A proper post-pregnancy diet supports your body's healing process, offering you the energy to care for yourself and your unborn child. The postpartum phase starts after your baby is delivered and concludes after your body has almost fully recovered from pregnancy. Postpartum care entails regaining strength, getting enough rest, and eating right. In this article, Manisha Chopra, Nutritionist Dietician and Fitness Expert, gives post-pregnancy diet tips to be healthy moms.
She said, "The postpartum diet has an impact on the quantity, quality, and flavour of breast milk. An infant is entirely reliant on nursing to get all the nutrients required. Therefore, a healthy diet for new mothers should be a top concern to ensure the baby's appropriate growth and development and the health of new mothers."
Superfoods To Make A Part Of Your Postpartum Diet
Here are the top postpartum foods for mothers that must be incorporated into the diet to support the growth of the unborn child and replenish the body of the new mother.
Green Veggies
Chopra stated, "Green leafy vegetables are a must-have in the diet after delivery since they are a great source of iron, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and fibre." She added that they aid in post-pregnancy weight loss since they are low in calories and high in antioxidants that are good for the heart.
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"After giving birth, leafy vegetables, such as mustard, dandelion, fennel, kale, spinach, beetroot, cabbage, moringa, fenugreek, and turmeric leaves are ideal alternatives for the diet, she said.
She further said that the healthiest vegetables to eat to enhance immunity include pointed gourds (parwal), apple gourds (tinda), and lotus stems (kamal kakdi), which contain nutrients, like zinc, magnesium, copper, and iron.
Whole Grain Cereals
After delivery, moms should eat whole grains, such as quinoa, corn, bulgur wheat, barley, rye, and millet. Chopra added, "Whole grains increase body metabolism and reduce calorie retention. They are also abundant in fibre and vitamin B complexes, which aid in avoiding fat buildup."
"Mothers can also have oats, which are rich in calcium, iron, proteins, and carbohydrates, fibre, which eases constipation," she added.
Fruits and Nuts
Chopra said, "Fruits are a good source of fibre, vitamins, and minerals. They help you stay full for a long time and curb cravings. Many fruits, such as apples and pears, contain fibre and pectin, which naturally speed up metabolism and burn fat." You can also consume other fruits, such as berries, apricots, grapefruit, cantaloupe, melons, and prunes.
She further said, "Nuts can help women lose weight after giving birth if they eat them in moderation." Fruits and nuts, including almonds, cashew, walnuts, peanuts, and Brazil nuts, offer amino acids, selenium, potassium, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, K, C, B, and E.
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Low-Fat Dairy Products
Chopra said, "For the formation of their bones, your baby receives calcium from breast milk. So, as part of your postpartum diet, include calcium-rich foods to replenish the calcium your body has lost."
"If you want to stay away from milk due to fear of postpartum weight gain, you can also choose the low-fat varieties of milk products," she added. Giving examples, she said, "You can include low-fat milk, buttermilk, and yoghurt in your diet, as these are good suppliers of intestinal bacteria, protein, and calcium."
Protein
All of the body's enzymes, hormones, and tissues are built on proteins. Citing examples, Chopra said, "Protein-rich foods, like beans, shellfish, chicken, lean meats, eggs, cheese, fish, legumes, chickpeas, and soy products aid in the body's postpartum recovery. Five servings per day, or seven if you are nursing, is an ideal amount of protein you should intake."
Water
Chopra said, "Your milk production will be controlled by how much water you drink. If you do not drink enough water in your diet after giving birth, you run a risk of getting constipation." She recommended, "If you used to have 6–8 glasses of water, you should now drink 12–15 glasses of water per day."
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