8 Ingredients That You Will Find In Most Confinement Soups

8 Ingredients That You Will Find In Most Confinement Soups

Childbirth tends to draw a lot of energy and blood from the new mother’s body. This leaves her tired and weak, making caring for herself and the newborn baby tough. Therefore, most Singaporeans will go through a confinement period that usually lasts 30 -40 days. During this period, the mother sticks to a diet comprising of warming and nutritious foods and herbal soups to help her regain her energy, produce enough breast milk and restore her body to its previous condition. The mother should try not to get out of the house or engage in strenuous work that may lead to other health problems later in life.

In the past, new mothers used to receive postpartum care from relatives, but people are now leading busy lives. New mothers now receive care from confinement nannies or a confinement soup package in Singapore from catering service providers. All these caregivers have exceptional skills in preparing traditional confinement dishes and soups. They know the best ingredients to add warmth, energy, and blood to the mother’s body. Below are some of their favourite ingredients for confinement foods.

Ginger

Ginger is one of the popular ingredients in confinement dishes and soups due to its ability to add warmth to the body. A new mother gets ‘wind’ or gas in the body after childbirth, which may lead to rheumatism or body aches if not dispelled quickly. Old ginger is a warming ingredient known for its ability to remove ‘wind’ and detoxify the body. Ginger is also good for intestinal digestion, and it improves the overall circulation of the blood.

Want to know what the best part of consuming ginger is? Ginger is a traditional lactogenic ingredient believed to boost your milk supply! The soup alone is great for increasing your fluid intake, so having ginger in your soup is practically some of the best combinations a nursing mom could have for their dish!

Sesame Oil

Most Chinese confinement soup recipes contain sesame oil because of its ‘heaty’ nature. It is a great source of energy. It also adds such a fragrant scent to your dishes that it can make any mouth water! 

Sesame oil is rich in Vitamin E. The oil, often known as a healing oil, adds an inviting aroma to your soups and is traditionally believed to help improve blood circulation.

Papaya

Papaya is mainly boiled with fish to make a sweet and milky gravy that helps boost the milk supply in new mothers. It is also rich in proteins, vitamins A and C, and beta-carotene.

Different Types of Meats

All soups are simmered under low heat to release nutrients and vitamins from the meats. Meats from pork, chicken, and fish are used as the base flavour for soups. Our menus contain a wide variety of meat dishes that are able to prevent mothers from getting bored with what they eat. Most importantly, to be able to provide the well-balanced nutrition they need. Check out our Confinement Food Menu, which serves a wide range of dishes prepared with various types of meat to cater to well-balanced and nutritious varieties for confinement mothers.

Red Dates

Red dates are natural soup sweeteners and high-energy sources. The fruits are rich in iron, magnesium and Vitamin C. Red dates tea was traditionally used in place of water, but it is also added to soups as they are known to increase blood circulation and improve the new mother’s immunity. The Chinese believed that water retention in the body would leave the mother cold hence the need to take dates to minimize the water retention levels in the body.

It mixes well no matter what kind of dishes or soups you toss them to, so you can be as creative as you want with red dates!

Wolfberries

Wolfberries (goji berries) are rich in Vitamin A. They are used in most soups due to their antioxidant properties and their traditional ability to eliminate fatigue from the body. They are also traditionally known to be great immune system enhancers and help improve vision.

Codonopsis Pilosula Root

Codonopsis pilosula root is commonly known as the ‘poor man’s ginseng.’ This root is known to have many health benefits. Among the codonopsis pilosula benefits is that new mothers often use it as a blood tonic during confinement to improve their uterine function.

Chinese Angelica Root

As mentioned earlier, many new mothers aim to have more ‘heaty’ foods and products during the confinement period to keep themselves warm, and like most confinement soup ingredients, the Chinese angelica root is a heaty ingredient. One common dish you may have heard of or seen before is chicken and Chinese angelica root soup.

This soup is pretty commonly found in various confinement menus, too, and rightfully so. Apart from nourishing the body, this root is also used as a blood tonic for uterine functions like the Codonopsis pilosula root.

Conclusion

Many ingredients are used in making confinement soups, with most providing a range of benefits to the body. The traditional soups used minimal ingredients and herbs, but modern caterers have introduced more recipes and ingredients in their confinement soup packages in Singapore. Remember that the main purpose of confinement soups is to restore your energy, increase milk production, and promote healing, so you should consider consuming such soups during postnatal confinement.

At Tian Wei Signature, we have over 40 different nourishing soups that new mothers can look forward to during their confinement. Tempted to give it a try, or do you just want to know more? We are available daily at +65 6727 5599, so just drop us a call, and we’d be happy to answer your questions!


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