I'm South Indian and my normal diet is quite spicy. My mother-in-law says I should stop completely but I'm craving spicy food more than ever!
Spicy food is completely safe during pregnancy — there's no evidence it harms the baby. The main concerns are your own comfort: heartburn and acid reflux worsen in the second and third trimester due to progesterone relaxing the esophageal valve. If spicy food gives you heartburn, reduce it for your own comfort, not for baby's. Baby actually experiences your food flavors through amniotic fluid and develops taste preferences from in utero!
100% safe, your MIL means well but this is an old myth! I ate our family's spicy sambar and chutney throughout and my daughter arrived perfectly healthy. The one real concern is if it triggers your personal heartburn — in that case eat it earlier in the day and don't lie down for 2 hours after.
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