No meat, no sex after conception, no bad company and keeping spiritual thoughts are some of the bizarre recommendations issued by the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN), which comes under the Ayush Ministry, for pregnant women in order to have a healthy child.
According to a Hindustan Times report, the ‘advice’ was featured in a booklet called ‘Mother and Child Care’ released by Minister of State for Ayush, Shripad Naik, in the run-up to International Day for Yoga on June 21.
Other recommendations featured in the booklet include hanging some good and beautiful pictures in your room, and staying away from desire, anger, attachment, hatred and lust.
Last month, the Jamnagar-based Garbhvigyan Anusandhan Kendra had made headlines for advising couples to conceive the “best progeny” through purification (shuddhikaran), having sex on auspicious days and abstinence after conception.
“The advice is unscientific. Protein-deficiency malnutrition and anaemia are health concerns for pregnant women and meats are a great source of both protein and iron, which is better absorbed from animal sources than plant sources,” senior gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Malavika Sabharwal with Jeewan Mala Hospital and Nova Specialty Hospitals of the Apollo Healthcare Group was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying.
As for sex, if the pregnancy is normal, there is no need for abstinence as the baby in the womb is protected by the amniotic fluid and the uterus muscles.
