- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
August 2013 Moms
catskitch
member
forbidden foods based on your culture?
catskitch
member
with all the dr's orders on what not to eat, are there any foods that are forbidden due to your culture? I'm Chinese and I hear all sorts of things. Some forbidden foods on the list:
bananas (although I ate a fair share before I told my family, and I want one so bad!)
shrimp (I've been eating this anyway)
bottled water
watermelon
sprouts
duck
lamb
I think there's some things I'm forgetting because I probably don't eat it anyway. I'm really sad about the bananas and shrimp, everything else is meh.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: forbidden foods based on your culture?
Wait in your culture bottled water and bananas are forbidden during pregnancy? Watermelon also?
How come can you please explain?
Cooling meaning like your baby won't be "cooking" anymore?
Not trying to be snarky just trying to understand.
I get what you're saying, but if there was a strong negative association in my culture with something easy to avoid slash that didn't kill me to avoid... I think I'd have a hard time not heeding it. Call me superstitious, I guess.
I don't fully understand it either. I was just wondering if anybody else has something similar. I'm not going to question my mom or MIL or grandma or anybody who says otherwise. It's the first time I ever heard about the bottled spring water too, but I'm only going to take their advice with a grain of salt.
I get this but what if the opposite has been proven true? ie watermelon is actually really good for you when pregnant. I don't feel like looking it up right now but remember reading all the health benefits for an expectant mother when I was pregnant with DD. just one example, also not trying to be snarky just curious?
Never heard such a thing! I am interested in learning more. I know personally it would be hard for me to stay away from certain foods for no medical reason. I ate 30 watermelons the summer I was pregnant with charleigh!
Tara
Bottled water is a relatively new thing - how can it be an old wives tale?
Myself, I have cut out alcohol, caffeine, lunch meat, imitation sugars, some teas, raw pineapple, raw fish, and over the counter meds.
I have limited my tuna/cooked fish intake.
I stopped using my heating pad.
When you've been married this long, you need a ticker to remind you.
Baby Boy M - 08/01/2013
Expecting Baby Bean February 2017
Most of those are medically advised, though. Not superstitions.
And fair enough on the bottled water. But that seems so illogical. And fluids are important during pregnancy, and tap water is not always readily available if you're out and about.
Whats wrong with pineapple?
TTC since 3/12
High LH/FSH Ratio 8/12
DX with PCOS 11/12
Clomid 50mg - 19.5mm Follie - Trigger + TI = BFP! 11/12
EDD August 11, 2013
:::lurking from July 2013:::
My MIL is Taiwanese and some of the cultural advice she wants to tell me to avoid are similar to OP's. I just smile and nod. I drink bottled water and eat my shrimp etc.
If you want to adhere to your cultural traditions about food to avoid then that is up to you. Personally, I think if you want shrimp or whatever you should "cheat" and eat it. Your baby won't grow a *second or third head and be just as smart/successful and whatever than if you didn't eat it. I know its hard to believe otherwise when you've grown up expecting these things and being warned against them-- but truly.
Do what makes you comfortable but if you really want something go for it!
edit: LOL your baby won't grow a second head either. I ate watermelon, shrimp and bananas during my pregnancy with DD and she is beautiful, healthy, ahead her in milestones and an adorable little diva to boot. She has one head, all her fingers and toes.
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:
ok, so I found an article that sorta explains it. FWIW, the bottled water thing was from my MIL and they think bottle water is not good in general. I don't really believe it.
My mom told me just to avoid the bananas during the first trimester for risk of miscarriage. the article below says that too.
ethnomed.org/culture/chinese/chinese-cultural-profile
Sorry! The link isn't working.
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:
Apparently raw pineapple has an enzyme that can induce contractions. Glad someone told me because I can eat a whole raw pineapple myself.
When you've been married this long, you need a ticker to remind you.
Baby Boy M - 08/01/2013
Expecting Baby Bean February 2017
That would be a harder decision for me, personally, then. I'd probably feel weird about eating it, and might look for alternatives. Idk. I guess I really AM superstitious.
I generally jive with traditional Chinese medicine, but when it comes to fertility, the mixed messages/conflict with Western medicine can drive me batty. Most of my Chinese friends value their family input highly, I can see how it'd kinda ruin watermelon for you.
For me, culturally, I'd avoid squirrel.
In seriousness, I have avoided soft cheeses, even tho I don't really believe they're that risky.
I'm Chinese too, and my Grandpa told me many times about 'hot' and 'cold' foods for different conditions. Some of them don't make sense logically, but it's just a cultural thing. Pregnancy is considered a 'hot' condition. I don't really follow all the rules but when I do I feel closer to my Grandpa!
With DS I avoided everything. Sushi, imitation sugars, nitrates, soda, diet soda, lunch meat, soft cheeses, fast food, and anything else you can think of that preggos aren't supposed to eat. I limited my fish intake to the ounces you are allowed to have and servings per week and types of ok fish.
With this pregnancy I've been a smidge more lenient with myself but only because I had a week of 24 hour morning sickness. I am still sticking to most everything I did with DS. He turned out so healthy so I figure I must have done something right.
I actually just heard of the hot/cold thing this week for the first time. We do amniocenteses at my work and a Chinese woman almost fainted. She was offended when we offered her cold water.
The pineapple thing sounds strange to me.
ETA, I just googled, appears you need to eat 7 whole pineapples (I believe including the cores)
TTC since 3/12
High LH/FSH Ratio 8/12
DX with PCOS 11/12
Clomid 50mg - 19.5mm Follie - Trigger + TI = BFP! 11/12
EDD August 11, 2013
I like how this straight forward cultural question turned into others saying why you better not follow grandmother's superstitions... or not even answering the question but instead going off on what they themselves are avoiding for commonly known health reasons (that I'm sure we've all read in many other threads already).
smh
As half Mexican I have not heard any food superstitions- but I do know if you really want to touch a pregnant belly and DON'T you are giving the baby bad luck. lol
An Asian one I've heard is not to eat shell fish because then the baby will be allergic to many many things.
Lol. Well, I have to believe this kind of relates to the castor oil theory. Some women drink it to bring on labor...but most women just experience some major poops. Haha. Which some say can get things going. I dunno...I think fiber one bars or White Castle would be a way better induction method via the poops than castor oil! Hehe!
Seriously!
No interesting cultural anecdotes for me, but I do remember thinking it was funny when the british tabloids were speculating that Kate Middleton was pregnant because she refused peanut paste, and pregnant women weren't supposed to eat peanuts. I've NEVER heard that in the US.
Relax, none of these are medically based. Old wives tales. My doc recommends eating bananas
TTC since 3/12
High LH/FSH Ratio 8/12
DX with PCOS 11/12
Clomid 50mg - 19.5mm Follie - Trigger + TI = BFP! 11/12
EDD August 11, 2013
I think you totally missed the point of this thread. We were talking about cultural practices that aren't necessarily backed up by medical facts and old wives tales passed down.
If bananas or fiber one bars were "bad" it would be on reputable websites like American pregnancy, the AMA, heck even web md.
Jilly is right. Relaaaaax. I eat bananas all the time and gave birth to a very healthy boy though he may be part monkey because of it. :