Healthy Food During Pregnancy as per Ayurveda

Nutritious food is very necessary for a pregnant woman. A pregnant woman requires 80 thousand extra calories in order to give birth to a healthy child because around 300 additional calories are spent everyday during pregnancy, which is equal to the amount of calories present in a glassful of low fat milk, a bread slice, and an apple.

Calcium rich food should be taken during pregnancy. Calcium prevents high blood pressure in a pregnant woman. A woman should drink two to three glasses of low fat milk during pregnancy. She should take it before, during pregnancy and after delivery.

Cook rice or barley in milk instead of water to get sufficient amount of calcium. Eat calcium rich things, as during pregnancy 1000 mg of calcium is required everyday.

The pregnant woman should avoid constipation and therefore she should drink more water, as it is also beneficial for the child growing inside the womb. Drink at least eight glasses of water during the day. Drink water before and after meals. Skimmed milk or fruit juice is also beneficial.

A pregnant woman also requires iron during these days. She should take protein rich food, dry beans, green peas etc. Iron is difficult to add in the food but it is very important. Eat iron rich food as much as possible. Cook vegetables in iron pans and take, iron tablets etc.

Avoid fish, and meat during pregnancy, as it could be harmful for the child. Reduce tea and coffee or completely avoid it as it reduces the weight of the child and leads to several other problems.

Different types of meat contain bacteria called hysteria, which could be dangerous for the health of the child growing inside the womb.

Fat is useful only when it is prepared from pasteurized milk. The child growing inside the womb depends on the food intake of its mother. Do not eat such foods which will have an adverse affect on the child’s health in order to reduce the intake of carbohydrates. The child will not get sufficient nutrition. Eat green leafy vegetables and a variety of things during pregnancy to get all types of minerals and vitamins.

Anaemia During Pregnancy:

The hemoglobin level reduces in the blood, and brings down the oxygen level in the body causing a lady to feel fatigued. In addition to this, she remains stressed, irritable, restless, emotional, angry, has dry skin, dry hair and loss of concentration. The main reason for anemia is the absence of sufficient nutritional elements in the food necessary for the formation of blood. Half a cup of rice has 0.5 mg of iron and one-cup of milk has 0.1 mg iron. Whereas a woman loses 28 mg iron everyday during menstruation.

Food During Pregnancy:

A woman should choose pregnancy only when she is having good health. She should try to improve her digestive system. Take hot lemon water with honey, raw vegetables, especially carrot, cucumber, gourd, spinach, white gourd juice, vegetable juice, fruits, raisins, dry dates, vegetable soup. This improves the digestion process.

After Conceiving Food Should be as Follows:

• Take lukewarm lemon water with honey or take a fruit or vegetable juice.
• Take four to five almonds and 20 to 25 gm raisins, three to four dry dates along with milk and half a cup of fruit (apple, papaya and pear etc.) at 9 a.m
• Take fruit juice or raw vegetable soup at noon.
• Take lunch at 1.30 p.m, which should include chapatti made with whole wheat flour, salad, vegetable, curd (yoghurt), etc. Take salad in good quantity.
• Take some fruit at 5 p.m or fruit juice or lukewarm lemon water with honey.
• Take vegetable soup at 7.30 p.m.
• Take lentils, vegetable, salad and one or two chapattis at 8 p.m or fruit and vegetable soup, and drink milk at bedtime. Take vegetable soup after a half hour of eating fruits.
• Take something in between if hungry, like fruits, juice, etc.
• Do not take tea or coffee, or take it only once daily.
• A woman should not take food in excess but it should be rich in vitamins and minerals, and nutritious.

Daily Routine During Pregnancy:

The woman should be careful during pregnancy, as there are chances of miscarriage. She should take regular massage for hands and legs since laborious work is not possible.

A pregnant woman should always be happy and avoid tough work. She should avoid fast walking, lifting weight, standing for long hours, climbing up the stairs, jumping, cycling, dancing, swimming, etc. she can do some light household work.

To Beget a Healthy Child:

• The pregnant woman should take two oranges during afternoon from first to eighth month.
• She should take half to one-gram linseed vanshlochan powder at bedtime for the first three to four months once she is tested positive for pregnancy. This helps in begetting a healthy child and also helps her remain strong. It also avoids chances of miscarriage. The lady should eat vanshlochan as much as possible with sugar candy and coconut. It overcomes weakness during pregnancy and keeps the child healthy and disease free.
• The pregnant woman should chew aniseed daily after meals during the pregnancy.
• She should drink 60 gm fresh grape juice twice daily to make the child healthy and strong. The child will be beautiful and the mother will remain free of faints, giddiness, dental pain, cramps, swelling, acidity and constipation. She should take one myrobalan marmalade everyday to beget a healthy child. It also maintains good health of the mother.

Yogic Cure:

Regular exercise is necessary after conceiving. It prevents miscarriage and also reduces labour pain.

Before pregnancy – Chakrasana, Paschimottasana, Yog Mudra, sputa Vajrasana, Shalabhasana, Dhanurasana, Hastpadotasana, Pavanmuktasana, Halasana, Sarvangasana, shalabhasana, Shavasana should be practiced to gain physical and mental health. Kapalbhati, Shitali, Nadi shodhan and Agnisar kriya should be practiced during this period.

