Counting My Blessings

Yesterday I realized something to add to my "count my blessings" list. It is extremely difficult to be pregnant in China for many reasons: the old wives tales, being so far from home, people's constant criticism, the lack of medical care etc.

BUT, yesterday at lunch, baby and I ate: spinach, pumpkin, eggplant, cabbage, rice, and chicken. Then at dinner time, my friends came over to the house to teach me how to cook a Chinese meal. They cooked cucumbers, acorn squash, potatoes with green peppers, and cabbage. Also at every meal we always drink green tea.

I thought in my mind "no wonder Chinese women don't take prenatal vitamins." Look at what we have to eat for every meal!! And it's not like the eggplant your mom makes you choke down when you are a kid- it's stir fried in a sweet and sour sauce and I can eat it by the bucketfull.

It's not just in the restaurant that we get our nutrition- walking down the street you can get pineapple, watermelon etc washed, cut and ready to eat for about 10 cents a pound. I can also get exotic fruits like mangosteem and papaya in the grocery store (we're 2 hours from Thailand) that are not only yummy but cheap.

Eating this many fruits and vegetables in America would be close to impossible. First of all, even if I could afford such a variety of fresh, organic vegetables, I wouldn't be able to choke them down because I am convinced that NO ONE cooks vegetables as yummy-ly as Chinese people.

I love the website www.whfoods.org (worlds healthiest foods) because it gives you a run down on what this particular nutritionist considers to be the healthiest and most accessible foods... I looked up all the nutrition I was getting from simple meals like this and I was overcome with gratitude that I live in China. So, because of these nutrition packed meals, I enjoy my peach milkshakes and strawberry cupcakes almost completely guilt free!!!

I can finally say that I'm thankful to be pregnant in China!