Is it safe to eat pineapple in pregnancy?
Tinned or fresh pineapple - can it bring on labour, and is it safe for me to eat?
In a nutshell
Yes, it's fine to eat all types of pineapple, tinned or fresh
The expert view
Concern about fresh pineapple and tinned pineapple comes from the fact that the fresh fruit contains an enzyme called bromelain. This enzyme may cause abnormal bleeding as it is sometimes used in a highly-concentrated form to treat inflammation.
However, neither tinned or fresh pineapple contain enough bromelain for it to be dangerous for mum or baby, or a cause for concern. Tinned pineapple contains hardly any bromelain, while you would need to eat up to 10 fresh pineapples in one go for it to have any effect!
"You may have heard that if your due date arrives, or the day passes, and you're keen to get things moving, then eating pineapple will help,” says nutritionist Dr Rana Conway. “No doubt some overdue women eat pineapple and go into labour, but this is more of a coincidence than anything else. There are certainly other overdue women who eat bananas or biscuits, for example, and go into labour. There's no evidence at all that pineapple has any effect on getting babies moving."
Mums on our forum say
“I'm craving pineapple, I bought 2 tins and some fresh and just can't get enough. Just saw an advert for pineapple upside down cake and now I’m really craving that too.” Willowbaby
More like this
"I've been eating pineapple as it helps settle my [pregnancy] nausea." Crochetmom
Read more about safe foods in pregnancy:
Are peanuts safe to eat during pregnancy?
Is it OK to eat honey when pregnant?
Authors
Magda Ibrahim is a freelance writer who has written for publications including The Times and Sunday Times, The Sun, Time Out, and the London Evening Standard, as well for MadeForMums.
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