What is health benefits of Edible Bird’s Nest Soup for pregnancy women

Traditionally, Edible Bird’s Nest soup is believed to have cooling properties, improves general pregnancy’s well-being and is potentially good for the unborn baby’s complexion. Some Chinese expectant mothers would consume Edible Bird’s Nest soup or drinks regularly during their pregnancy or maybe starting in their second tri-semester onwards. I personally was always resistant in purchasing or consuming Edible Bird’s Nest soup during my pregnancy because Edible Bird’s Nests are very expensive and such luxury products to consume.

1. How often to eat Edible Bird’s Nest soup ?

Scientifically, proteins which make up 60-70% of Edible Bird’s Nest are eliminated within hours by enzymes in the body.
Furthermore, not all this proteins can be absorbed by the body. This means small and frequent dose of Edible Bird’s Nest is much more effective, since excess Edible Bird’s Nest generally gets eliminated and removed from the body.
What is health benefits of Edible Bird’s Nest Soup for pregnancy women2
Furthermore, not all this proteins can be absorbed by the body. This means small and frequent dose of Edible Bird’s Nest is much more effective, since excess Edible Bird’s Nest generally gets eliminated and removed from the body.
Continuous dose is desirable to give you the sustained effect.
So how often to eat Edible Bird’s Nest ? We recommend 5 g of dried Edible Bird’s Nest (60-80 ml of Edible Bird’s Nest soup) a day. A small amount of Edible Bird’s Nest goes a long way towards preserving your health and beauty.

What is health benefits of Edible Bird’s Nest Soup for pregnancy women

2. How to cook the Edible Bird’s Nest in slow cooker (or double boiler)

1) Soak the Edible Bird’s Nest until soft in tap water. This may take up to an hour.
I usually consume one whole piece, which is actually quite alot. Is even sufficient for 2 people.
What is health benefits of Edible Bird’s Nest Soup for pregnancy women
We recommend 5 g of dried Edible Bird’s Nest (60-80 ml of Edible Bird’s Nest soup) a day. A small amount of Edible Bird’s Nest goes a long way towards preserving your health and beauty.
2) Add the softened Edible Bird’s Nest, together with about 250mL of water. Using slow cooker or the double-boil method, no lost of water volume.
3) Switch on and turn to high. For my cooker, it takes about 45 mins if I started out with room temperature water. But it is much faster if I use hot water.
4) Add 2 tablespoon of rock sugar and further cook for another 5-10 minutes. Buying Edible Bird’s Nest from Hello Nest, they will give free rock sugar or special dried lotus.
5) Serve warm or chilled. Wala!

3. How to cook Edible Bird’s Nest with rock sugar in a double boiler (simple Edible Bird’s Nest soup recipe)

– Prepare a double-boiler and fill the external pot with water that covers almost half the internal pot.
– Place the drained Edible Bird’s Nest in the internal boiler and add 1 – 2 bowls of water depending of the pieces cooked.
– Cover both the internal and external pots and start boiling the pot.
– Once it’s boiling, turn to low flame to continue to boil for another 2 – 3 hours.
– When the Edible Bird’s Nest is cooked to desired texture, stir in rock sugar to taste and cover for about 5 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve fully
– Do remember to check the water in the external pot is not dried up and sufficient throughout the boil. Once cooked you can have your Edible Bird’s Nest served hot or cold in a bowl depends on your preference.
You can also cook Edible Bird’s Nest soup with rock sugar using a slow cooker like above method.

4. How do you store uncooked Edible Bird’s Nest?

You need to ensure that the Edible Bird’s Nest is dry. When you detect some moisture in your Edible Bird’s Nest, you can dry it in front of a fan in an air conditioned room for a couple of hours. DON’T dry the nests under direct sun as it might damage the protein. Dried Edible Bird’s Nest can be kept for 6 months to 1 year, preferably in an air tight container in a cool and dry room or in the refrigerator. So, it is very easy to keep the Edible Bird’s Nest and you can get your bulk purchase now to enjoy our cheaper bulk price!

