In many parts of our country, women have to rest for one month after giving birth, which is commonly known as “confinement”. Many people think that this month should not only be a big fish and big meat, but also abide by various taboos.
People used to say: [If you don’t pay attention to maintenance during the month, you will leave many diseases in the future]. In recent years, there have also been some advertisements on the market, claiming that they can help parturients recuperate.
[Magic] Is the Monthly Meal Worth Buying? What are the dietary taboos for confinement?
Is the monthly meal worth buying?
Businessmen have developed all kinds of monthly meal products. In fact, the aim is to restore the body of the parturient as soon as possible through diet. No matter how well the promotion of the monthly meal is, the key is to design it scientifically and reasonably.
If the diet of the monthly meal is reasonable, from the perspective of convenience and time saving, as long as conditions permit, buy buy is completely possible. However, if the design is unreasonable, it will not only have no what benefits for the recovery of the parturient’s body, but also have bad effects, which is totally a waste of money.
However, there are many products on the market, and the quality is mixed. If you want to buy, you’d better consult a nutrition doctor or professional nutritionist (not a monthly meal salesperson) and choose a product that suits you.
However, if conditions permit, also have the ability and time, completely can choose to cook at home. Not to mention that it is in line with one’s own taste, it is easier to ensure the safety and hygiene of the production method and food materials. As long as the food is diverse and the nutrition is balanced, it is also completely able to meet the nutritional needs of the confinement period.
Some people want to ask, what nutrition does confinement need? Don’t worry, let’s continue to talk.
Does confinement need a big supplement?
The Chinese all attach great importance to the nutrition supply in the [confinement], which may be a habit inherited from the previous era of insufficient food supply.
The so-called [confinement] usually refers to a period of time from the delivery of the fetus to the recovery of the parturient’s body, which usually takes 6-8 weeks. [confinement] is only a traditional common name, and this period of time is medically called puerperium.
The nutrition required during the puerperal period will indeed be higher, which is almost the highest level in a woman’s life. The main reason is that during this period of time, the parturient will not only recover from the body, but also prepare food rations (milk) for the baby.
However, the need for more nutrition does not mean that big fish and big meat are needed to supplement it.
Nutritional demand increases, with emphasis on balanced diet.
Although more nutrition is needed during the confinement period, this does not mean that as long as you eat more than a few kinds of food, you should pay more attention to balanced nutrition. If you only blindly supplement a single kind of food, it will not promote the recovery of the body, but will not be conducive to the health of the parturient.
In fact, many parturients have unreasonable nutrition caused by improper diet.
For example, some places think that the confinement child should eat more brown sugar eggs, so every household prepares brown sugar eggs for the parturient at every meal, which eventually leads to excessive intake of eggs and brown sugar. There are also claims that confinement cannot eat cold food, resulting in insufficient intake of milk, fruits and vegetables for many parturients, resulting in malnutrition.
Some studies show that 18% of women never eat vegetables, 78.79% never eat fruits and 75.66% never drink milk during confinement. Some parturients eat more brown sugar, accounting for 25.06% with a daily intake of more than 100g of brown sugar and a maximum of 400g per day, and only pay attention to nutrition in the first month after delivery.
Most of the dietary taboos during the confinement period have no basis.
We often hear all kinds of statements about eating what or not eating what during confinement.
For example, in most areas of North and Northeast China, according to the traditional practice, only millet gruel and eggs can be eaten during confinement. In South China, especially in many places in southern Fujian, confinement must eat sesame oil chicken, biochemical soup and oil rice. What is more interesting is that in many places in Henan, confinement children have to drink [cock soup], while Guizhou’s custom is to drink [hen soup], and in Guangzhou they have to eat ginger vinegar pig feet every day. Is confinement really so taboo?
In fact, most of these dietary taboos in puerperal period lack scientific basis. China’s 2013 edition of residents’ dietary guidelines believe that puerperal diet should adhere to diversified balanced diet, in order to meet the principle of nutrition, and there is no special taboo in what.
What really needs to be paid attention to during the confinement period is food safety. Don’t eat half-baked beef and eggs. In addition, women who need breast-feeding should also avoid alcohol and tobacco and avoid drinking too much strong tea and coffee.
Nutrition tips for confinement
Having said so much unreliable, let’s take a look at how to eat during the confinement period.
1. Eat more meat and eggs in an appropriate amount to ensure sufficient high-quality protein.
Animal foods such as meat (pork, beef, chicken, fish) and eggs are rich in protein and have high absorption rate, so they are called high-quality protein.
Generally speaking, the new mother can have 150 grams of meat and 1 egg in her daily diet, which can basically meet the demand for protein during puerperium when combined with her daily diet.
2. Drink plenty of milk and soup
If breast-feeding is required during the confinement period, the demand for calcium will increase. Milk contains high calcium content and is easy to absorb. It is suggested that new mothers should drink 500 milliliters of milk every day.
Many new mothers worry about the problem of insufficient milk. In fact, the amount of water they drink every day is closely related to the amount of milk secretion. When drinking insufficient water, the amount of milk secretion will decrease. Therefore, new mothers who need breast-feeding during the confinement period should drink more soup. But remember, don’t drink too greasy soup, or remove the oil from the soup before drinking.
3. Eat plenty but not too much
According to our country’s tradition, confinement requires more food, because you not only need to recover, but also need to breast-feed your baby.
In fact, the confinement period diet also needs a proper amount, eating too much big fish and big meat will not have the benefits of what. Excessive protein and fat intake will increase the burden on the digestive system and kidney, and will also affect the amount of other foods eaten by parturients, which is easy to cause imbalance in nutrition. Therefore, puerperal diet should pay attention to balanced diversity, but not too much.
New mothers need to be specially reminded that if they cannot breast-feed for various reasons, the calories needed for breast-feeding need not be considered in their diet, so they should eat less than breast-fed mothers.
4. Pay Attention to Vegetables and Fruits
Many places in our country spread the custom of not eating vegetables, fruits and other raw and cold food after delivery. In fact, the custom of not eating vegetables and fruits during puerperium is very unhealthy.
Fresh vegetables and fruits contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other components, which can stimulate appetite, increase intestinal peristalsis, prevent constipation and promote milk secretion. They are indispensable food for parturients.
Puerperal period of the new mother is in the recovery period, because before bed rest for a long time, abdominal muscle relaxation, less exercise, easy constipation. If you don’t eat fruit at all, it will not only increase the occurrence of constipation, but also cause the lack of some micronutrients, affect the content of vitamins and minerals in milk, and further affect the health of the baby.
Therefore, it is recommended to eat 300-500g of vegetables and 200-400g of fruits every day during the confinement period.
5. Scientific Exercise and Life
Some old ideas hold that [confinement] should eat more and move less in order to keep fit. In fact, more and more studies show that proper exercise after delivery is more conducive to physical recovery and can also help new mothers recover as soon as possible.