chinese herbal & alcohol as ingredients

xlan

xlan

Member
some ppl told me not to take chinese herbal things.. so i'm wondering.. for cuisines that have chinese herbal as ingredients, such as Bak Kut Teh, teochew braised duck, braised pig intestines, etc.. can i eat them?

and also.. since alcohol is a no-no for preggies.. for cuisines that used chinese wine or red wine to marinate.. can i eat them?
 
S

sassylady

Member
hi dear. i think during pregnancy right the types of chinese herbs and tonics that is suitable are very limited. thus do take note when you're eating anything with them.

it's best that you consult a doctor on what sorts of herbs are suitable for you before taking them. :)
 
diymummy

diymummy

Moderator
I try to avoid foods with too much herbs in them like ginseng chicken.

For bak kut teh I took those that are non-herbal. The rest like kway chap, I tried to stay off them as far as I could. Anyway, pig's intestines are not very clean so if the hawker doesn't clean it properly, getting food poisoning wouldn't be very nice.

Although alcohol in food would evaporate when cooked, I still try to stay clear of it.

Everything in moderation. Those that I'm not sure if it's good or not, I try not to have too much of it.
 
M

Mummy to Baby V

Well-Known Member
Agree with the above Mummies. My gynae told me to stay off ALL Chinese herbs as they could cause maternal bleeding during delivery; Chinese herbs are not well-researched for pregnancy.

I drank red dates water in the last 2 months of pregnancy; lost almost 1000ml of blood!!! Just a step away from blood transfusion. My gynae WARNED me not to take any herbs for six weeks after delivery. Iron tablets were enough to help raise my blood count. Therefore, I'll not even take red dates drink for my next pregnancy.

Alcohol is no-no; so I gave up my favourite tiramisu too, until now since I'm breastfeeding.

Take care and good luck! :)
 
xlan

xlan

Member
wow.. ok ok.. i had some of these food but not much.. will b more careful n cautious next time.. thanks!
 
B

beerbelly

Member
glam-mummy said:
Woow. That's a interesting finding!! I avoided alcohol in food be it marinated or cooked with it.

As for Chinese herbal, I know that during the early part of pregnancy, try not to drink those tonics. It will only cause constipation!!
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i wish i found that website sooner! during my confinement, my MIL painstakingly cooked lots of soups and stuff for me, many of which contained alcohol, and we all thought the alcohol wld have been cooked off......maybe that's why my boy is still juandiced at 7weeks!:embarrassed:
 
xlan

xlan

Member
beerbelly said:
i wish i found that website sooner! during my confinement, my mother in law painstakingly cooked lots of soups and stuff for me, many of which contained alcohol, and we all thought the alcohol wld have been cooked off......maybe that's why my boy is still juandiced at 7weeks!:embarrassed:
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but u took those during ur confinement, baby already born out, cudn't b related to the alcohol bah..
 
C

camom

Well-Known Member
My mom doesn't cook bak kut teh with herbs anyway. We stick to the non-herbal version even during non-preggy days.

The 1 big no no for me is 十全大补汤. I don't know what that is called in English. Apparently, you will need to specify to the herbal shop that preggy ladies will be taking this soup too, else there's something inside that's no gd.

 
K

Koala bear mummy

Member
I used to take cordyceps once every 2 wks before pregnancy to strengthen my body in general. After I got pregnant, my aunties said I should lay off chinese herbs including cordyceps (except birdnest) until the pregnancy becomes stable.

But even birdnest should not be over-taken.
 
mrs_eg

mrs_eg

Active Member
Koala bear mummy said:
I used to take cordyceps once every 2 wks before pregnancy to strengthen my body in general. After I got pregnant, my aunties said I should lay off chinese herbs including cordyceps (except birdnest) until the pregnancy becomes stable.

But even birdnest should not be over-taken.
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asked a doctor 2days ago if can take tonics when pregnant...
she say better not... espeically those chinese herbs that you need to brew and all... cos duno what exactly is in it... she say may got steriods inside that will affect baby's growth...

as for the normal stuffs like birdnest and chicken essence she say can but in moderation.....
 
meiteoh

meiteoh

Well-Known Member
Everything in moderation. I took bak kut teh (made my own in Switzerland) for one week (coz big pot) twice throughout my pregnancy. Birdnest once a month for a week as well.

Everything turned out okay - I had no issues with my pregnancy, not even water retention!

But yes, NO alcohol if you can avoid it - especially tough when you have cravings for cakes like Black Forest or Tiramisu which is made with SOME alcohol. I usually check the percentage before deciding if I want to or not. :p
 
apollo

apollo

Well-Known Member
i didnt take any of those chi herbal thingy during preg.. hmm i think only once? my mil brew ginseng chk soup for me, tt's all.. i cannot take too much of those cos my body cannot tahan too heaty..

as for birdnest, i took abt twice a week (1x brew type, 1x bottled type) but only start taking on 2nd tri cos those elderly say during 1st tri, dont take any of these.. =)
 
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