Unlock the Secrets of the Chinese Postpartum Diet for Ultimate Recovery and Nourishment

The Chinese postpartum program, also known as "Zuo Yuezi," is a traditional practice that focuses on postpartum recovery in the 40 days after childbirth. This program emphasizes holistic postpartum care, incorporating nourishing foods, herbal remedies, and specific postpartum practices rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles.

Understanding Zuo Yuezi

Zuo Yuezi, which translates to "sitting the month," dates back over 2,000 years to the Han Dynasty. Historical texts like “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine” mention special dietary and lifestyle practices for women after childbirth. The confinement period generally lasts from 26 to 40 days, during which new mothers rest and receive specialized care.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the new mother's body loses blood and Qi during and after childbirth. Qi is vital energy that is essential for both physical and spiritual well-being. Depleted Qi and blood can cause imbalances in the body, leading to tiredness, lethargy, and a weakened immune system. The Chinese postpartum program focuses on holistic postpartum care, including nourishing foods and herbal remedies.

Core Principles of the Chinese Postpartum Diet

The philosophy behind Chinese postpartum meals stems from the TCM concept of “food as medicine.” According to this belief system, foods have inherent properties that go beyond their nutritional content. After giving birth, a mother loses blood and strength. The postpartum diet aims to:

Rebuild blood and energy (qi): After giving birth, a mother loses blood and strength.
Warm the body: According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the body is cold after childbirth.

A well-planned confinement diet carefully balances these properties to ensure the mother’s body heals properly. The preparation methods are just as important as the ingredients themselves. For example, many dishes are slow-cooked or steamed rather than fried, making them easier to digest while preserving nutrients.

Key Ingredients in the Chinese Postpartum Diet

Several ingredients are central to the Chinese postpartum diet, each chosen for its specific healing properties:

Ginger: Ginger is one of the most important ingredients in Chinese postpartum cuisine. It warms the body, helps digestion, and removes “wind” from the body. Fresh ginger is used in nearly every confinement dish, from soups to stir-fries. Add sliced ginger to soups, stews, and stir-fries.
Black Sesame Seeds: Rich in calcium, iron, and beneficial fatty acids, black sesame seeds help rebuild blood and strengthen bones. Make black sesame soup, incorporate into congee, or use in rice dishes.
Chicken Soup: New mothers traditionally consume chicken soup after childbirth. The bone broth contains a whole chicken, Chinese herbs, and vegetables.
Ginger Rice Wine: Ginger rice wine is a traditional drink that new mothers drink after childbirth. This sweet and savory rice wine comes from fermented glutinous rice with ginger, brown sugar, and Chinese herbs.
Herbal Soups: Soups made with ingredients like red dates, goji berries, angelica root (dang gui), and Chinese yam help balance hormones and build energy.
Whole Grains: These grains are easier to digest than white rice and help with gut health and energy.
Jujube Dates (Red Dates): Jujube dates play a significant role in cleansing, promoting Qi and blood circulation. These sweet fruits are rich in iron and vitamin C. They help build blood, boost immunity, and calm the mind. Add to soups, teas, or desserts. New mothers also often drink red dates tea after childbirth. This traditional Chinese postpartum tea is a soothing and flavorful combination of red dates, ginger, and brown sugar.
Goji Berries: These small red berries are packed with antioxidants and are known for supporting liver and kidney function. Add to soups, teas, or congee.
Black Fungus (Wood Ear): These black fungi are rich in iron and help clear the blood of impurities.
Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds are rich in vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and protein. Black sesame seeds and walnuts in particular have warming properties!
Purple Rice: Once reserved exclusively for the Chinese Emperor's health and longevity, is now available to everyone.
Pork Liver: Rich in iron and vitamins, aids in replenishing blood and supporting the flow of lochia.
Eucommia: Du Zhong is another name for the Eucommia ulmoides tree.
Rice Bean: An excellent food to eat in the first week after childbirth. It helps to detoxify your body and act as a diuretic.

Foods to Avoid During Zuo Yuezi

Just as some foods are encouraged, others are avoided because they are believed to harm the body during recovery. During Zuo Yue Zi, mothers traditionally avoid cold foods as they are believed to impede recovery. Cooling foods like bitter melon, tomatoes, and cucumber should be avoided as they are believed to harm recovery. According to TCM, the mother’s body is in a vulnerable state after childbirth and is particularly susceptible to “cold invasion.” Therefore, foods with cooling properties are strictly avoided. Other general guidelines include: avoiding foods that are spicy, fried, preserved/overly salty, cold or chilled, or raw. Fish and shrimp are allowed, but other seafood like crab, lobster, oysters, clams, and other shellfish are “cooling” to the body, rather than warming.

