A woman during the times of her pregnancy goes through an immense amount of changes in her body and her mind. She has lots of craving which are sometimes difficult to have if she wouldn’t have been pregnant. While these changes and cravings might be exciting we definitely have a few questions around them. As to whether we can have the particular food or drink that we crave? Is it safe for the baby and the mother ? If yes what is the good amount of consumption? One such drink is thandai. While it is very well famous by the name itself many of us do not know the contents of it and whether or not is Thandai During Pregnancy good or bad pregnant ladies. Let’s take a quick look at it then.

Questions that we’ll be answering in this article:

• What is thandai?
• Health benefits of thandai.
• Is having thandai during pregnancy safe?
• Which is the best Thandai recipe to make at home?

What is thandai?

It’s a traditional Indian drink which contains all the essential ingredients creating a cooling effect on your body hence the name thandai. The ingredients include namely poppy seeds, almonds, fennel seeds, rose water, pepper, saffron, sugar, milk, cardamom, etc. All these mixture of spices and nuts gives a very cool and soothing effect on the body.

What are the health benefits of thandai?

• Controls Flatulence & Bloating– The presence of fennel seeds gives a soothing and cooling effect on the body which helps to solve the problem of flatulence and gases in the body. The anti-inflammatory properties of fennel seeds helps with the cure. It is very good for the digestive system.
• Controls Constipation – Poppy seeds are known to solve the problems of constipation. It has immense amount of iron, protein, fibre, fat and minerals.
• Improves Digestion – The addition of rose petals along with the fennel seeds make the drink quite a refresher for people suffering from gastric burns and irritation. It helps improve digestion and prevents built up of gases.
• Immunity Builder – We have come to know the importance of our Indian spices during this corona stricken times. Spices from pepper, cardamom, cinnamon have all properties which help build ones immunity. Thus indirectly consumption of thandai can be good for your immunity too. Some exclusive thandai recipe can help you get this benefit and great flavour at the same time.
• Boosts Energy – Thandai is a drink specially designed to fight the heat. It ensures the body gets the soothing effect from all the ingredients added. The pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds added to it give the energy booster which is a very important requirement during summers. Also the presence of the nuts gives us a feeling of fullness when consumes which also lead to built up of energy.

So we might have listed quite a long list of goodness regarding the use of thandai during pregnancy, but the question still remains whether or not the use thandai being recommended during pregnancy. Let’s take a peep into it.

Is it safe to have Thandai during pregnancy?

According to many experts suggestion thandai is a thumbs up during pregnancy. All the ingredients added to it are very much essential for the healthy growth of the baby. Women face a lot of gastric issues too during pregnancy and often have burning sensation due to it. Thus thandai can be a boon to such ladies. But what must be kept in mind is that thandai must not be consumed with the addition of bhang to it. Bhang like any other addictive is very harmful for the proper development of the baby. So while you would like to consume thandai in its natural form it’s not safe to add bhaang to it. Another important thing to be noted is that during pregnancy we might have a lot of craving and they feel like crazy severe urges but all these cravings must be dealt with in moderation. Anything beyond limit can be harmful to you as well as the baby. And lastly , another important thing is that the thandai comprises of saffron in it. Many mother’s would have heard the myths that saffron helps enhance the baby’s colour or complexion. But do remember nothing you eat or drink would change that it all depends on the genetic make up of the baby. So while you would have the urge or are being adviced to consume saffron please do remember it has ill as well as good effects. Good effects is that it builds immunity and helps any wounds to heal from within. Bad effects it that too much consumption of saffron can lead to development of loose motions in the ladies. Saffron being the key ingredient in thandai too one must consume it in moderation and with care.

What is the thandai recipe to make at home?

1. Soak nuts of your choice over night – you could use cashews, pistas and badams in the making.
2. Next morning in a blender add all the nuts soaked at night, to it also add poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds watermelon seeds, if you wish you could keep these seeds soaked too.
3. Also add to the blender some pepper, cardamon, cinnamon, saffron, fennel seeds too.
4. If you are using rose petals now might be the right time to add it. Blend it into coarse paste.
5. Add a little bit of milk to make the paste a bit smoother.
6. Keep the mixture aside. In a pan bring the milk to boil and add sugar to it. Lastly add the prepared paste and keep stirring. Make sure no lumps are formed. Now strain the thandai in another jar. All the spice remains would have filtered out.
7. Refrigerate the thandai and serve it chilled. Sprinkle a bit of cut dry fruits and two or three strands of saffron to the serving.
8. One can also add Gulkand to the serving glass which will add up to the taste.

This thandai recipe would get you the best flavour, I bet.

So folks this was all the knowledge around thandai and it’s use during the pregnancy. I hope it’s a good option for your loved ones to fight the heat and also for good health. Please do try out the recipe and make sure you leave a comment on whether or not did you try the recipe and how great it turned out for you.

Happy parenting!!