What to eat that helps constipation when confinement food is so heaty?

Olden Chinese belief that during confinement period, ones should be taking meat, heaty soup and wine. To me, this does not promote good bowel movements. It will only make me feel uneasy of going to the toilet sitting for hours trying to ease the bowel movements.

What I got to know from an aunty was to take green leaves vegetables and do not take whitish colour vegetables such as white carrot (白萝卜), old cucumber (老黄瓜), etc

Below are some of the choices that you may cook during your confinement for fiber intake.

Choy Sum

Choy sum is also known as the chinese flowering cabbage (菜心) (those with yellow flowers).

Ingredients :
Choy sum
1 tbs sesame oil
Garlic
Ginger
Dash of salt
Dash of sugar
Dash of pepper

Wash the Choy sum. Heat up the wok and pour in sesame oil. Put in ginger and garlic. Fry until golden brown. Dish up and set aside the ginger and garlic. Put in the Choysum in the remainder oil in the wok and stir fry. Add in salt, pepper and sugar to your taste. Dish out the choy sum and garnish it with the crispy fried ginger and garlic.


Chinese Spinach

Amaranth, yeen choy (cantonese), xian cai 苋菜 (mandarin).

Ingredients :
Chinese Spinach
1 tbs sesame oil
Ginger
1 tbsp anchovies (kong yee chai)
Dash of salt
Dash of sugar
Dash of pepper

Wash the Chinese spinash. Heat up the wok and put in 1 tbps of sesame oil. Put in ginger and anchovies. Fry until golden brown. Dish up and set aside the ginger and anchovies. Put in the Chinese spinash in the remainder oil in the wok and stir fry. Add in salt, pepper and sugar to your taste. Dish out the Chinese spinash and garnish it with the crispy fried ginger and anchovies.

(Note : wash and dry anchovies before frying)

Can I drink water during confinement?

Once you delivered your baby, your body tend to be weakened. To gain back iron in your body and rebuild back your blood, it is recommended by olden Chinese to drink red dates juice instead of water. Although I do not buy into the idea of following the olden practices, I tend to believe this. After I had delivered to my first baby, my body tend to get cold easily. It is advisable to take the red dates juice for 1 month for those under went delivery and 2 weeks for those who had miscarriage.

For a delicious red dates juice, I have given two recipes.

Simple and inexpensive way :

2 cups of red dates
1/2 cup of dried longans
10 glasses of water

Method :

1) Wash the red dates and dried longan
2) Pour water into a pot and add in item (1)
3) Boil the above for 1.5 hours in a medium to low fire


Luxurious way :

2 cups of red dates
1/2 cup of dried longans
4 big size dried honey dates
1 1/2 tbps dried wolfberries
4 medium size sticks of dried codonopsis pilosula root (党参)
3 pieces of dried astragalus membranaceus root (北芪)
10 glasses of water

Method :

1) Wash all the above
2) Pour water into a pot and add all the items
3) Boil the above for 1.5 hours in a medium to low fire


Note : You may drink the juice without eating the boiled ingredients. Drink it hot or warm. You may fill the juice into a flask and drink it anytime. The above recipe may last you for 1 day for those who does not drink a lot of water.

The second recipe seems to have a smoother texture juice.

All the ingredients can be easily found in Chinese medical stores. Do make sure the dates that you buy do not use sulfur as preservatives.