To summarize, here are foods to avoid:

Cold and Chilled Foods: Cold and chilled foods like cold drinks and ice cream are forbidden! It’s not because of the caloric content, but simply because they are served cold or even worse-iced. Even room temperature water and liquids should be avoided. All drinks and soups should be boiled before serving, and consumed hot or warm before they turn lukewarm.
Raw Foods: Fruits and vegetables are very necessary to keeping your body regular. However, raw foods are harder on your digestive system when your body is already doing a lot to repair. Avoid eating raw vegetables like salads, crudité, or smoothies. All vegetables should be cooked before consumption. While raw vegetables can be healthy for us during normal times, these aren’t normal times! Some fruits may be the exception, but many of them have cooling properties. Fruits are often cooked down or made into teas before consumption.
Foods with Cooling Properties: In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is believed that each food has a warming, cooling, or neutral constitution. Avoid foods with a cooling nature, like bitter melon, radish, tomatoes, turnips, cucumber, crab, and clams. The same goes for fruits like watermelon, pear, and even some legumes like mung beans, which are too cooling during the confinement period.
Hard-to-Digest Foods: These foods are more taxing on the body and are not ideal for cultivating a balance of yin and yang. Better choices are easily digestible options like soup, congee, and noodles. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have ANYTHING that falls into this category.
Alcohol: Needless to say, avoid alcohol. Not only is it bad for recovery (it can increase inflammation), it also affects the mother’s milk and in turn the baby. This is accepted wisdom in both Western and Eastern medicine. One exception to this rule is the use of rice wine in cooking, which promotes warmth in the body according to TCM practitioners. The process of boiling the wine in a soup or cooking with it in a stir-fry cooks off much of the actual alcohol content. If you want to be extra safe, wait 2 hours after consuming any dish with cooked wine in it before breastfeeding or pumping. Or if you’d rather avoid alcohol altogether, you can do so.

Sample Meal Components

Shenghua Soup: Shenghua Soup is a postpartum herbal soup that helps the uterus shrink back to size, strengthens the body, and speeds up recovery. Additionally, this nourishing soup helps strengthen and revitalize the weakened postpartum body. Shenghua soup speeds up recovery and helps the body recover from childbirth. New mothers should drink Shenghua Soup for 5-7 days after a natural birth and 3-5 days after a cesarean section.
Congee (Rice Porridge): Congee (rice porridge) is a comforting and nourishing food for new mothers. The preparation of rice porridge for postpartum meals is more important than the type of rice used. However, jasmine rice is a common choice because of its soft flavor and slightly sticky texture. Eight-treasure porridge is a traditional Chinese dish packed with vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber.

The Role of a Postpartum Nanny

Having a postpartum nanny with a meal plan offers numerous benefits for new mothers. Firstly, it ensures a blissful postpartum experience by providing support in the form of nutritious and balanced meals. After giving birth, mothers require proper nourishment to recover and regain their strength. Furthermore, a postpartum nanny with a meal plan brings convenience and time-saving benefits. Meal planning and preparation can be time-consuming and overwhelming, especially for new mothers. Not having to worry about meal preparation lets mothers rest and relax, which is essential for postpartum well-being.

Finding Support

AyiConnect is a platform to connect families with helpers who have a language specialty in addition to care. You can engage with them directly through self-service or concierge service. The concierge 1:1 service can provide another option to ensure successful matches for busy families who don't have time to search or need language assistance. You can post a free job for hire directly through self-service. You can also start by searching through the Chinese Postpartum Confinement Nanny List. For those busy professionals who don't have time or need language assistance for Chinese confinement or Chinese nanny, we also offer Concierge 1:1 service.

Stages of Zuo Yuezi

There are 3 recover stages of ZUO YUE ZI: Mild, Warm, and Heat. Crafted for deep replenishment, this plan features herbal infusions to support blood building, energy restoration, and immune strength. A full-coverage meal plan offering breakfast to dinner plus nourishing snacks. Balanced, gentle, and easy to digest. This plan is perfect for those who prefer smaller portions or are gradually transitioning into postpartum nutrition. Designed to help stabilize blood sugar, reduce postpartum bloating, and support a leaner recovery. The most flexible and affordable option - ideal for families who want to supplement home-cooked meals or take a relaxed approach to postpartum eating.

Jing Mommy: A Modern Approach to Traditional Postpartum Meals

Several services, like Jing Mommy, offer prepared Chinese postpartum meals delivered to your door. These services provide convenience and assurance that the meals are nutritious and aligned with Zuo Yuezi principles. Jing Mommy is worth every penny! The customer service is great, and the food is nutritious and supports wellbeing. Real ingredients, nutritious and delicious confinement meals! It's the best service for postpartum meals, with responsive and helpful staff. They bend over backwards to accomodate needs, providing lots and lots of healthy food.

Read also: Enjoy Chinese Food on Keto

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