didn't mention? Let me know!