Here are six dietary taboos that pregnant women should pay attention to.
Avoid overeating spicy food
Pregnant women can eat hot pot, but they should avoid eating too much spicy and briefly heated hot pot. Eating too much spicy hot pot may induce heat-type constipation. Some people like to briefly heat the ingredients in order to ensure their tenderness. However, brief heating cannot kill parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii eggs that may be present in these foods. The larvae of these parasites can penetrate the intestinal wall and spread throughout the body through the bloodstream. Therefore, pregnant women should not overindulge in hot pot, and if they do, they should thoroughly heat the ingredients before eating.
Avoid overeating raw and cold food
Eating too much cold food during pregnancy can cause loss of appetite, indigestion, diarrhea, and even gastric spasms leading to severe abdominal pain, which is not beneficial to the fetus. The fetus is also sensitive to cold stimuli, which can cause restlessness and frequent fetal movements. In addition, indulging in raw and cold food for a long time may lead to yang deficiency in the body, which can have a significant impact on the pregnant woman's health.
Avoid excessive salt intake
If the alkaline content of salt in food is too high, it will increase the burden on the kidneys of pregnant women, leading to high blood pressure, edema, and other conditions such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, especially in the middle and late stages of pregnancy. Food should be as light as possible, and in necessary situations, a salt-free diet should be adopted.
Avoid blind consumption of tonifying food
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, longan and ginseng are considered to be sweet and warm, with a strong heating effect. Some pregnant women may already have yin deficiency and yang excess, so eating longan will only worsen the situation, causing a sudden rise in internal heat, which can lead to threatened miscarriage. Ginseng should also be taken in appropriate amounts under the guidance of a doctor.
Avoid excessive consumption of refined food
Pregnant women should consume more coarsely processed food because they contain various trace elements (chromium, manganese, zinc, etc.) and vitamins B1 and B6 that are essential for the body. These nutrients are often lost during the refining process. If pregnant women only consume refined rice and flour, they are more likely to suffer from nutritional deficiencies.
Avoid excessive tea consumption, especially strong tea
Tea leaves contain 2% to 5% caffeine, and excessive caffeine intake can stimulate increased fetal movement and even harm the growth and development of the fetus. Tea leaves also contain a large amount of tannic acid, which can combine with iron to form a complex that cannot be absorbed by the body. This may cause anemia in pregnant women and also hinder fetal growth. Therefore, pregnant women are advised to avoid drinking strong tea. If pregnant women enjoy drinking tea, it is best to consume a small amount of weak tea.
