Garima SinghAfter nine long months of waiting, you’ve finally delivered your baby and you just don’t seem to contain your joy. The little baby in your arms is nothing less than a bundle of joy, and you’ll do literally everything possible to make sure your baby is healthy and well nourished. You may have paid extra attention to your diet during the pregnancy period, but guess what, it’s not over yet!
Pregnancy and childbirth saps a lot of energy and nutrients from your body and you certainly do not want to fall ill right after your baby has been born. What’s more, you’ll also be breastfeeding now, so you have to choose the healthiest foods possible to keep both yourself and your little baby healthy and energetic. To help you out, we’ve listed the foods you need to include in your diet after delivery of baby.
Foods To Include In Diet After Delivery:
Ideally, following the birth of your baby, every food that you choose should be healthy and nutritious to make up for the strenuous job of pregnancy and childbirth. Here are 5 healthy food options of diet for mother after delivery:
1. Proteins:
According to a study conducted by a team of researchers at Ohio State University, post partum moms need around 71 grams of extra protein in addition to their daily requirements. Adding more protein foods to your diet is therefore, a must during this period.
It is a good idea to add more dairy products to your diet as they don’t just give you your required proteins but also get your body the extra calcium you need. If you’re a vegan, you can add more pulses, seeds and legumes to your diet to get your protein content while non-vegetarians can easily consume lean meats and poultry foods.
2. Whole Grains:
Carbohydrates are the quickest source of energy for you during this crucial period in your life, and you will now need a lot of energy to produce milk for your newborn. While simple sugars may seem like a good option when it comes to getting energy, they are not reliable. They tend to raise blood sugar levels fast and drop them down suddenly, which could leave you feel tired and weak.
Complex carbohydrates present in whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, barley, oatmeal and bulgur are a good option- they get absorbed more slowly and stabilize your blood sugar levels, providing you energy without getting you the extra calories like in sugary foods.
3. Fats:
Fats make for a very important part of your diet following childbirth, but you have to make sure you take the right kind of fats. Fatty fish contains omega 3 fatty acids, which will boost the development of brain of your baby.
So make sure you get your 2 servings of catfish, tuna, salmon or Pollock every week, preferably the quality-canned variety so as to cut down the risk of any toxicity whatsoever. It is also a good time to switch to healthier cooking oils like olive oil during the post partum period if you haven’t done that already.
4. Veggies and Fruits:
This one obviously doesn’t come as a surprise. Veggies and fruits are the best choice when it comes to a post pregnancy diet. They are loaded with fiber that helps promote digestive health and prevents constipation. They also give the body a good supply of important vitamins and minerals, which is great if you’re breastfeeding, your baby.
Veggies and Fruits also supply healthy carbs that your body needs after delivery and will be immensely helpful if you’ve had a C-section delivery or are taking narcotics for pain relief. Make sure you pick organic foods at this point of time since they contain no pesticides and chemical additives as opposed to other foods, which are usually chemically ripened.
If you do not have access to organic produce, make sure you avoid spinach, apples, strawberries, celery, grapes and peaches as they tend to contain high levels of pesticides. Stick to onions, pineapple, avocado, kiwi, mangoes, eggplant, sweet peas, asparagus, sweet corn and cantaloupe- they have the least amounts of pesticide residue.
5. Other Foods:
Apart from these, many other foods are great when it comes to providing you optimum nutrition during your post partum and lactation period.
- Turmeric: rich in potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and manganese
- Dry Ginger Powder: packed with selenium, fiber, vitamin E and magnesium
- Oats: an excellent source of iron, fiber, calcium, carbs and proteins.
- Carom Seeds: amazing antioxidant properties that cleanse the uterus.
Foods To Avoid During Post-Delivery:
Now that we’ve focused on what are the foods to eat after delivery, here are some foods that are a strict no-no during a post-pregnancy diet; for obvious reasons.
Processed and packaged foods are bad for you at any given point of time, and if you’ve just delivered a baby, your body is actually lacking out on a lot of nutrients, and given that you’re breast feeding too, your body is losing out on a lot of essentials it needs for its survival; gobbling down a bowl of 2 minute noodles isn’t exactly the kind of thing your body needs.
Make sure you keep away from all these foods after delivery.
- Processed, cured meats
- Salted chips, sugary biscuits and other packaged snacks.
- Ready to make meals
- Fast food takeaways
- Sugary drinks like sodas and colas
All these foods are literally packed with all the possible unhealthy ingredients you could expect, and they’ll actually harm your body in the long run. What’s more, your baby is now at a very tender age and is more vulnerable to anything that could cause him harm.
Consuming these foods could weaken his immunity and make him more susceptible to many health conditions associated with consumption of foods that are rich in preservatives and chemicals. So take care and we hope this article would help you to make sensible choices while selecting your after delivery diet!
Sangita Goswami
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