What do I eat AFTER having a baby?! This is a question I’ve gotten from quite a few moms and I thought I’d take a moment to share some thoughts with you. For starters, there’s information overload out there about what you should and should not eat while pregnant, but there’s little focused on helping new moms think about a nutrition-plan that works for you after you’ve had a baby.
Cozy curry chicken and veggie soup
I’m a big believer in the saying “you are what you eat.” After all, the food we consume is the food that fuels us - so if we eat well, we’ll feel more energized and alert! However, after you give birth you are constantly sleep deprived and it feels like 100% of your focus is now on your newborn. The last thing you want to (or can) think about is meal planning, grocery shopping, or healthy eating. And perhaps you’re breastfeeding, which can leave you feeling extra ravenous. So what do most moms do?! Many take the approach of reaching for what’s available, quick, and easy - maybe handfuls of chips, crackers, or cookies, and definitely lots of take out.
Unfortunately this style of eating can throw you into a vicious cycle - you’re already sleep deprived and then on top of that, you’re eating more processed foods, simple carbohydrates, and hydrogenated oils, which offset blood sugar levels and leave you feeling even more drained. Not ideal!
Today, I will share my strategies for eating well for YOU and your BABY! By eating well, you can keep your energy levels up, help your body heal, you can provide nutrient-rich breastmilk for your baby (if you’re breastfeeding), and you can keep your mood regulated. Also, you’ll be on the path to lose some of that baby weight!
Here are my 5 TIPS that I followed and I hope will be helpful for you as well.
Breakfast sets the tone for the day - choose breakfast foods that are high in protein and fiber! This will keep you feeling full and satisfied and will keep blood sugar levels balanced. Plus that fiber will help alleviate post-delivery constipation - yes that is a thing (I had no idea)! Avoid simple carbs and high sugary breakfast foods! Instead, opt for foods like oatmeal (with berries and nuts or nut butter), eggs with avocado and whole grain toast, smoothies, or greek yogurt with fruit and nuts. If you have no time to cook in the morning, have your partner help you out or prepare foods in advance, like overnight oats and hard boiled eggs.
Add protein when snacking - it’s so easy to reach for those crackers, cookies, or chips as an easy snack, but it’s important to make sure you have protein at snack times to keep you feeling full and energized. Also, protein helps with postpartum recovery by helping with growth and repair of cells.Some easy snack options are rice cakes or seed crackers (like Mary’s Seed Crackers) with hummus, hard boiled eggs, veggies and hummus, or greek yogurt.
Incorporate warming foods - In Ayurvedic medicine, women are considered to be in a yin state after giving birth. They need yang foods, which are warm, to rebalance their systems. I have to say that I was definitely craving soups, stews, curries, and broths after having my baby. These foods felt so healing and comforting to me! Plus it’s less work for your body to break down cooked foods compared to raw foods, and we need to give all systems in our body a rest while we are in recovery mode!
Drink your water! Staying hydrated is essential for many reasons after birth. One is that drinking water can help reduce swelling by flushing out the extra fluids in your body. Additionally, staying hydrated helps you to produce enough breastmilk if you’re nursing. Did you know that your body releases oxytocin when breastfeeding, which triggers your thirst? I recommend having a large mason jar full of water ready to go at your breastfeeding station!
Be kind to yourself! Our focus in the first few weeks after delivery is on the new baby in our lives! We need to hone in on the child’s needs first and foremost, so if there are days where you feel like you made poor choices with your food intake, relax! Remember, it’s all about finding balance - we should aim for MOST of the food we consume to come from whole foods (rather than processed) and to be nutrient-rich, however, it’s great to also enjoy foods here and there that make you feel good and that satisfy your cravings. That might be a cookie after lunch, a handful of chips as a snack, french fries from your take out order. Make sure to live a little too :)
NOW - how can you be most successful with this eating plan?? In your final few weeks of pregnancy, see if you can cook some soups, stews, curries, meatballs, and other meals to have ready-to-go in your freezer. Can you ask friends and family to set up a meal train delivery for those first couple of weeks to ensure you’ll have some nourishing meals?
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