10 Jan 2013

Malunggay: Breast Milk Super Vegetable

For those of us whose jeans are noticeably tighter as a result of endless holiday feasts, this is a post about an Asian super vegetable, called malunggay, that happens to be great for breast milk production. Ian and I need this more than most right now because we just returned from a trip visiting (and eating heartily with) Jacob's grandparents, after celebrating Christmas at numerous indulgent gatherings with our friends here in Winnipeg. It has all added up to way more meat, baked goods, and candy than we care to admit. We came home vowing to exercise more, eat healthier, and to avoid buying anything other than fresh produce since our pantry is overflowing with slimming foods like lentils and beans (nice that these foods have already been purchased – flying across the country was wonderful, but pricey).

Cooking malunggay into a curry
I first heard about malunggay when my dear friend and the very fancy author Diana West came to Winnipeg to speak at the Baby Friendly Conference in the fall. As a lactation consultant, she says that malunggay is her number one go-to food for increasing milk production. It is native to the foothills of the Himalaya and is sometimes called moringa, horseradish tree, benzolive tree, kelor, marango, mlonge, moonga, nébéday, saijhan, sajna or Ben oil tree. India is the largest producer of Malunggay, although it is also grown in the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Africa, and Central and South America. Cultivation is in early stages in Hawaii for the US market.

Malunggay grows as a slender tree, with all its parts, including bark, stems, roots and leaves, being edible. The most nutritious part of the plant is the leaves, which contain, gram per gram, "SEVEN times the vitamin C in oranges, FOUR times the Calcium in milk, FOUR times the vitamin A in carrots, TWO times the protein in milk and THREE times the Potassium in bananas." A double blind study suggested that consuming malunggay leaves has a considerable positive impact on breast milk production.

Malunggay helps increase milk production
A number of companies include malunggay in capsules meant to increase one's milk supply, but I prefer to buy it fresh. I have found the leaves at several local Asian markets. I simply asked, "malunggay?" and got pointed in the right direction by someone who knew. The leaves are very versatile ingredients – they are wonderful in soup, but also delicate enough to be added fresh as a garnish to salads. One of the most traditional dishes that includes malunggay leaves is sour Thai curry.

Wish us luck with our New Year's resolution and let me know if you come up with your own great malunggay recipes. I'd love to hear them!



9 comments:

  1. It's very great to see your post!I like it .I'm looking forward to you in the next

    post.Thank you .There is a
    sd card recovery for mac activation code
    to you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your post. I’ve been thinking about writing a very comparable post over the last couple of weeks, I’ll probably keep it short and sweet and link to this instead if thats cool. Thanks. pelancar asi

    ReplyDelete
  3. doctor or medical caretaker will physically exam your whole bosom up to the neck, in your armpit, the focal point of your chest and to the base of your rib confine. At long last they will examine appropriate bosom wellbeing with you and additionally demonstrate to you generally accepted methods to perform bosom self-exams. i thought about this

    ReplyDelete
  4. Are you already doing shopping for Christmas? Gifts?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Currently it looks like article is the top blogging platform available right now.

    ReplyDelete


  6. If you want a babe from the house of Escorts Service in Vasant Vihar there are a few things you should know well before making a booking. Firstly our agency here at your city. In simple words is a cut above the rest because of the highly professional services we provide to our clients. Check our other Services...
    Escorts Service in Vasant Vihar
    Escorts Service in Vasant Vihar
    Escorts Service in Vasant Vihar
    Escorts Service in Vasant Vihar
    Female Call Girls in Ahmedabad




    ReplyDelete
  7. Additionally, you can make a booking anytime of the night or day we make it easy to make it easy for you to book the most desirable models for your special occasion in rudrapur. With our 24/7 operating hours, it won't matter when you decide to meet with one of our models. You'll also have an enjoyable and stimulating time thanks to our fantastic models. They won't be missed in a flash.
    what's app Udaipur girls number
    phone call udaipur girls
    hot call udaipur girls number.
    call udaipur girls phone number
    call udaipur girls phone number
    what's app Gurgaon girls number.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I appreciate the variety of examples you provided. It made the content more relatable. Deck Services

    ReplyDelete