Patient's question:
Can I eat carrots right after getting pregnant? I've already eaten several, but a friend told me not to because she's worried about... So, what should I eat to ensure my health?Doctor's answer:
Starting from the time of preparing to conceive, eating nutritious food is very important for women. Once pregnant, the pregnant woman must consume all the nutrients needed for herself and the fetus. From the second trimester, fetal development accelerates rapidly, and the nutritional needs also increase significantly. So, in terms of diet, it cannot be absolutely unrestricted anymore. Let's take a look at what precautions are needed during pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions. Foods to be avoided during pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions include:Barley Sprouts According to ancient experience, women should avoid eating barley sprouts during pregnancy. As mentioned in Bencao Zheng, "Barley sprouts are not suitable for women who are pregnant and should not be consumed in large quantities. They are also good at promoting labor and causing miscarriage." Yaopin Huayi also states: "Women who are pregnant, suffering from phlegm-fire asthma, or are pregnant should never use barley sprouts."
Oats Oats have a laxative effect and promote downward movement, so they have a certain role in promoting labor. Pregnant women should avoid eating them.
Job's Tears According to ancient medical experts, pregnant women should avoid eating Job's tears. Shiyin Xunzhi states: "Its nature is to descend, and if pregnant women eat it, it can cause miscarriage." Wang Mengying, a food physician during the Qing Dynasty, also warned: "Job's tears are specifically downward-moving, and pregnant women should avoid them." Bencao Jingxi also clearly states: "Pregnant women are forbidden to eat donkey meat."
Donkey Meat Donkey meat is neutral in nature, slightly sour and sweet, and has the effect of replenishing blood and boosting qi. However, according to ancient experience, pregnant women should avoid eating donkey meat. Riyong Bencao records: "If pregnant women eat donkey meat, it can lead to difficult labor."
Rabbit Meat Rabbit meat is cooling and can cool blood and promote blood circulation, but it is also easy to damage yang qi. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid eating it. As Wang Mengying, a food physician during the Qing Dynasty, stated in Suxi Ju Yinshi Jishipu: "Rabbit meat is sweet and cold, cools blood, and excessive consumption weakens original yang. Pregnant women should especially avoid it."
Sparrow Meat Some scholars believe that sparrows are highly hot and particularly, advocating that pregnant women should not eat them in large quantities. Traditional Chinese medicine considers sparrows to be yang-boosting and capable of enhancing sexual desire. Suxi Ju Yinshi Jishipu states: "Sparrow meat should be avoided by those with yin deficiency and internal heat, as well as pregnant women." Shiyin Xunzhi also says: "If pregnant women eat sparrow meat and drink alcohol, it can lead to excessive. Excessive consumption of sparrow brains can stimulate fetal qi and cause the child to have poor eyesight." Therefore, pregnant women should avoid eating large amounts of sparrow meat and sparrow brains.
Frog Meat According to ancient experience, pregnant women should not eat a lot of frog meat. As Wang Mengying, a food physician during the Qing Dynasty, pointed out in Suxi Ju Yinshi Jishipu: "Excessive consumption of frog meat promotes dampness and heat, and pregnant women should avoid it most."
Sea Horse Sea horses are suitable for pregnant women during labor or when experiencing difficult labor. However, they should not be consumed during normal pregnancy because they have a blood-activating and abortifacient effect. As Bencao Xinbian states: "Sea horses enter the kidney and mingmen meridians and are particularly good at causing miscarriage, hence their ability to promote labor." Bencao Gangmu also says: "Sea horses are often used for difficult labor." Shiwu Zhongyao yu Bianfang also introduces: "For women experiencing weak uterine contractions and difficult labor: Cook one sea horse, add half a cup of warm yellow wine, and drink it." Therefore, pregnant women should avoid eating sea horses during the early and middle stages of pregnancy.
Sea Dragon Sea dragons have properties similar to sea horses. Bencao Gangmu Liyao states: "Sea dragons are twice as effective as sea horses in promoting labor." Therefore, pregnant women should avoid taking sea dragons unless they are in labor or experiencing difficult labor.
