



Claim: Government of India has advised pregnant women not to exercise during pregnancy, do not eat eggs, give up their desires and work desires and put beautiful pictures in their rooms. - pregnancy stages



Reality: Some of these advice are good, some bad and some utter nonsense.





The Ministry of AYUSH, promoting India's traditional and alternative medicine systems, released a 16-page booklet last week.





The theme of the booklet was related to mother and child care. It is three years old but has been in the headlines ever since it was released just before International Yoga Day on Wednesday.





It has been prepared by the Central Council for Yoga and Naturopathy, an agency under the Ministry of AYUSH.







Government advice - pregnancy stages

In the booklet, women have been advised which yoga should be done during pregnancy and which should not be done. What to eat and what not, what should be read, what should be kept together and what kind of pictures should be seen and much more.





Doctors in India say that there are some good things in this advisory, but to fully implement them will not be called wise.





Take for example the advice given on catering.

In the booklet, breastfeeding and pregnant women have been advised to eat sprouted grains, lentils, fruits, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, dry fruits, juices and cereals. Doctors say that all these things are very good.





This list also mentions things that have been advised to avoid. For example, tea, coffee, sugar, spices, flour, fried foods, eggs and non-veg food.





What say critic - pregnancy stages

Critics say that this advice is part of India's Hindu nationalist BJP government's policy of promoting vegetarianism.





He says that maternal mortality in India is one of the highest in the world and this is a dangerous advice in view of the problem of malnutrition and anemia (iron deficiency in the body) during pregnancy.





After this criticism, the Ministry of AYUSH issued an explanation. It said that the advice to quit non-veg diet was because yoga and natural medicine do not favor meat.





He also accused the media that the advice on eggs and meat is being deliberately raised, while other things harmful to health mentioned in the list are not being mentioned.





Doctors opinion

But not only the media but the doctors are also questioning this advisory.





Sonia Naik, a gynecologist by profession in Delhi, says, "As a doctor, I do not see any merit in the advice that pregnant women should not eat eggs or meat because it is the easiest and cheapest source of protein. That's what I recommend Is that whoever likes it, he should keep eating. "





This advice of the Ministry of AYUSH itself does not match the advice of the Ministry of Health, another department of the Government of India.





The Health Ministry website states, "Even if the mother is deficient in iron, the fetus takes iron from the mother. Therefore, the mother is encouraged to eat meat, vegetables, eggs, green peas, lentils, green leafy vegetables. needed."





To many people, this advice may seem like a bitter pill, but some of the paragraphs ahead of this booklet may also look strange to you.





Consent on yoga - pregnancy stages





Although the Ministry of AYUSH has insisted that it has not 'advised pregnant women in India to abstain from sex after conception', but experts say that it is 'advisable to keep oneself away' from 'want' and 'sexual desire' This is what it means.





The Health Ministry is silent on this issue. Doctors say that there is no harm in having sex during pregnancy.





Says Dr. Naik, "In fact, some hormones increase the desire for sex in some pregnant women and we do not advise them to abstain from sex unless there is a high risk of pregnancy ."





There is also an advice in the booklet which everyone seems to agree on generally.





That is the benefits of yoga. Traditionally, it has been believed that pregnant women should rest more, but now doctors recommend some types of exercise in everyday life.