What Should A Pregnant Mother East According to TCM?

Mother's health is the foundation of the foetus' growth and development. She has to eat pregnancy-healthy foods, as directed by TCM practitioners to ensure overall well-being.

A pregnant mother frequently has to overcome the challenges of changing tastes and cravings. Most times, she is battling nausea when her digestion is much more sensitive. Anyhow, nourishing herself as well as her baby can never be an underdog subject.

Are you one of the pregnant mothers in this beautiful and stressful period of life? Then you will have to follow the diet chart as set up by the licensed acupuncturists, specializing in supporting women's health and pregnancy. Follow these pregnancy-supporting foods to overcome specific pregnancy-related conditions.

At the same time, make sure to take Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments during your pregnancy at a registered clinic in Northern Beaches. According to TCM, digestion is regarded as fire – the fire should burn steadily but not rage out of control or burn out. The spleen, stomach and uterus remain warm, as is needed during pregnancy, by eating well-cooked, warm and easy-to-digest foods. At the same time, eating foods supporting the kidneys, liver and body's Yin, Yang, Qi (energy) and blood is equally important.

Chief Foods To Eat During Pregnancy (For the Non–Vegetarian Mothers-To-Be)

A non–vegetarian mother should follow both vegetables and non-vegetarian foods.

1. By eating sweet potato, your spleen and stomach are strengthened, Qi is tonified, the body is detoxified, constipation and oedema are treated, and milk production is increased. It is rich in vitamin A and low glycemic.

2. When you eat walnuts, your kidney Yang is nourished, which includes the progesterone or the warming hormone. Your body is supplied with good fat and protein. Low back pain and constipation are treated. For preventing rancidity,  keep them refrigerated.

3. Eat chicken to tonify Qi, warm your body, and for treating fatigue, leg pains, low back pains and postpartum weakness.

4. Lamb is very warm. Consume it for strengthening and nourishing Qi and Blood, aiding lactation as well as postpartum blood loss. Even it is good for eliminating low back pains. Abstain from eating during summer since it is too warm.

5. Goji berries boost Kidney Yang. Further, these provide high antioxidants in high amounts.

6. For tonifying blood, detoxifying the body, moistening dryness, promoting digestion and benefitting the eyes (particularly dry eyes), eat carrots as they are rich in Vitamin A. Eat sweet potatoes and carrots with good fats like coconut oil and olive oil for helping the body to absorb the Vitamin A.

7. By consuming Salmon you are strengthening your spleen, tonifying Qi, removing dampness, and treating low energy as well as haemorrhoids and postpartum excessive bleeding. Prevent eating raw salmon when you are pregnant. Choose the wild-caught salmons. Forgo the farmed ones.

8. Garlic helps in soothing liver Qi. It is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral. Garlic detoxifies meat and seafood.

9. Spinach helps is nourishing the Blood, strengthening all organs and treating constipation. Since it is high in folate, adding it to dishes and smoothies is easier.

10. Eggs help nourish the Yin and Blood, calming the mind and harmonizing digestion. Eggs are a great source of proteins and iron.,

About half of these pregnancy-supporting food are protein-rich. Protein stands out as the most important macronutrient to be included in the pregnancy diet. Protein, after water, is the second most abundant substance in the human body. Each of the baby's tissues depends on proteins to entail healthy growth – skin, muscles, bones, blood, hair, organs, and the connective tissues. Proteins are compulsory to the baby's hormones, metabolism, growth, sexual development, basic chemical reactions, pH balance, fluid and antibodies making the ability for fighting infections. At the same time, labour, childbearing, birth, postpartum healing and lactation need proteins.

What Should A Vegetarian Mother Eat During Her Pregnancy?

The TCM practitioners recommend that vegetarian mothers introduce some animal proteins into their diets in the form of fish oil or broth, only if they are open to the idea. It may be that they are strictly vegetarian, then they will have to combine proteins to receive all the 22 amino acids or the proteins' building blocks, daily in their diet. Food nourishes when you are creating a new precious human life inside you. Good protein sources for them include yoghurt, cheese, lentils, quinoa, soy, black beans, kidney beans, white beans and garbanzo beans.

The TCM practitioners recommend that pregnant women should get between 60 – 75 grams of proteins per day when they are pregnant. Even they advise balancing the proteins as per their body's needs so digestion is not so tough.