Crab Claws Crab claws can disperse blood stasis and unblock meridians. Bie Lu records that crab claws can break the placenta and cause miscarriage. Bencao Gangmu also says they can cause miscarriage of a living fetus and expel a dead fetus. Therefore, women should avoid eating them during pregnancy.
Eel Eels are neutral in nature, sweet in taste, and can replenish deficiency. They are also a high-protein, high-fat food. Medieval physicians believed that eels could cause wind. Wang Shiyong, a food physician during the Qing Dynasty, also thought that excessive consumption of eels could promote heat and cause illness. Suxi Ju Yinshi Jishipu states: "Pregnant women should avoid eating them, as they may be greasy, produce phlegm, promote heat, cause wind, and harm fetal qi."
Hawthorn Hawthorn is known as tangzhu or shanlihong. Because it can activate blood circulation and dispel stagnation, it is extremely harmful to pregnant women and can even cause miscarriage. Therefore, pregnant women should strictly avoid eating it.
Eggplant According to ancient experience, pregnant women should avoid eating eggplant. Bencao Qujin states: "Eggplant has a sweet taste and is cold in nature, slippery, and beneficial. If pregnant women eat it, it is especially harmful." Shiyin Xunzhi also believes that eating eggplant after autumn can damage eyesight and that women may not be able to conceive if they eat it. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid eating it or eat it cautiously.
Portulaca Oleracea Also known as portulaca, it is cold and slippery, so pregnant women, especially those with a history of habitual abortion, should avoid it during the early stages of pregnancy. Bencao Zhengyi states: "It can also enter the blood and break stasis." Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty also believed that portulaca could disperse blood, reduce swelling, promote bowel movements, and cause miscarriage. Modern clinical practice has shown that portulaca can cause uterine smooth muscle contraction. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid eating portulaca, but it is an exception before labor, as consuming large amounts of portulaca can actually be beneficial for a smooth delivery.
Amaranthus Also known as huafucai, luokui, or xiyangcai. It is cold and slippery, with the drawback of cooling blood and promoting laxation. Nanning City Herbal warns: "Pregnant women should avoid it." Especially in the early stages of pregnancy and for those with habitual abortion (known in traditional Chinese medicine as huatai), they should avoid it even more.
Sagittaria Sagittaria has an effect of activating blood. Suxi Ju Yinshi Jishipu clearly states: "Sagittaria is specifically good at breaking blood, promoting urination, causing miscarriage, and benefiting orifices. Excessive consumption can cause blood issues, and pregnant women should especially avoid it." Rihua Ziben also warns that pregnant women should not eat it. Especially in the early stages of pregnancy and for those with a history of habitual abortion, they should avoid it even more. Since blood-activating and blood-breaking foods are all harmful to pregnancy, pregnant women should avoid them.
Pepper Pepper is a pungent, hot, and irritating food. Bencao Jingxi states: "Pepper has a pungent taste and is extremely warm. Although it is not toxic, excessive consumption can be harmful." Suxi Ju Yinshi Jishipu emphasizes: "Excessive consumption can stir fire, dry fluids, deplete qi and yin, break blood, and cause miscarriage. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid it." Therefore, pregnant women should not eat too much pepper.
Sichuan Peppercorns Sichuan peppercorns are warm in nature, pungent in taste, and were considered slightly toxic by ancient physicians. According to ancient experience, pregnant women should not eat too much Sichuan peppercorns. Suxi Ju Yinshi Jishipu states: "Excessive consumption can stir fire and cause miscarriage." Zhongyao Da Cidian also clearly warns: "Pregnant women should use it with caution."
