Pregnant women must control lust, shun eggs: Govt booklet

Pregnant women should control lust, hang "beautiful" pictures on the wall and shun non-vegetarian food if they wish to have a healthy baby, a booklet released by the government's AYUSH ministry says.

The booklet –'Mother and Child Care' –was distributed at a recent function here, presided over by the Minister of State for AYUSH, Shripad Naik, ahead of the International Day for Yoga observed on June 21.

"Pregnant women should detach themselves from desire, anger, attachment, hatred and lust. Avoid bad company and be with good people," the tract, issued by the government-funded Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy, says.

Minister Naik said that the booklet, published three years ago, is a compilation of yoga practices that are believed to help pregnant women.

"The Booklet does not contain any advice on abstaining from sex," he said.

The booklet has a list of items that it believes pregnant women should steer clear of.

"Avoid tea, coffee, sugar, white flour products, garam masala, fried and oily items, egg and non-veg etc," it says.

It advises them to have "spiritual" thoughts and read the life histories of "great personalities".

The booklet recommends hanging "good and beautiful pictures" on bedroom walls, which, it says, will also have a positive impact on the foetus.

"The booklet puts together relevant facts culled out from clinical practice in the fields of yoga and naturopathy. It also contains wisdom accumulated over many centuries of yogic practice," Naik says.

Medical experts, however, have contradicted what the booklet says.

Professor Alka Kriplani, Gynaecology Department head at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here, said that unless there is a specific reason, a pregnant woman should continue with all activities she routinely indulges in, including sex, "unless there is a high-risk factor". Regarding consumption of non-veg food, she said fish and chicken are good for health while (red) meat increases cholesterol levels.

"But there is no such thing that one should avoid meat during pregnancy. It is a good source of protein and those who consume it can continue to do so," she said.