Your body is amazing, it supported a new life for nine months, and then overcame a physical task unlike any other, to give birth to your beautiful baby. Now, your body is producing milk and adjusting to new hormones, sleep deprivation, and new routines. In many cultures, including Asian cultures, it is expected that during the postpartum period women rest and bond with the baby; while her family takes care of all the other daily responsibilities primarily providing nourishing meals. Much of the recovery is due to nourishing foods that replenishes the woman’s energy ( Qi) and blood.
Although we may not be so fortunate to have family and friends tend to all our needs for 100 days like in China, we can ensure that we are eating well. Below is a list of foods that will build your qi and blood and promote healing and recovery:
âą Oat porridge with dates
âą Roast sweet potatoes, pumpkin and yams with rosemary
âą Chicken stir fry with shitake mushrooms and rice
âą Shepherds pie with beef mince, mushrooms, carrots and mashed potato as a topping
âą Peanut Satay sauce with chicken or meat on rice
âą Potato and egg salad
âą Tuna fish pie made with hard boiled eggs and served with mashed potatoes and peas
âą Stir fired Tofu, eggplant and mushrooms with sesame seeds on rice
âą Home made muesli slice with honey and dates
âą Rice porridge with Soy milk, apricots and almonds
âą Dark leafy green salads with avocado and grated beetroot
âą Warm chicken salad with artichoke and grapes
âą Chicken mushroom casserole served with rice
âą Scrambled Eggs with parsley
âą Chicken, avocado and watercress sandwiches
âą Mussel Chowder with calamari
âą Kidney bean and mushroom lasagna with a spinach salad
âą Any red meat dish.
(Note the maximum recommended intake of meat in traditional Chinese medicine is 2 â4 oz per serving, 3 â7 times a week).
Cooking methods are also an important consideration, as slowly or lightly cooked foods are seen as more nourishing and kinder to the digestive system. The vital difference between using raw oats in muesli and consuming oats cooked in porridge, or having a lettuce salad instead of stir cooked vegetables. This is the reason why soups (especially chicken), are considered so nourishing in those initial postnatal weeks.
Congee
A congee is traditional Chinese medicinal porridge made from rice or barley. It is seen as a powerful therapeutic food for strengthening digestion, boasting energy and aiding in the recovery from illness.
A basic congee can be made from using one cup of grain to 6- 9 cups of water or chicken stock.
âą The amount of liquid you use will determine the thickness of the porridge, which can be thick like an oat porridge or watery like a soup, depending on your preference.
âą Polished rice is usually used, however sweet (glutinous rice) can be used to give a sweeter tasting congee
To prepare, simply rinse the rice thoroughly and place with the liquid in a crockpot overnight (on low heat). Or simmer in a heavy pot on a low heat for 4-6 hrs, stirring frequently.
To this basic recipe any combination of Chinese red dates, black dates, cinnamon, cardamonn, fresh ginger, chicken, pork or mushrooms can be added for flavour and medicinal properties. Suggestions include
âą Use sweet glutinous rice cooked with apricots or black dates and a little cinnamon for a sweet warming Qi and Blood tonifing congee
âą Add fresh Shiitake mushrooms cooked with a little garlic to a plain cooked rice congee, topping with freshly chopped spring onion for a warming savoury Qi and Blood building congee
âą Grind 25 grams of black sesame seeds, add to the uncooked rice and cook as a normal congee for a blood building congee
âą Cook slices of chicken and ginger in a rice congee replacing the water with chicken stock and topping with spring onion for a variation on chicken soup