After pregnancy – A pregnant woman can do exercise up to three to four months after conceiving, which include Paschimottasana, Ardhamatysendrasana, Vajrasana, Suptavajrasana, Hastpadotasana, Makarasana, Halasana for special benefit. Stop the practice of these asanas after three months and do light household work. 

Amazing Ayurveda Diet for the Nine Months of Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a wondrous time in a woman’s life. The precious nine months after conception have tremendous impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of the mother and child. One must aim to provide a caring and comforting surrounding at this time. The different phases of pregnancy are divided into trimesters, wherein the needs of the mother and developing fetus are very specific. In the ancient holistic health system of Ayurveda there is a dedicated section regarding pregnancy care. This known as Garbhini Parichaya and has a month by month rendering of traditional care techniques pertaining to ahara (diet), vihara (lifestyle), nidra (sleep) and vichara (thinking). All of these affect maternal health, fetal development as well as lactation and the ability to recover swiftly after childbirth.

The diet is most central to pregnancy. As per Ayurveda the ahara-rasa or energy from the mother’s diet serves certain important functions. One is that the mother herself is nourished to sustain a nurturing womb. The second benefit is that the food aids the fetus to grow and third is the formation of milk in the breasts. Thus, pregnant women need a balanced diet with great nutritional value. Negligence may bear a hefty price as nutrient depravation during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, premature delivery and the birthing of even underweight malnourished infants.

The suggested Ayurveda diet is more or less in line with modern medicine recommended for pregnancy with high proteins, vitamins and minerals. A fundamental dietary rule is eating timely meals that are easy to digest. Food should be eaten warm after being freshly prepared. During the first trimester the fetus is in its formative state. During this time the embryo is nurtured directly through percolation or upsnehan. Hence, more liquid foods consisting of milk, soups, coconut water and juices are recommended. There are certain Ayurveda concoctions that are essential during pregnancy.

Warm milk and a light diet must be followed during the first month. Milk is an ideal food as it is a source of calcium, lactose and butter fat, along with proteins which have anabolic properties. In cases one doesn’t like the taste of milk then it can be flavored with a powder mix of cardamom, almond, dry ginger etc. Pregnant women should never be constipated and two glasses a day is ideal. Milk makes sure that this doesn’t happen.

During the second and third month, medicated milk is important as it comprises of life budding herbs such as vidari (morning glory), brahmi (bacopa), shatavari (asparagus) and yashtimadhu (licorice). The milk can be laced with honey and medicated ghee (grita), especially during the third month. One can also get powdered supplements with these herbs. Brahmi particularly is important as it is said to be a sustainer of life force and also calms the nerves. By the end of the first trimester the fetus depicts physical and sensory development. The heartbeat is audible and motor actions also get activated.

During the next trimester consisting of the fourth, fifth and sixth months, the food reaches the baby via the umbilical chord and not through percolation like before. A healthy diet such as rice, leafy vegetables, milk, medicated ghee, pulses, nuts etc. can be consumed. Fruits of yellow and orange color like gooseberry, apples, orange, carrots etc. can be enjoyed as well as salads or juices.

The fourth month is when the body tissues or dhatus are formed. It is at this time that one is advised to include more of unsalted butter and crystal sugar into the diet. Through the fifth month one should up the number of spoons of ghee to a minimum of at least 7-8 spoons. It should be unadulterated cow’s ghee. This is the stage of blood and muscle formation. In the sixth month the fatty tissue is formed. It’s ideal for medicated ghee with sweetened herbs like licorice and shatavari. This can be consumed early in the morning on an empty stomach. The same regimen can be continued through the first month of the next trimester i.e. the seventh month.

In the course of the seventh month the fetal growth is complete. The organs are defined and skin, nails and hair start to appear. The baby needs the proper nutrition even more at this stage to gain strength. Fat, salt and water can be lessened. Rice kanji with ghee is a superb diet at this time. Basil or tulsi which has anti-spasmodic properties can be used in garnishing food and in salads. One can also try other herbs like ginseng and sariba that act as mild diuretics and urinary antiseptics. From the fourth to the seventh month herbal supplements like guduchi and ashwagandha must be consumed by the mother. These fortify the embryo while strengthening the uterine muscles. They also prevent any kind of dangerous intrauterine growth retardation. Another popular medicinal supplement is kaunch beej or velvet bean.

By the eighth month the mother can consume sweet preparations of rice puddings, wheat vermicelli and semolina halwa. This kind of gruel can be eaten once a day. The pregnant lady can also indulge in 2-3 helpings of calcium rich foods every day. This includes soya beans, raisins, dates, green leafy veggies, guavas etc. The mother can also try out anuvasan basti, an herbal enema under the Panchakarma. This is important for the fetus to acquire a normal position and to attain a suitable state in preparation for labor.

Different types of ghee are an integral part of a pregnant women’s diet. Women can try phala sarpis, a type of medicated ghee concoction from the first month itself. One can also try dadimadi ghritam for growth of the fetus and kalyanaka gritam for mental stimulus of the baby in the womb. At the time of delivery sukhaprasava ghee is ideal as it helps in an easy delivery of the baby.

These are some of the amazing dietary secrets of 5,000 years of child bearing by strong and healthy women. Today, such kinds of herbal food concepts are quickly gaining popularity again due to the great healing significance attached.