Chinese diet during pregnancy
Nutrition in Chinese medicine is considered one of the most essential parts that gives the woman’s body postnatal energy and strengthens the prenatal energy of the embryo that develops in a womb. In the first months of life, the embryo builds its physical body, the limbs, and its many cells. The healthier, more varied, richer and cleaner the diet is, the fetus body with all its parts will enjoy those essential nutrients, and the fetus will develop smarter and more developed. Chinese medicine refers to the period of pregnancy as a critical period for the proper development of the immune system of the fetus, protection of the fetus, and as a period that gives the fetus its future ability to become a healthy and strong person, with good longevity.
Today, on the planet that we live in, the basic sources of food and water are polluted and damaged, and we as human beings suffer from it very much since we fed mainly on water that is not suitable for drinking, and processed artificial food that is not edible – this is the reason for the importance I put on trying to eat as clean, natural, and organic as possible, especially food that does not contain hormones and antibiotics.
Of course, organic and clean eating is very important for the pregnant mother, but no less so for the healthy development of the fetus in your womb.
The pregnancy period is accompanied by many new hormonal changes in the woman’s body and in her habits. Because of these changes the woman will have new passions in general, and specifically a desire for certain foods. These feelings are “completely normal”, and it is important to respond to them and listen fully to the body and what is happening within it.
During pregnancy, it is important to remember that although you help and support the fetus to grow inside of you, it does not require you to eat like you eat for two. You eat for yourself first and the fetus will get all its needs from you. You build the essential nutrients inside you to develop the fetus, and at the same time for your own health.
Your aspiration in pregnancy is to have a balanced, strong, vital, calm, and light body. The right target is to increase your weight between 11 and 15 kg – even if you are having twins (I had twins and at the end of the pregnancy I gained a total of 12 kg and they were born healthy, with normal weight and were not premature babies).
For this purpose, it is important to put the emphasis on pregnancy nutrition on:
- What to eat?
- What not to eat and why?
- How much to eat?
- How to eat?
What to eat and what not to eat:
During pregnancy, it is very important not to start a diet, but to eat from all the food groups in a balanced and varied way. We recommend to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and for “inbetween meals” to have small and nutritious snacks. A rich and nutritious meal should include:
- Carbohydrates such as: whole rice, wild rice, quinoa, bean noodles and rice noodles, whole wheat, millet cereal, amaranth, sweet potato.
- Legumes such as: red beans, black, white, green, mung, azuki, chickpeas, beans, green, black, and orange lentils.
- Proteins such as meat, poultry, fish, tofu, eggs, goat cheese or sheep cheese.
- Minerals and vitamins such as: vegetables and fruits – vegetables of all varieties and colors and especially all green. Broccoli, spinach, lettuce, celery, zucchini, baby leaves, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, kohlrabi, and it is highly recommended to have beets.
- Fats such as: olive oil, fish oil (omega 3), tahini, avocado, nuts, and almonds.
- Sugars: we recommend that sugar will be mostly from fruits, and recommended to have a lot of cherries, strawberries, apples, tangerines, pomelo, papaya, and mango.
Organic eating:
It is very important to try to eat organic foods – especially vegetables, fruits, and organic meats, to keep your body clean of many toxins and excess hormones that may affect your natural hormonal balance and that you would not want that to affect you during pregnancy. It is important to eat cooked food, steamed, lightly stirred in olive oil and the main thing is not to eat fried, processed, or smoked food.
To support a light, and healthy pregnancy, try to avoid:
- Fried, processed, fast, industrialized food.
- Avoid eggplant, pears, radishes, spicy foods, and sage – in Chinese medicine these ingredients in food can cause excessive movement and miscarriage.
- Do your best to avoid eating processed sugars such as: cakes, cookies, chocolate, ice cream, snacks, and pastries.
- Avoid as much as you can eating nuts, mainly peanuts, sausages, hamburger, kebab, smoked and salty food, very spicy food, coffee, caffeine and decaf, alcohol, raw and partly cooked food, cold and chilled food, cow milk products, juices, and stay away from all the diet and artificial sweeteners that are known to be rich in toxic substances.
- We recommend to prepare cooked food and heat it on the element or in the toaster before eating, and to avoid as much as you can from using microwaves and storing food in plastic boxes.
- Stay away as much as you can from mayonnaise based sauces, soy sauce, salts, and saturated oils, as well as whipped cream and all food that has fresh or non-cooked eggs in them – they may contain the Salmonella bacteria and cause miscarriage. They also may increase blood pressure and cause pre-eclampsia.
- Stay away from raw meat, uncooked and smoked – it may contain harmful bacteria to the fetus of the pregnant mother.
How much to eat:
- We recommend to prepare food two or three days in advance, divided into small portions and each time to take out one part to heat and eat – preferably small portions every two or three hours, not one large serving.
- As a snack between meals, we recommend to eat about 1-3 fruit servings per day, or a handful of 8-10 nuts or almonds, organic energy bars, rice cakes with 1 tsp of raw tahini, and 1 teaspoon of pure honey spread on top.
- It is very important for a healthy pregnancy to drink at least 2-3 liters of water a day, before or after a meal as well as unlimited herbal teas.
- Ingredients of the recommended herbal tea: Melissa, Chamomile, Fennel, Nettle, Lime, and Lemon Verbena (avoid Sage as it is dangerous to your pregnancy).
How to eat:
- It is especially important to eat when eating, not to deal with other things and give your attention to the eating process.
- Try to chew the food and eat slowly with ease.
- We recommend to eat using medium-sized plate and not large plates, and eat small portions.
- Drink before or after eating, not during the meal because it makes it difficult to digest properly.
The main thing is balance:
It is important to have your hand on the pulse – get weighed once a week to check your weight, so that if you increase your weight you could quickly return to balanced eating so as not to continue to add extra weight during pregnancy. “Overweight pregnancy” is dangerous for both the mother and the fetus.
There are several supplements that are especially essential for the mother through her to the fetus:
- Folic acid: take one pill a day starting three months before pregnancy and up to 4 months after you became pregnant.
- Parental: vitamins and minerals in pregnancy and after birth.
- Iron: is important because the fetus uses the mother’s reserves for its growth, and the blood cycle of the mother doubles during pregnancy. For those sensitive to iron pills, we recommend floradix – a drink rich in natural iron and delicious and does not cause constipation.
- Vitamin D: strengthens the skeleton, bones, and muscles.
- Omega 3: strengthens the mother and is essential for the fetal brain development.
- Vitamin B12: strengthens hair, memory, and general energy.
If you feel a great need to have one of those foods that are not recommended, it is best to eat it so you do not become irritated, frustrated, depressed etc. Even if you ate from the not recommended foods, it is ok as it’s better to eat and feel emotionally well, and calm with inner harmony, but the main thing is not to make the foods that are not recommended as part of your routine. You can eat a little of them, and try to eat from the recommended foods more.
