Can you eat KFC gravy when pregnant?
In this article, we will answer whether you can eat KFC gravy when pregnant, what KFC is, if KFC gravy is healthy to eat when pregnant, and whether there is a healthier option for KFC to eat when pregnant.
Can you eat KFC gravy when pregnant?
Yes, you can but you better eat small amounts of KFC gravy. It is not made with healthy ingredients and it has a lot of sodium in it. If you have diabetes, rapid weight gain, preeclampsia, or high blood pressure you better not eat KFC gravy.
What is KFC?
KFC stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken. It is an American Fast Food restaurant chain that specializes in fried chicken. It is based in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the world’s second-largest restaurant sales according to their sales after Mcdonald’s.
It is one of the first fast-food chain restaurants to expand internationally. By the mid-1960s the restaurant opened in Canada, UK, Mexico, and Jamaica. It became so popular because it was the first fast-food restaurant to challenge the hamburger and served fried chicken.
The original menu offered pressure-fried chicken pieces, seasoned with Sanders’s recipe. Larger portions of fried chicken are served in a bucket. The menu has expanded now and it serves other chicken products such as
- Chicken Filet sandwich
- Chicken wraps
- Salads
- Side dishes such as french fries and coleslaw
- Desserts
- Soft drinks
KFC adapts its menu internationally to suit regional tastes. For example in the USA they also sell grilled chicken, in India, they sell halal chicken, and in Asia, they have a preference for spicy foods.
Is KFC gravy healthy to eat when pregnant?
KFC gravy is not very healthy to eat when pregnant because it has too much sodium and is considered a high carbohydrate food. One serving size of 100 grams, individual gravy, contains 45 calories, 1 gram of fat, 460 mg of sodium, 8 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein. Based on a 2,0000 calorie diet it provides 2% of calcium RDI and 2% iron RDI.
The recommendation for pregnant women is to consume a maximum of 3,000 mg of sodium per day. If you have preeclampsia or high blood pressure, your RDI is a maximum of 1500 mg per day. RDI is based on a diet of 2,000 calories per day.
The list of ingredients includes KFC gravy
- Water
- Wheat Flour
- Modified corn starch
- Dextrose
- Potassium chloride
- Monosodium glutamate
- Salt
- Onion powder
- High monounsaturated sunflower oil
- Autolyzed yeast extract
- Spices
- Hydrolyzed corn and soy protein
- Caramel
- Torula Yeast
If you can skip the gravy, you will save a lot of calories, carbohydrates, and chemicals you don’t need in your pregnancy.
What happens if I overeat KFC gravy when pregnant?
KFC gravy is high in carbohydrates and high in sodium dip. You definitely don’t need it in your life. If you eat just once in a while there should be no problem. Hence, moderation is the key.
Too much sodium intake when pregnant can lead to high blood pressure problems, swelling, edema, and water retention. High sodium intake if you have preeclampsia can be fatal and lead to preterm labor and problems with the mom’s health.
The consumption of more fast food than healthy food can be fatal to pregnant women because it can interfere with proper fetal development. If you gain too much weight during pregnancy there are several complications mom and baby can suffer.
- Gestational Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Complications during birth
- Baby health
Gestational Diabetes
You can develop gestational diabetes, a condition where glucose or sugar in the blood is way too high and insulin can’t work correctly. You may need to take medication and the mother can develop diabetes even after the baby is born.
High Blood pressure
You can develop eclampsia and preeclampsia. Both can lead to mother and baby complications and even death.
Complications during birth
If you gain too much weight it’s more likely that you end up in cesarean because vaginal birth tends to be more difficult with excess weight. Also, babies of mothers who gain too much weight are usually bigger. It can also lead to premature birth.
Baby health
Moms that gain too much weight tend to have babies with high birth weight and these babies have more risk of being obese and developing diabetes when older. The lack of nutrients in junk food can interfere with proper organ development.
Babies of moms that didn’t follow a healthy diet during pregnancy have more risk of behavior disorders like depression, attention deficit disorder, and poor learning. Also, a lack of nutrients in a mother’s diet has been connected with autism.
Is there a healthier option at KFC to eat when pregnant?
There is no healthier option to substitute KFC gravy. The best thing you can do if you are craving KFC is to make home your KFC gravy. By making your own gravy you can control ingredients and sodium content. Here is a recipe for you to try with homemade KFC gravy ingredients.
Conclusion
This article answered whether you eat KFC gravy when pregnant, what KFC is, if KFC gravy is healthy to eat when pregnant, and whether there is a healthier option for KFC to eat when pregnant.
Citation
https://fastfoodnutrition.org/ca/kfc/gravy/individual
https://www.kfc.ca/Content/OnlineOrderingImages/StaticPage/IngredientListingApril2018.pdf
