to eat or not to eat

As an obstetrician , I have been asked this question thousands of times – what do I eat in pregnancy? Can  I eat papaya? Can I eat pineapple? Should I avoid meat? Is eating egg harmful? And the alltime favorite – should I eat ‘garam’foods or ‘thanda’food? Not hot or cold in terms of temperature but in terms of whether it increases body heat or not. Don’t ask me , I don’t know how?! As a practitioner of Allopathy , I am clueless about these concepts , which are probably derived from Ayurveda.

 As students in medical college , we were not taught to answer such questions, so ,when faced with such queries , I advice them on calorie & protein intake and the need to avoid unhealthy junk food.

The tables turned though when I was expecting. 

No one asked me anything , everyone turned advisor instead." Do not eat methi", said my cousin. "Do not eat nachni , it is garam " - my neighbor said. My rational scientific mind rebelled against this – to no avail. Everyone assumed they knew better- I was only a gynaec whereas they were already mothers!

 It only got worse post delivery. Most communities in India have their own brand of post partum foods. In Maharashtra , the new mother is fed laddoos of methi (yuck!) , and also raisin- all made with lots of ghee (which I don’t like) . In Tamilian Brahmins , there is something called ‘pathiya samayal’. This excludes all pulses except moong , all tubers, vegetables like brinjal and okra and even green and red chillies.

 Unfortunately , having a Tam-bram mom and a Marathi mum -in-law , I was ‘forced’ to follow both traditions!

There are also a whole lot of myths associated with pregnancy and delivery – my mallish wali bai scolded me for not stuffing my ears with cotton lest the ‘hawa/air’ leads to abdominal bloating , my maid asked me not to eat rice so that my scar heals well, ‘well wishers’ adviced that tying a tight cloth around my waist will make me all slim and trim again!

  The whole experience made me  realize that pregnancy and delivery is a social event in our country , with everyone and their aunt chipping in with well intentioned and conflicting advice. 

The new mother is generally left confused, not knowing whose advice to follow – the obstetrician does not even figure in her scheme of things!

I think my whole pregnancy experience changed the way I practice gynecology and obstetrics. Earlier , I believed educating patients was the key to good nutrition and healthy pregnancy. Now , I counsel mothers and mothers- in –law  instead as they have the final say!

Editor's note: Thank you Dr Lakshmi on the true tale of unsolicited advice in Indian scenerio. I do wish our medical textbooks had armed us better with the cultural and social aspects of pregnancy and motherhood. Food fads especially are an intrinsic part of pregnancy, and what I noticed is that what was bad for you in pregnancy becomes good for you in early motherhood. I guess it depends on their 'claimed effects on uterine contractility'. I am sure they have a kernel of truth in them especially in the time of yore, but they have been blown right out of proportion. unsolicited advice is common in every society, but most parenting guides will tell you to "go right ahead and follow your maternal instinct." in Indian joint family scenerio, the new moms instincts are not given much importance when there are other 'veteran moms' such as grand moms and great grandmoms, and aunts and dais. I think you might have a point there on educating the family tree.