5. How to cook Edible Bird’s Nest for pregnancy:

How to cook Edible Bird’s Nest for pregnancy: here are easy steps for you
Ingredients:
1pc Dry Edible Bird’s Nest
1 cup Hot water
1 cup Drinking water or boiled then cooled water, for soaking
5-6 pcs Rock/Lump sugar
Methods:
Step 1. Soak the dry Edible Bird’s Nest in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes. Use drinking water or water that has been boiled and cooled down to soak the Edible Bird’s Nest. After 30 minutes, carefully strain the Edible Bird’s Nest and throw the water away.
Step 2. Put the soaked Edible Bird’s Nest and pour 1 cup of hot water into a slow cooker. If you prefer thinner soup, you may add more hot water into the slow cooker. Cook the soaked Edible Bird’s Nest and water in the slow cooker for about 2 hours.
Step 3. Once the Edible Bird’s Nest is soft and cooked, add the rock sugar into the Edible Bird’s Nest soup in the slow cooker and stir gently. You may add more rock sugar into the soup if you wish for sweeter Edible Bird’s Nest soup. Turn the slow cooker off.
Step 4. Consume the Edible Bird’s Nest soup when it is cooled.
I found this article that may be useful in preparing Edible Bird’s Nest soup and alternatives in cooking home-made Edible Bird’s Nest soup to make it more delectable by adding pandan leaves, dried red dates, dried longan, etc..
I think the home-made Edible Bird’s Nest soup tastes more natural and possesses a pretty strong ‘egg-like’ smell than instant or bottled Edible Bird’s Nest drink bought from supermarkets or TCMshops. Nevertheless, the plain home-made Edible Bird’s Nest soup is still bearable to drink.
I found this article that may be useful in preparing Edible Bird’s Nest soup and alternatives in cooking home-made Edible Bird’s Nest soup to make it more delectable by adding pandan leaves, dried red dates, dried longan, etc..

6. Why do Edible Bird’s Nests come in different colors?

As the Edible Bird’s Nest spend more time in the house, natural fermentation of the nest gradually takes place and the nest absorbs minerals such as iron from the walls and water, slowly changing its color from white to yellow (Jin Si Yan) and then orange and finally red (Blood nest).
When Edible Bird’s Nest is first formed by the swiftlets, they are white in colour; thus it is fair to say that white Edible Bird’s Nest (Bai Yan) is the purest form of Edible Bird’s Nest. As the Edible Bird’s Nest spend more time in the house, natural fermentation of the nest gradually takes place and the nest absorbs minerals such as iron from the walls and water, slowly changing its color from white to yellow (Jin Si Yan) and then orange and finally red (Blood nest). Thus it is a common misconception that blood nest is formed when the swiftlet vomits blood. Another misconception is that the swiftlet’s different diets give rise to different colour of nests.

Identifying Authentic Edible Bird’s Nest

Very often, the experience of buying Edible Bird’s Nest can be full of suspense and can easily turn out to be a scam if we are not too careful. Even buying from the regular Edible Bird’s Nest shop would not fully protect you from the probability of being conned.

In the market, there are many unethical businessmen who would increase the weight of Edible Bird’s Nest by adding additives like white fungus, jelly and skin. Some dishonest vendors even apply red dye to their Edible Bird’s Nests in order to fetch higher prices. So, play it safe – choose only pure Edible Bird’s Nest!

Identifying Authentic Edible Bird’s Nest

There are a few tests you can use to distinguish authentic and fake Edible Bird’s Nests:

Fake Edible Bird’s Nests: The Crumble Test

The biological make-up of a real Edible Bird’s Nest is such that, when you crumble it between your fingers, the nest breaks down into a powder like substance.
Man-made, chemical-based Edible Bird’s Nests are fragile just like the real version, but, when you try to crumble a fake between your fingers, it breaks off into big chunks.

Fake Edible Bird’s Nests: The Soak Test

An important part of making Edible Bird’s Nest soup is soaking the nest in water for 1-2 hours. This rehydration process gives the nest the consistency it needs to integrate into your soup.
Post-soak shape: Fake nests are more uniform
A real Edible Bird’s Nest will, after about 30 minutes, transform into a gelatinous, formless shape.
The fibers of the nest will be somewhat visible, but not nearly as uniform as they were when they were dry. You may also find a feather or two; this is completely normal.
Fake Edible Bird’s Nests, on the other hand, will maintain a uniform shape during the soaking process and will have a minor chemical or fatty/fried smell. The surface of the fake Edible Bird’s Nest will be bumpy.
Post-soak size: Fake nests don’t expand
Real Edible Bird’s Nest usually double in size after the soaking stage, whereas fake Edible Bird’s Nests remain the same size.
In fact, real nests can absorb up to seven to nine times their weight in water.
Soak color: Fake nests bleed
Arguably the most prized Edible Bird’s Nest type is the blood nest, a red Edible Bird’s Nest thought to be colored by blood in the swiftlet’s saliva.
Once your soak is done, the real red Edible Bird’s Nest will retain its blood-red color. The red coloring of a fake Edible Bird’s Nest will bleed into the water, a sign that artificial colors were used to tint the nest.