Baijiu Also known as shaojiu. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty believed that shaojiu was a pure yang toxic substance, similar to fire. Wang Mengying of the Qing Dynasty also said: "shaojiu is fiery and hot, and it can ignite upon contact with fire. If pregnant women drink it, it can deplete fetal qi. It is advised that pregnant women should not drink alcohol." Even for newlyweds, if they enter the bedroom after drinking alcohol, they may inadvertently conceive a child with deformities or low intelligence. In Western countries, some children born to couples who drink excessively during weekend vacations are called "Sunday children."
Coffee Coffee is warm in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, and its caffeine is harmful to fetal development. It may lead to reduced muscle tone in infants, poor limb mobility, and even mental retardation or idiocy. At the same time, coffee can also increase the risk of miscarriage for pregnant women. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the risk of miscarriage for pregnant women who drink coffee is 22% higher than for those who do not, and the impact is greater during pregnancy than before. Therefore, pregnant women should strictly avoid drinking too much coffee.
Eggplant Pregnant women should eat eggplant during labor because it is slippery and can promote labor. Bencao Gangmu states: "Eggplant can cause miscarriage." Shiyin Xunzhi also says: "Eggplant can cause miscarriage, and eating it during the last month can make labor easier." Therefore, pregnant women should eat it most appropriately during the last month of pregnancy. However, it should be noted that eggplant is slippery, so it should be avoided in early pregnancy. Diannan Bencao states that it can unblock meridians and expel blood stasis. Bencao Yanyi Buwei also points out that eggplant can expel blood and enter the blood, and it is good at moving. This indicates that it is better not to eat it in the early stages of pregnancy, especially for those with a tendency to abort or a history of habitual abortion.
Kelp Research shows that a lack of iodine in pregnant women can affect fetal development, leading to low intelligence. Therefore, pregnant women should eat some kelp to supplement iodine in their bodies. However, it should be noted that if pregnant women consume too much kelp, excessive iodine can cause thyroid development disorders in the fetus, which can have a negative impact on the fetus and may lead to hypothyroidism in infants after birth. This is like the saying, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."
Cinnamon Also known as rougui. It is extremely hot in nature, pungent and sweet, and can warm the body and replenish fire, but it also has the drawback of breaking blood and causing miscarriage. As Yaoxing Lun states, it can promote menstrual flow and treat retained placenta. Bencao Gangmu also says that cinnamon is pungent and dispersing, can promote the uterus and break blood, so Bie Lu mentions its ability to cause miscarriage. De Pai Bencao also clearly warns: "Pregnant women, postpartum blood heat, and the four are forbidden." Therefore, pregnant women should strictly avoid eating it.
During pregnancy, women are generally advised to avoid fatty animal products such as lard, pig oil, and chicken oil; spicy and irritating foods such as chili peppers, cloves, fennel, onions, ginger, mustard, tobacco, and alcohol; extremely cold foods such as persimmons, persimmon cakes, snails, river snails, crabs, clams, and various chilled drinks; overly salty foods such as salted fish, pickled vegetables, pickled vegetables, and salted meat; and foods that deplete qi and activate blood such as betel nuts, kumquats, raw radishes, luokui, strong tea, cocoa, sea dragons, and sea horses.
During the stage of morning sickness, women should also avoid sweet foods such as candies, fermented glutinous rice, preserved fruits, malt sugar, white sugar, rock sugar, honey, and desserts; sticky and greasy foods such as glutinous rice, rice cakes, longan meat, lychees, and jujubes; and difficult-to-digest foods such as snails, river snails, and clam meat.
For those experiencing fetal movement instability and bleeding, they should also avoid cold and cooling foods such as chencai, faliai, spinach, jundaicai, juhuacai, eggplant, celery, raw cucumbers, shengceguwa, watermelon, sweet potatoes, mung beans, snails, crabs, persimmons, persimmon cakes, and bananas; foods that deplete qi and activate blood such as luocai, faliai, spinach, jundaicai, juhuacai, cinnamon, kelp, sea dragons, sea horses, and cinnamon; and spicy and irritating foods such as chili peppers, pepper, fennel, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and mustard.
For pregnant women with edema, the main thing to avoid is salt and overly salty foods.