PVPF 2024

Interview with Supriya Arun, author of “Traditional Recipes for Pregnancy & Motherhood”

There is research available on use of our traditional ingredients to achieve desired benefits.
on Apr 06, 2023

Supriya Arun is a Nutrition and Wellness Consultant certified in clinical, weight management and sports nutrition. She is also certified in Personal Training from American College of Sports Medicine.

Frontlist: What inspired you to write a book on traditional recipes for pregnancy and motherhood?

Supriya: During my pregnancy, my mother had made notes from my grandmother and prepared many dishes for me while my younger cousins were not convinced about its benefits. Talking to some friends from other parts of India, I learnt that they too have some specific additions for this period. The realisation that this generation is the key to passing on the knowledge to later ones led to the compilation process.

Frontlist: What role do you think nutrition plays in promoting mental health during pregnancy and motherhood, and how can traditional Indian at recipes help in this regard?

Supriya: Mental health during pregnancy and motherhood is undoubtedly linked to nutrition. Iron and B complex vitamins deficiency especially B12 deficiency is linked to poor mental health and depression. It is also the time when doctors emphasise on iron and vitamin rich foods. Some of the traditional Indian foods are inherently rich in these nutrients. These are highlighted in the book.

Frontlist: How can women balance the demands of modern life with the need for nutritious and healthy meals during pregnancy and lactation?

Supriya: Women require conscious self care as well as tender loving care from near and dear during this period. Timely wholesome and balanced meals with lots of vegetables, nuts, seeds and protein sources along with inclusion of some of the superfoods mentioned in the book will go a long way. Laborious, time consuming preparations are not required.

Frontlist: How did you research and curate the recipes in your book, and what criteria did you use to select them?

Supriya: Groundwork was done by speaking to primary sources from each state we included in the book. After collecting a variety of recipes from different states , we picked the ones with high nutritional value (referring to published literature) and those which are popular in that state , using unique and interesting ingredients, easy to prepare and incorporate in the daily meals. We also tried to include recipes under different categories like chutney, laddoos, snacks, drinks etc

Frontlist: How can we bridge the gap between traditional Indian wisdom and modern nutrition science?

Supriya: There are two types of people. Those who blindly believe what is traditional while others who are not convinced about the benefits. It is important to address both the ends. There is research available on use of our traditional ingredients to achieve desired benefits. People should be educated about the actual constituents of some of our traditional food ingredients to convince them. For eg., garden cress seeds or Halim seeds are very rich sources of iron. Halim ladoo is an essential part of the post-partum diet of a Maharashtrian. This is a easily available item. Likewise turkey berries used in the post-partum diet in Tamilnadu is rich in iron too. No one knows about this in the north of India. The logic has to be explained to everyone so that this can well be utilised by anyone outside the state too.

Frontlist: In addition to diet, what other lifestyle factors should pregnant women consider for optimal health during pregnancy and postpartum?

Supriya: An active lifestyle is very important during the whole period unless advised otherwise by the doctor.

Frontlist: What role do you see traditional Indian cuisine playing in the broader conversation around global maternal and child health?

Supriya: One search on the internet for ideal recipes for pregnancy and post-partum will throw up only western vegetables like avocado, broccoli and kale. This has lead to the view that only those foods are good. There is a lot of inherent wisdom in our micro cuisines. We need to spread awareness globally.

Frontlist: How do you suggest adapting these traditional recipes for women with specific dietary needs or preferences, such as gestational diabetes or veganism?

Supriya: In the case of gestational diabetes, utmost care has to be taken while taking carbohydrate sources, hence the laddoos and kheers (for example) should be avoided. However, there are several other recipes incorporating some Indian superfoods and millets mentioned in the book that can be consumed.

While designing a diet for gestational diabetes is a clinical requirement, being a vegan throughout pregnancy by personal preference has to be ratified by a physician since milk is an important source of protein, calcium and vitamin B12. If a pregnant woman has to avoid milk for other reasons like lactose intolerance, then she can have other sources of protein, calcium and vitamin B12. The book has specific recipes rich in these nutrients.

Frontlist: Are there any misconceptions about traditional Indian cuisine during pregnancy that you address in the book? Can you tell us about and how you dispel these misconceptions through the book?

Supriya: The biggest misconception is that a pregnant woman has to eat for two. Some women go overboard on high calorie foods wrongly thinking that it is required to nurture a child in the womb. The book discusses the ideal calories to be taken. Along with each recipe, the calorie content and ideal serving size is given. Sample diet chart too is given for reference. With these aids one can put together an array of dishes rich in micronutrients.

There are misconceptions and less awareness regarding natural herbal galactagogues too. The book lists a number of proven ingredients which can help any lactating mother with the resources.