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Confinement Health Fare
Body-boosting ingredients are the order of the day
During their all-important recovery period, it’s vital for new mums to eat well to regain their strength.As giving birth is thought to disrupt the body’s natural temperature, internal circulation and organ elasticity, traditional Eastern confinement fare is full of dietary do’s and don’ts.
Indeed, the new mum is required to consume foods that will restore her circulation and raise her temperature, even as she avoids eating “cooling” foods likely to cause health problems later. So, new mothers are served foods geared towards driving out “wind” from her body, promoting blood circulation, strengthening joints and promoting milk supply.
Raffles Chinese Medicine acupuncturist Jin Jinhua explains, “Chinese confinement dietary recommendations are mostly aimed at warming the body, improving blood circulation, ‘expelling’ wind from the body and toxins from the blood, as well as promoting contraction of the uterus.
PICK ME UP, PLEASE
Eating the “wrong” food is believed to cause health problems like rheumatism, back problems, low metabolism and poor blood circulation. Fish consumption is encouraged as it is believed to increase the flow of breastmilk, while vegetables and cold drinks are generally frowned on since they are considered “cooling”. Postnatal Chinese mums quaff a red date and longan drink throughout instead of water as it “drives out ‘wind’, replaces blood loss and is a good revitaliser,” Jin notes.
Ginger, sesame oil and rice wine are the “stars” in the Chinese confinement menu as these ingredients are said to expel “wind” and warm the body, Jin explains. Herbal soups and tonics are also brewed to improve blood circulation, strengthen the female reproductive organs and rejuvenate the body. Postnatal mums also take alcohol to warm the body, get rid of “wind” and strengthen the ligaments and joints, she adds.
Vinegared pork trotters ? which new mums either love or loathe ? is a key dish in the confinement menu. Black vinegar, believed to be a blood purifier, cleanses the womb of residual blood clots. Cooked with ginger and pig trotters and simmered in a large pot for several hours and then eaten over several days, this power dish boosts milk supply, strengthens joints and fortifies the back.
MILK BOOST
Indian postnatal food is aimed mostly at improving breastmilk production. To encourage milk flow, nursing mums are given ghee, lentils, nuts, methi (fenugreek), almonds, garlic, milk, dhal and meat.
Indian mothers also subscribe to a similar set of dietary restrictions as the Chinese. They, too, believe in the “heatiness” and “cooling” nature of certain foods. So they favour eating foods believed to drive away “wind” from the body, while spicy food, mutton and “windy” vegetables and fruits, steering clear of cabbage, eggplants and grapes, as they will cause “wind” in the mother and colic in the breastfed baby.
New mums drink “warming” herb-infused water, and not plain water as it’s considered “cooling”, Kamdar notes. The new mum is also served a specially-prepared “warming” garlic milk every morning to expel “wind” from the body.
HEALING HERBS
Similarly, Malays believe strongly in preventing “wind” from entering the body and keeping it warm so that cramps and rheumatism will not crop up later. A regular practice is to consume herbal drinks, using certain herbs that are “heaty”. Some Malay mothers take a special drink called jamu to keep the body warm, get rid of “wind” and water retention, and improve blood flow and circulation, says Traditional Wellness spa owner Haslinda Ali.
Made of turmeric, ginger, lemongrass and other herbs, the traditional herbal brew helps a new mum recover from childbirth. Besides avoiding cold water and “cooling” fruits, such as guava, green bananas and pineapples, new mums also refrain from eating chilli to avoid constipation and stomach upsets, and shun seafood since it causes itch and inhibits wound recovery.
Instead, the Malays believe that women should take more turmeric, ginger and drumstick leaves after childbirth. Turmeric contains antibiotics and promotes a healthy circulatory system, ginger warms the body, cleanses the blood, improves appetite, reduces wind and energises the muscles, while drumstick leaves are packed with proteins, vitamins A and C, beta-carotene, iron, calcium, potassium and other minerals.
If you have any comments or practical suggestions, write to us at editor@family.sg
- Mother & Baby
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