Your TCM Pregnancy Diet

If you think Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is all about health-boosting herbs like dang gui (angelica root) and wolfberries, think again. TCM is really about advocating balance, says senior physician Zhong Xi Ming who practices at Eu Yan Sang TCM Centre for Reproductive Health at Paragon.

For instance, in the first trimester of pregnancy, a woman’s body temperature will increase, causing her body constitution to be “heaty”. So, mums-to-be should consume more foods with cooling properties (see table).

While it’s important to eat well, “it is advisable not to implement too many changes to one’s diet so as to allow the body time to adapt,” she says.
In this second of a two-part series on pregnancy diet and nutrition, she suggests some easy recipes on managing prenatal peeves like morning sickness and constipation. Always consult a TCM physician for a more definite diagnosis and treatment, and check with your gynae before starting on any TCM medication.

TCM solutions:
I can’t keep food down
I’m constipated
How TCM classifies food