Soak Consistency: Fake nests cloud water

Because Edible Bird’s Nests are made from a swiftlet’s water-based saliva, they mix well with water. For example, if you were to stir a Edible Bird’s Nest while it was soaking, a bubbly foam would appear on the surface of the water.
Fake Edible Bird’s Nests are made from chemicals. So, if you were to stir a fake Edible Bird’s Nest, it would cloud the water instead of creating a surface foam.

Company Edible Bird’s Nest

At Company, we pride ourselves for the quality and the authenticity of our Edible Bird’s Nest. We send batches of our Edible Bird’s Nest for laboratory testing to confirm its authenticity - so that our customers can have the assurance that they are purchasing genuine Edible Bird’s Nest from Company.
CHOOSE QUALITY. CHOOSE COMPANY.

Science Behind Different Color of Edible Bird’s Nest

Natural white nest:

Not all bright white nests are bleached because the nest natural color when it first produced by swiftlet is indeed bright white. This very white color can only be obtained when nest is harvested immediately after the bird produces the saliva.
When nests stay in the farm for a little bit longer, the color of the nest changes to more faded color. Therefore it is most common in the market to see Edible Bird’s Nest in faded white color. The natural bright color simply the hardest to get (strict harvest management).
Other factor that changes nest color is pollution. Nests harvested from polluted area tend to be dark gray, and wrinkle (when in dry condition). Some people concern of heavy metal contents (arsenic, mercury, led, cadmium) carried in the air. Small portions of Edible Bird’s Nest producers such as pristine farms are very particular about this. These companies usually do not compromise on quality by going far from cities, rather than choose operational convenience.
The fascination toward white color leads to a lot of ill practice like bleaching. This is absolutely not acceptable. Customer should be able to avoid such product. Although the color is similar with the nest harvested immediately (mentioned on 1st point), the substance of bleach nest is already destroyed.
Naturally white nest has smoothest and softest surface, creating a delicate texture when consumed. Bleached nest will breaks down easily when cooked during first 30 minutes.

Science Behind Different Color of Edible Bird’s Nest

Yellow nest/golden nest:

With the right microclimate condition in the farms/cave (humidity, temperature, soil condition, etc.), the original white nest will gradually change its color into yellow.
Yellow nest is preferred in certain culture because it symbolizes gold and prosperity.
Yellow nest takes longer to form in the farm. Usually it becomes faded yellow, but bright yellow as premium quality is rare because it need accuracy in farming.
Because it stays longer than white nest in the farms, yellow nest has tougher texture and thicker nest.

Red nest/blood nest:

Red nest is the most exclusive product in the some market. In China is has been feared for a high nitrite level, however this is not dangerous because such nitrite with very easily dilute when soak in the water.
In the bird’s house or cave, white nest change its color to yellow under optimum condition. It will further turn into red color.
It takes another 6 months for a Edible Bird’s Nest to gradually transition from white to red.
The red color does not come from the blood of a dying bird (Coughing blood). It is an absolute myth. Yellow and red color nest are simply byproducts of Edible Bird’s Nest protein content that reacts with the conditions of the surrounding.
Because Red nest mature in the farm, it has the thickest structure among other types. This texture is more elastic when consumed.

6 Edible Bird’s Nest Benefits for Pregnancy

Previously we have been discussing the benefits of Edible Bird’s Nest for beauty and skin health. Now we will talk about topic that is also close for women, which are the benefits of a Edible Bird’s Nest for pregnant women and the fetus.

1. Enhancing Immune system and defense against free radicals.

Since thousands of years ago, eating Edible Bird’s Nest is successful for curing diseases related to the respiratory and enhances general immune system. This benefit is very relevant to all, including pregnant women and the fetus. Among many, Glycoproteins and hemaglutinations are the 2 substances in Edible Bird’s Nest that are responsible to create a strong shield. Regular consumption during pregnancy can strengthen a woman’s overall fitness and the fetus.

