Top 11 taboos of pregnancy diets to watch out for
Article by Rachel Ang & Cherlynn Ng
Ever heard of the saying, ‘You are what you eat’? Well, this is especially true when you are a pregnant mother and it applies to your unborn child too. A balanced and nutritious diet not only keeps you in top form, it is also critical to your baby’s development. And while it is common knowledge that things like alcohol and cigarettes are huge no-nos during pregnancy, do you know why this is so?
Here is a list of 11 taboos to watch out for in your lifestyle and diet as a pregnant mother. We also take a quick look at the effects they have on your body and why it’s best to avoid them.
1. Excessive intake of brown sugar tea: This causes excessive sweating and increased lochia.
2. Drinking rich soups too early on: Yes, there is such a thing as over-nourishment. While confinement soups are tasty and full of goodness, over-consumption can cause the mother to secrete too much milk, resulting in engorged breasts. Wait a week after delivery before taking rich soups.
3. High-sugar foods: Not only does this result in high blood sugar, it also affects the quality of your breast milk and causes your baby to have foamy stools.
4. Food that causes bloating, especially after a C-section: This hinders wound healing. For a boost in your recovery, go for foods that are rich in Vitamin C and high in iron as they help to repair the body and replenish blood loss.
5. Raw, cold, spicy, salty and overly hard foods: This irritates your digestive system, resulting in indigestion, edema and diarrhoea.
6. Excessive nourishment: This can easily lead to a metabolic imbalance in the body, which also causes diarrhoea in babies.
7. Foods that affect breast milk supply: Examples are barley tea, malt and malted milk. If you are looking to improve your breast milk supply, try these delicious dishes.
8. Tobacco: Cigarettes contain harmful substances that will irritate your baby’s respiratory system and affect brain development.
9. Alcohol: Not only does alcohol inhibit milk secretion, it also affects your baby’s liver and brain development.
10. Coffee: Contains a lot of caffeine, which can cause osteoporosis, disrupt sleep and result in poor physical development in babies.
11. Tea: Contains carbonic acid, which can cause anaemia, affect the central nervous system and disrupt sleep.
With so much conflicting information out there, it can be confusing to know which foods are helpful and which ones are dangerous. Futhermore, just because something is safe for consumption during pregnancy does not necessarily mean it is good for the confinement period too. We hope this list acts as an easy reference for all parents in need of guidance!
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