Optimal nutrition during pregnancy is of the utmost importance for both you and your baby and it can be challenging to wade through all the advice and different opinions out there. Whether the advice is coming from your OB, midwife, doula, acupuncturist, friends, or even your own mom. At the end of the day, you know yourself best; trust your intuition and educate yourself as well to lead you in the right direction.
Your body is hard at work providing for the baby, who needs specific nutrients for every phase of growth and development. He or she is completely dependent upon you, the expectant mother, to provide every one of them. In fact, the impact of food on fetal development and growth can hardly be overstated. Of all the many choices we are faced with each day, what we choose to put in our mouths is the foundation of health and wellness. So choose a vibrant and colorful diet to give your body what it needs to thrive and function optimally.
Chinese medicine offers a helpful perspective when choosing the right foods to eat. In this tradition, food is categorized by nature, flavor, temperature and its impact on the qi and blood.
There are 5 flavors: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and pungent; some foods contain more than one flavor. Foods can also be hot, cold, warm, or neutral, or the temperature can be modified by cooking, for example steamed veggies are considered more warm than raw. Flavors even have energetic properties; for example bitter is draining, sour is astringent or drying, pungent is warming, salty is cooling, and sweet can be nourishing or cooling.
I encourage my patients to introduce warming and/or moistening foods during the cooler months because they help to “stoke the digestive fire.” As the weather cools down and we crave comfort foods, our body is telling us to provide it with warmer dishes. It’s a lot of work for your body to digest a cold smoothie in the morning which is a popular breakfast choice. It can often lead to dampness causing loose stools or abdominal pain. I also encourage patients to avoid too many spicy, bitter, or pungent foods, especially in the third trimester as they can stimulate the unwelcome discomfort of heartburn.
May I strongly suggest that you consider an organic diet? Our bodies are bombarded with chemicals hiding around every corner these days, whether it be from pollution, skin care products, or household cleaning products. An organic diet can help alleviate some of these common stressors we encounter daily.
Other key components to healthy eating include:
- Eating a filling breakfast upon waking
- Avoiding large meals at night
- Eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day
- Drinking plenty of water to avoid constipation or dehydration.
There are a number of ways that food can be helpful during pregnancy and the postpartum time. Here are examples of just a few:
Promotion of milk production: Aduki beans or boiled peanuts
Combating morning sickness: Ginger tea
Alleviation of hemorrhoids or constipation: Bananas or honey
My personal favorite to nourish the spleen and stomach: Congee, or rice porridge (see recipe below)
There are many other ways that a Chinese medical perspective on nutrition can help alleviate common pregnancy discomforts and promote vitality and wellness. In my practice I incorporate food suggestions along with acupuncture and herbal treatments that are tailored for each individual that I work with.
Most importantly, seek balance; that is the essence of Chinese medicine. Eat a variety of whole foods, and not too much of any one thing. Your pregnancy is a beautiful season of life. Enjoy it!
Congee (Chinese Rice Porridge)
This is a warm, comforting, easy-to-digest dish that came be made to suit anyone’s taste. A traditional combination is to use chicken stock, adding fresh ginger during cooking and scallions and soy sauce when it’s served. Both vegetables and fruits (dried or fresh) can be added, along with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, or garlic. Take this basic recipe and run with it!
8 Cups of water or stock/broth
1 Cup long-grain rice
Add both rice and water/stock/broth to a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover partially (lid cocked). Cook for 1 ½ – 2 hours. Stir frequently during the last 30 minutes of cooking to avoid sticking. Finished congee should be the consistency of oatmeal. It will thicken as it cools. Some warm water can be added if congee becomes too thick.