Supporting one's husband and raising children is the traditional standard for Chinese women. After getting married and having children, many women often have no time to take care of themselves. Coupled with factors like age and childbirth, their figures and skin complexion are inevitably affected.
However, Wang Yi, director of the Diet and Nutrition Department at Beijing Guang'anmen Hospital, says: "Who says that having a baby means joining the ranks of 'yellow-faced old women'?" As a nutritionist and a beautiful mother herself, Wang Yi shares some of her dietary insights with all mothers, stating that through a proper diet, one can retain their youth while maintaining good health. Postpartum mushroom soup
Mothers should focus on gradual and gentle supplementation during their postpartum confinement (the first month after childbirth).
Many women drink a lot of rich, nourishing soups to stimulate lactation and replenish their energy after giving birth.
In fact, this is not advisable. Stimulating lactation right after childbirth should be done with caution. One should not immediately consume highly nutritious soups like pig's trotter soup or ginseng chicken soup. This is because newborns eat very little at first, and consuming galactagogues (lactation-promoting foods) can instead lead to blocked or insufficient milk supply. Therefore, it is sufficient to moderately increase the intake of soups on the basis of a normal diet. After three days, one can start drinking nourishing soups. When simmering the soups, be sure to skim off the floating oil. This not only prevents gastrointestinal discomfort in the baby but also helps the mother maintain her figure.
When making soups postpartum, try to use fewer supplements. Generally, simmering soups follows the principle that "medicine and food share the same source," but the amount and variety of medicinal ingredients should not be excessive, and the use of supplements like ginseng, astragalus, and angelica is not recommended. Relatively speaking, ingredients like longan, chestnuts, and mushrooms are more suitable for soups. Due to significant blood loss and high energy expenditure after childbirth, one can eat more foods that nourish blood, invigorate blood circulation, replenish qi, and strengthen the spleen, such as brown sugar, donkey-hide gelatin dates, goji berries, and Chinese yam.
Older people often believe that new mothers, being weak after childbirth, should not eat too many raw or cold foods. However, fresh vegetables and fruits are the best foods for replenishing vitamins. Insufficient intake can lead to vitamin deficiency, which is actually detrimental to health. Don't take too many nutritional supplements
Regardless of whether they are young or middle-aged mothers, women should pay attention to food diversity. Each dish should be substantial in quantity and rich in color. It is best to apply the principle of five-color matching: black, green, red, yellow, and white should all appear on the dining table as much as possible. This not only stimulates the appetite but also provides balanced nutrition. The foods can also aid each other's metabolism and digestion, while also solving many women's dietary preferences. Over the long term, this will naturally lead to a slender figure and a radiant, bright complexion.
It is also important to remind all mothers not to rely on nutritional supplements to lose weight instead of eating regular meals. Following the body's metabolic规律 and consuming natural foods is the correct choice. Morning is a time of renewal, and the body's metabolism is high. Breakfast should be as abundant and varied as possible, ideally including staple foods, milk, vegetables, fruits, and poultry eggs to maximize nutrient intake and absorption. The amount of lunch and dinner should be relatively reduced, especially dinner. Eat less meat, sweets, and fried foods for dinner. You can drink some light noodle or rice soup, but not salty soup, to reduce the body's burden during nighttime rest. Two blood-nourishing dishes for you
Finally, I would like to recommend a few simple and easy-to-make medicinal meals suitable for mothers who are in their postpartum confinement or are deficient in both qi and blood.
Red Date and Goji Berry Hen Soup: Use one old hen, clean it, add several red dates, an appropriate amount of goji berries, and a few slices of ginger. Simmer and eat to replenish qi and invigorate blood. Papaya Fish Soup: Use one carp or sea bass, peel and cube about 200 grams of papaya, and add it to the fish to simmer together. You can also add a little shiitake mushroom or other fungi. It is delicious and nutritious. Other options include stir-fried celery with goji berries and Chinese yam, and longan and jujube peanut porridge. These are all foods that nourish both blood and qi. Regular consumption can replenish energy and restore a healthy complexion.
How do mothers abroad supplement their diets?
Health and beauty are not just for young girls. Foreign mothers also have their own secrets to maintaining a slim figure and a beautiful appearance. USA: Organic food is popular
By Guo Yihong, special correspondent for this newspaper in the USA: Although Mrs. Jeanne Cabot is a mother of two, at 45, she looks barely over 30. Her secret to staying young is eating only organic food. Every weekend, Mrs. Cabot goes to a supermarket specializing in organic foods to shop for items like wild salmon, organic milk, organic eggs, organic beef, and uncontaminated organic vegetables, fruits, and nuts. The organic food not only gives Mrs. Cabot a healthy body but also a refined way of eating, which is her secret to maintaining a slim figure. "It's hard to imagine a woman who doesn't care about food quality having an elegant figure." France: Drink lemon water before meals to stay slim
By Tang Huiying, special correspondent for this newspaper in France: Mireille Guiliano, President and CEO of the world's second-largest champagne producer, has done in-depth research into the French diet. In her best-selling book "French Women Don't Get Fat," she cites an interesting anecdote.
For French women, even if their figures change after childbirth, it doesn't dampen their enthusiasm for enjoying good food, because they have a way to "eat and get thinner." When 32-year-old Laura gave birth to her baby, her weight reached 140 jin (70 kg). Without reducing her food intake, she drank a glass of lemon water before each meal and a glass of red wine after. Lemon is great for weight loss, while red wine can give the face a healthy glow. Normally, Laura also loves plums, which French women consider the best detoxifying food, believing it can purify the body and supplement trace elements. In less than a year, Laura's weight returned to her pre-pregnancy 110 jin (55 kg).
In addition, to get rid of unsightly stretch marks, Laura eats fresh salmon every day. The fat in fish is less than in meat, and it has lower calories, making it less likely to cause weight gain. Furthermore, the collagen rich in fish and fish skin is the best "nutrient" for the skin.