What not to eat in pregnancy according to traditional Chinese medicine
One of the main principles of traditional Chinese medicine is that medicine and food share the same source. In other words, a lot of foods are also medicines. There is no clear boundary between them. All herbs and foods are categorised according to their basic qualities and tastes. They are further divided according to their “nature” or “energy”, which are:
• placid;
• warm;
• heaty;
• cold;
• and, cooling.
According to the ancient book of medicine The Internal Medicines of the Yellow Emperor (Huang-Di Nei-Jing), a wise man preserves his good health by “adapting to the cold and heat of the four seasons”. This is interpreted to mean that people should adapt their diet according to their environment, eating foods of different natures in keeping with the seasonal changes.
In general, placid foods are mild without any bias towards cold or heat, and hence can be consumed all year round.
Foods which are warm and heaty should be consumed in autumn and winter. You should eat less of these foods in spring or summer. Foods which are cold or cooling in nature are best for spring and summer, but not so good in autumn and winter.
However, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners or physicians advise that even within the same season or the same kind of weather, people with different physical constitutions may require foods of different natures.
People with a “cold” constitution may …
• feel extremely uncomfortable in low temperatures;
• have limbs that may feel cold;
• have a swollen tummy;
• have loose faeces.
They should be careful about consuming foods of cold or cooling nature.
People with a more “heaty” constitution may …
• taste bitterness in their mouth;
• have bad breath, inflamed throat and red eyes;
• feel dehydrated;
• have yellowish urine and dry faeces.
They should be careful in taking foods that are warm and heaty in nature.
Experts in traditional Chinese medicine stress that these same principles apply during pregnancy, but with the further consideration of the specific physiological condition and health of the mum-to-be. They believe that pregnant mums are slightly anaemic as blood and nutrients are diverted and stored to keep the growing baby healthy, and to prepare the body for making milk. Therefore, you will probably be advised to increase your intake of nutrient-rich foods, especially those containing protein and iron, such as lean meat, beef, chicken and egg.
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners also advise that mums-to-be keep their meals light, especially in early pregnancy when nausea and vomiting peak – this means less oil, salt and sugar. You may also be told that traditional favourites such as stewed pork or pork rib soup can still be enjoyed, but in moderation as they are high in animal fat.
It is also believed that a mum-to-be is more prone to internal heat or “embryo heat” because she is not menstruating. Thus, a traditional physician or practitioner may advise you to reduce your intake of heaty foods. These include:
• mutton and venison;
• spicy and hot foods;
• various kinds of nuts;
• cinnamon;
• some tropical fruits such as longan and durians.
You should also be prudent in taking foods that are considered by traditional Chinese medicine to be mildly laxative, including:
• barley;
• purslane;
• certain types of edible fungus;
• amaranth.
