Many women have problems with constipation and ventosity upon being pregnant. These pregnancy discomforts mostly result from improper diet, taking too many dietary supplements, or stop eating vegetables in fear of cold. Stomach health is extremely important for pregnant women according to the Chinese medicine theory, which emphasize that the first thing to make a healthy diet is to figure out the properties of different food, and then select the right food based on personal body constitution.
There is a popular saying in Chinese medicine that eating more apples helps eutocia, and that kiwis are too cold for pregnant women. Many people are not aware of the cold and hot properties of fruit. In fact, we should use different properties of fruits to strike a balance in our body.
The features of cold body constitutions are cold hands and feet, easy to have loose bowels, and preferring hot drinks, while those of deficient body constitution are infirm, wet hands, and sweating a lot at night. People in hot conditions have constipation, always feel thirsty and like cold drinks. And people in dry constitution feel thirsty and dry, and have empty cough without phlegm. Different kinds of body constitution fit different kinds of food. And it will cause passive influence on your body if you eat improperly.
Most women have problems of constipation and flatulence during mid and late pregnancy. Kiwis are not cold, but sour cool, and fit those with hot and dry body constitution. Green Kiwis are good for digestion and increasing appetite; while yellow kiwis are sweet and warm, fit those with cold, deficient or general body constitution. In general, kiwis help to solve problems such as edema and vitamin deficiency during pregnancy.
Chinese doctors suggest that most fruits are beneficial to our body, unless you eat them randomly regardless of its properties and your own body condition. It is especially important for mothers-to-be to learn properties of fruits and choose what is right for themselves. It is better to eat right than eat a lot. And both yellow and green kiwis are good for removing heat, quenching thirst, improving digestion and strengthening the stomach. Green kiwis also save you from constipation and are one of the most recommended foods for pregnant women.
It should be noted that eating specific fruits have been known to be harmful to pregnant women during the first 3 months of pregnancy due to their cold nature. This includes mango in particular, which despite its growth in primarily warm and tropical areas of the world, is cold in nature. Watermelon also falls into this category so it is best if these fruits are avoided during the first three months of pregnancy. Following that period women can continue eating them but it is recommended in small portions.
Meanwhile, in terms of tea it is recommended that women avoid tea that is high in Qi or energy or caffeine as it may stimulate pregnancy. The same goes for coffee. In fact it is often recommended that pregnant women stay away from tea and coffee in general but a small does of green tea or oolong won’t from time to time is fine.