One of Hollywood’s most interesting couple, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, is expecting. How healthy is Penelope’s pregnancy diet?
On past interviews Academy Award winner Penelope Cruz, 38, has stated that motherhood is a “revolutionary experience” which “transforms you completely, in a second”. She also mentioned that she wishes to provide her first born Leo and his future siblings the best childhood possible. As we all know, good childhood begins even before the child is born, with the mother’s pregnancy nutrition.
So, does Penelope, who is three months pregnant, take good care of her second child? Does she know what to eat when pregnant? When asked about her favorite foods, Penelope Cruz mentioned chocolate and a glass of wine. These are very common preferences, which concern many pregnant women: how much chocolate should a pregnant woman have? How much wine? Is it okay for pregnant women to have alcohol at all? Let’s find out if Penelope Cruz’s two passions are good or bad for her diet while pregnant…
Should Penelope Cruz have Chocolate while Pregnant?
Let’s begin with chocolate during pregnancy. Surprisingly enough, a moderate consumption of chocolate while pregnant can have beneficial effects. First, chocolate has up to 700 different antioxidants. More than that, a recent study from Yale university examined the pregnancy diet of 1,995 women, and discovered that those who regularly had chocolate during pregnancy lowered the risk of having pre-eclampsia in about 60%!
In other words, it can be good for Penelope, and other pregnant women, to keep having 4-5 servings of chocolate per week (one serving can be a chocolate cube, coco-drink, a bit of ice cream, etc.).
Wine during Pregnancy: Should Penelope Stop Drinking?
As mentioned above, Penelope Cruz’s second treat a glass of quality wine. Now that she’s pregnant, should she stop having it? After all, it is quite well known that alcohol doesn’t affect only the mother, but the baby as well. More than that, too much alcohol while pregnant might harm the baby’s physical and psychological health.
Indeed, most experts recommend completely avoiding alcohol during pregnancy, or having only one drink every few week or months. However, it should be noted that in 2010, Australian researchers published a surprising study in BJOG (an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology). The study tried to find the effects of alcohol during pregnancy on 2,370 children of mothers whose drinking habits have been monitored during the pregnancy. The results were surprising: the children of women who drank moderately (1-2 drinks per week) seemed to be more focused and calm and less aggressive and depressed than the children of the mothers who didn’t have alcohol at all while pregnant.
So, should Penelope Cruz keep having wine while pregnant? The answer is still unclear since the study mentioned above is considered unusual, and experts keep debating the subject. One thing is for sure – this study is not an approval to heavy drinking while pregnant. Still, it seems okay if Penelope Cruz will have a glass of wine every now and then, as long as it doesn’t exceed 1-2 glasses per month.
To find out how much alcohol you can have while pregnant consult with your doctor or nutrition consultant.