2. Regulating mother's digestive system and nutrition flow to the fetus.

This smooth process is crucial for the fetus growth. In addition, its nutrient contents such as protein and other essential minerals would be beneficial for the fetus.

6 Edible Bird’s Nest Benefits for Pregnancy

3. Stimulating the growth of the fetal brain and intelligence.

Edible Bird’s Nest is containing sialic acid which is also often found in breast milk. Sialic acid is useful for building brain cells / nerve.

4. Cooling the body.

Pregnant women is believed to generate heat within the body, Edible Bird’s Nest in Chinese Medicine is considered “Cooling” thus balancing the system of the body while pregnant.

5. Regenerating cells faster while a pregnant body undergoes a constant physical toll.

The EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor) and other substances in the Edible Bird’s Nest provide a natural healing toward pregnancy weariness. It is well known that people who consumes Edible Bird’s Nest during pregnancy typically feels more at ease, fresh, and comfortable.

6. Making the skin soft and smooth.

One of the obvious benefits of eating Edible Bird’s Nest for mom and the fetus is for the skin health. In addition, the Edible Bird’s Nest also has benefits to eliminate wrinkles in a woman’s belly after birth. This is because it has nutrients like glycoproteins and threonine, which improve skin elasticity.
It is important that we buy the products from clear sources, that have business legality, and food safety certificates from the government. This is crucial considering too many unethical practices in the industry done by irresponsible and short minded businessman. In general, Edible Bird’s Nest packaging must be packed in sterile environment, and should have information of grading (size, quality), weight, and the barcodes (with traceability).

Tips to Buy Edible Bird’s Nest

Credibility

Before taking a visual and physical inspection of the Edible Bird’s Nest, you need to first make the credibility of the company. Nevertheless sometimes you cannot make sure the credibility of the company because a lot of producers are still producing in home industries. In this case check the background of the owners. Make sure that you buy the products from clear sources, that have business legality, and food safety certificates from the government. This is crucial considering too many unethical practices in the industry done by irresponsible and short minded businessman. In general, Edible Bird’s Nest packaging must be packed in sterile environment, and should have information of grading (size, quality), weight, and the barcodes (with traceability).

Tips to Buy Edible Bird’s Nest

Physical Features

Equally important that you take a look at the appearance of the Edible Bird’s Nest; it has to be in a well-built form. The color should be natural. Very white color exists, but the amount is very rare because such nest should be harvest almost immediately after the bird produces it. The longer it takes in the farms, the more yellow is the color. With this fact I simply cannot generalized that all white nest is bleached! Buying white nest, the consideration should go back to the credibility of the company. Most Edible Bird’s Nest has natural colors of faded white. Nevertheless avoid buying nest with very dark gray color. The form of such nest might have changed, the nutrition is possibly damaged, and hygiene during the handling is questionable.
The smells of genuine nest should smells like white egg or egg shells. If it smells tangy and the color is dark gray, you should avoid it as it may undergo the process of decay by bacteria.
Edible Bird’s Nest has different shape. Typically store sells Edible Bird’s Nests in different price because some customers like presentation thus perfect for gift. Given that all has same color and surface, here is the sequence of shape of from highest to lowest price:

1. Full bowl shape (called “Dragon Tongue” shape)
2. Half bowl shape
3. Oval shape
4. Triangles
5. Broken pieces.

Edible Bird’s Nest Mythbuster Edition: The Red Nest

In previous post we have explain about the colors of the Edible Bird’s Nest. The colors are white, yellow, and red. The color of the Edible Bird’s Nest can be different depending on the location of where they are located or cultivated.

Myth 1: Natural Red Edible Bird’s Nest Simply Does Not Exist

Recently many believe that all red Edible Bird’s Nest in the market is fake and artificial. While I have to admit that there are some ill practice that convert white nest into red nest by using coloring (red dye), we should not be too fast to jump into conclusion that red nest does not exist. There is no doubt the red nests exist. In fact the existence is the exact reason why people attempt to make the fake ones in the first place. A lot of cave nest are usually red.

