Postpartum Diet Plan – Diet after delivery

• Moreover, you need to take care of what you consume such as medicines, alcohol, etc., as it can enter the baby’s body via your milk.

2. Physical Changes

Mothers tend to undergo a lot of physical changes to return back to normal. This includes the blood loss during the delivery which also continues for several weeks, in the form of vaginal discharge called lochia. Moreover, there is reduced hormone production, loss of appetite, and much more.

• Increased blood loss can cause iron deficiency and thus regular iron intake is necessary.

• Loss of appetite can cause major nutritional deficiencies.

Maintaining a good diet allows you to recover from physical changes better and avoid complications for yourself and the baby.

3. Mood and Mental Changes

Food can alter your mood. Consumption of high carbs food can cause a quick spike and drop in sugar levels often leaving you grumpy. On the other hand, a healthy and nutritious diet may uplift your mood and reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Some food types that enhance mental health are mentioned below:

• Healthy fats from fish and olive oil may have anti-inflammatory properties that help prevent depression.

• Whole grains promote good gut bacteria.

• Fruits and vegetables help prevent cell damage.

• Fermented food like yogurt helps promote good bacteria in the stomach.

Sources: Whole grains should be a major part of the carb intake. Consuming items such as whole wheat, brown rice, oats, etc are a better option. Avoid items made of refined wheat (maida)such as white bread, pizza, pasta, etc or sugary drinks.

Fats

Need: Healthy fats including DHA and omega-3 are important for the development of the brain and eye of the baby.

Daily intake: Total fat intake can be maintained at 20-35% of the total calorie intake.

Sources:

• Vegetarians: People eating vegetarian can consume food rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) like flax seeds, walnuts, and canola oil.

• Non- vegetarians: Oily fishes like sardines, mackerel, salmon, eel, and yellow fish have high contents of Omega-3. Fishes like a golden thread, pacific saury, and pomfret have medium amounts of Omega-3.

• Supplements: DHA supplements are also available which can be consumed after consulting the doctor.

Fiber

Need: Women face a serious issue of constipation during and post pregnancy and this can be avoided with extra fiber consumption.

Health benefits: Fibre helps maintain the feeling of fullness and allows for the better formation of stools. It also helps to maintain a healthy digestive system and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Sources: Good sources of fiber include whole grains, legumes, and lentils, high fiber cereals, fruits like blueberries, raspberries and peaches, vegetables like corn and peas.

Protein

Need: every structure in the body is made of proteins. It is thus called the building block of the body.

Health effects: Inadequate protein content can lead to less birth weight, fetal development problems and loss of maternal tissue.

Daily intake: During breastfeeding the mother should consume an additional 21 grams of protein per day for the first 6 months. If breastfeeding continues for the next 6 months then additional 14 grams per day is needed. The daily requirement for an average female before pregnancy is 47-48 grams per day.

Sources:

• Vegetarian sources include milk, cheese, and yogurt.

• Vegan sources include beans, pulses and lentils, tofu, tempeh, nuts and seeds, soya mince, soya milk, soya cheese, soy yogurt, and textured vegetable protein.

• Non-vegetarian sources include eggs, fish, chicken, lamb, pork, etc.

Like other fruits, they are a good source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants and provide the necessary energy with the ease of packing.

Oranges

Another fruit rich in fibre and nutrients. They are also a good source of Vitamin C and can be easily placed in a bag.

Other major sources of food that need to be consumed on a regular basis postpartum include:

Fish

Fish is a great lean source or protein and provide a supply of the essential fatty acid. Limit fish intake to not more than 8 to 12 ounces or 226 grams to 340 grams per week to prevent deposition of mercury.

Low mercury fish include:

• Canned light tuna

• Catfish

• Cod

• Oysters

• Salmon

• Shrimp

• Trout

Lean non vegetarian: High in protein, Vitamin B-12 and iron with low trans fat.

Legumes& pluses: Good source of vegetarian protein and fibre.

Blueberries: Full of vitamins and minerals.

• Daily intake: Limit the consumption of added sugars to less than 10% of the daily calorie intake.

• Health effects: Increased sugar can lead to weight gain and obesity, type II diabetes and heart disease.

Sodium/Salt:

• Daily intake: Consume not more than 2300 milligrams each day.

• Health effects: High sodium intake can cause increased blood pressure or hypertension. This in turn can lead to several health issues later in life such as stroke, heart condition, etc.

Fact: Pregnant women need more water and there is no need to restrict water, however, sodium can cause other problems and should be limited in the meals.

Maintaining a healthy diet throughout the pregnancy and breastfeeding phase is important for the growth of the baby without any nutritional deficiencies and for the mother to reach back to the pre-pregnancy state safely.

Can dieting or exercising reduce milk production?

Myth: it is a myth and there is no effect of dieting or exercising on the quantity and the energy value of the milk production.

Fact: however, dietary deficiency of some nutrients can cause nutritional deficiencies in mothers or the breast milk. Stress, anxiety and smoking can cause reduction in milk production.