Edible Bird’s Nest Mythbuster Edition: The Red Nest

Myth 2: the Red Color of the Nest Comes from Bird’s Blood

One of the myths that commonly believed by society suggest that red Edible Bird’s Nest was made by sick or dying swift, that cough its blood while building the nest. Because of this misconception the name red Edible Bird’s Nest is interchangeable with “Blood nest”. Blood nest rarity and its exotic story have positioned the product as most premium and most expensive category. Nevertheless the factual story is slightly different. All nest is originally white and will stay white without any biological trigger. White nest will gradually turns into red color because of the unique climate condition and natural organic activities within the house of the cave. Moreover such optimum condition is rarely obtained, a main reason why natural red Edible Bird’s Nest is seldom.

Myth 3: The Red Color Comes From Iron and Rust

As discussed above, red color is a product of organic process and not chemical process such as rusting iron or other metal found in the cave/house. This is simply not true. But if such metal contamination process occurs and influence the nest color, it is not the original red color it should have. I am personally doubtful of the safety as well of this product.
A lot of people believe that red nest have higher nutritional content. While there is no extensive study that have comprehensive conclusion about this, we also cannot dismiss it as a myth. Testimonies about red Edible Bird’s Nest usually include feeling invigorated, better blood circulation/flow, etc.

Edible Bird’s Nest as Part in Holistic Healing

Holistic healing is taking a holistic approach for diseases treatment and for a more balanced lifestyle. What distinguishes holistic healing from alternative medicine and other medicine is that holistic healing put primary focus on overall physical health, and not specific sickness.

Edible Bird’s Nest as Part in Holistic Healing

To understand more about holistic medicine, the following are examples of holistic treatment methods which have been widely known:

Aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is the use of plants and aromatic spices (essential oils) for the treatment. Aromatherapy stimulates the brain and affects the mental mood. A good state of mind would affect overall good physical being. We also know that stress of bad mental state can reduce antioxidant production and lead to illness.

Ayurveda medicine.

Ayurveda healing system is a traditional treatment methods originated in India. Ayurveda Treatment includes therapy associated with physical, mental, and spiritual. Treatment techniques include dietary therapy, herbal medicine, specific exercises and spiritual practices, aimed to achieve a balance.

Natural diet.

Related with eating natural foods / organic, natural supplements, etc. Eating the right food will provide the right nutrition that our body requires to function.

Exercise.

This method is related to the physical aspect combined with the spiritual. Various techniques include pilates, dance, qigong, tai chi, yoga, etc. Exercises has been proven to release stress/tensions, regenerate cells faster, increase immune system, and help in cholesterol or heart disease problem.

Spiritual counseling.

This method is still a taboo in some part of the world, for example: psychic. However, currently, there is method that has been accepted by society, which is hypnotherapy.

Acupuncture.

The term acupuncture describes procedures involving stimulation of anatomical points on the body by a variety of techniques including applying needle.

Energy-based therapies and meditations.

This method uses breathing method to channel the energy (or chi in the China) to balance the energy at various important body points and clear the toxin in each of them. This method is practiced everywhere, Chinese called these points meridian and other called it Chakra.

Vibrational medicine.

This method that combines east and west medication. The east medication believe that human body performs best in certain frequency. Using the various vibrational tools, this therapies attempt to adjust our body frequency to optimum state.

Homeopathic.

Homeopathic remedies are based on the concept of taking minute amounts of natural substances to stimulate the body's own defenses against specific symptoms and imbalances.

Bodywork.

Go to the gym. The goal is to raise fitness and improve the quality of muscles. With this method not only getting a healthy body, but also increase self-confidence and social relationships.

Prayer and worship.

The purpose of this method is to calm the mind and together concentrate on healing to God. With focus, confidence, and support, self-motivation expected to increase.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Restoring the qi is the ultimate goal in restoring overall health and well-being to the individual. Chinese believe human body can be in “cold” state and “hot” state. To have a good chi or energy flow, one body should be balance. Some TCM product such as cordyceps are characterized as hot, while other like Edible Bird’s Nest is characterized as cold. For example, a woman body during pregnancy is considered hot, that’s why she needs to take Edible Bird’s Nest to cool it down to rebalance the body system.
Consuming Edible Bird’s Nest is a relevant holistic healing approach. The consumption of nutritious Edible Bird’s Nest is not only good for your health but also for your immunity, vitality, and beauty. Edible Bird’s Nest is a nutritious food that comes from nature. This is in line with the spirit of holistic healing that is back to nature, natural food, natural medicine.