Fab Friday Feature | Foods to Eat After Giving Birth to Save Time and Stay Nourished

August 20, 2014

Hey new moms! I know many of you are bending over backwards to find time-saving meals that will benefit both you and your baby. Not to worry. The Chloe Jackman Photography blog has brought in an expert to lend a hand and help you become the savvy food mom you’ve admired from afar!

 

A Purified Life helps women and busy professionals feel good, have more energy, and reach their health goals without sacrificing time.

 

 

Foods to Eat After Giving Birth to Save Time & Stay Nourished

By Giovanna Garcia

Your body goes through major physical and hormonal changes during pregnancy and when giving birth. These changes make it essential for new moms to stay well nourished and hydrated after labor to help the body balance, especially if breastfeeding.

Symptoms such as postpartum depression, indigestion (bloating/gas), fatigue, and mood swings are simply signs that there is an imbalance in the body. Don’t worry! These are common and almost all of them can be addressed by focusing on supporting and healing the gut (digestive tract). It’s also important to know that the body usually becomes immune compromised after birth. This is because about 70% of our immune system lives in our gut.

 

There are many foods that support digestion:

- Liquid foods – smoothie (My favorite place in SF is Sidewalk Juice), soup, pudding, bone broth, and herbal tea (in particular ginger, fennel, nettle, chamomile, mint, rosemary, and lavender)

- Warm foods – soup, stew, porridge, cooked vegetables

- Spices – ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, turmeric, vanilla

- Fermented foods – sauerkraut, coconut kefir, coconut water kefir, kimchi, fermented/pickled vegetables. These can easily be added to any meal for flavor and gut healing benefits.

- Aloe Vera – juice or gel from plant. Heals the digestive tract lining. Use in smoothies or drink a shot of it first thing in the morning.

 

Other ways to support and heal digestion:

- Eat small meals throughout the day – although it’s easy to forget to eat during these busy times, skipping meals will lead to mood swings, fatigue, and bloating.

- Eat mindfully – eat slowly, take time to chew food (even if it’s a liquid meal), take breaths in between bites, and avoid eating in front of a TV or other electronic device.

 

Besides supporting digestion, there are also specific nutrients that are essential for dealing with fatigue and depression:

Omega-3 fats

Enhance brain function and provide energy. Good sources are: wild salmon, flax seeds, chia seeds, eggs, and walnuts.

Note: Avoid canned fish if nursing.

Protein

Having small amounts of protein throughout the day will keep blood sugar stable and keep mood swings at bay. Good sources are: fish, organic eggs, seeds, nuts, quinoa, and legumes.

Eat your vegetables!

Eating a variety of vegetables will ensure that you are getting a full spectrum of nutrients everyday and reduce cravings. Great choices are: kale, collard greens, chard, spinach, zucchini, broccoli, cucumber, celery, parsley, cilantro, mint, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, carrots, radish, tomatoes, and asparagus. My favorite place to get the best seasonal and less costly produce is at any local farmers market.

Hydration

Hydration is very important for nursing moms especially. Dehydration often can be confused with hunger and lead to low energy, fogginess, and cravings. Filtered water, lemon water, and herbal tea are great ways to hydrate. If you don’t like the taste of water, you can add fresh fruit or fresh mint to add flavor. Adding chia seeds to water will also help hydration and stabilize blood sugar. Limit caffeine and alcohol intake as these can induce fatigue and mood swings.

 

Ways to save time while staying nourished:

- Prepare big batches of soup, stew, porridge, and cooked vegetables ahead of time and freeze.

- Have a blended meal – One of the best ways and fastest ways to get tons of nutrients in for one meal is to blend everything up. Whether it’s a blended soup or a simple green smoothie with berries, spinach or kale, celery, chia seeds, and almond milk. You may even make a big batch of smoothie and enjoy leftovers the next day.

- Plan ahead – Set out some time to plan your meals for the week ahead and prepare something that can easily be reheated for a few days. No need to overwhelm yourself with tons of different dishes, stick to 1-2 dishes for the week.

- Prepare one-pot meals such as stew, soup, stir-fry, sauté, and porridge.

- Have your groceries delivered to you – Good eggs is a great online grocery store that offers produce and products from the best local farms and food providers, and they deliver for free! This is a great place to buy your fish and eggs.

- Always have healthy snacks on hand – fresh fruit, raw nuts and seeds, fresh vegetables, hummus, dates, hard-boiled eggs, nut butters, tahini, seed crackers, and water.

- Hire a personal chef – I have created a special personal chef bundle for you to be free of stress after giving birth.

 

New Mom Special for Chloe Jackman Photography Blog Readers!

4 or 8 weeks of personal chef services, 1 home visit per week.

Each home visit is 3-4 hours and includes 3 dishes with 4 servings each, which is a total of 12 meals per week.

I plan the menu, grocery shop, cook, store food, and clean up for you – No stress!

Health investment:

§  4-week package = $1,600 (normal price is $1,800 – you save $200)

§  8-week package = $3,200 (normal price is $3,600 – you save $400)

§  Only Chloe Jackman Photography blog readers can access these discounted packages.

Contact me to learn more at 415-379-0508 or via email at giovanna@apurifiedlife.com

Now you that you know a bit more about your postpartum nutrition, here’s a recipe I recommend to get you started!

 

 

Brown Rice Coconut Porridge with Coconut Milk, Spices, and Dates

This dish is perfect for breakfast or a comforting meal in the afternoon. The blend of spices will keep the body warm and aid digestion.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup short-grain brown rice, soaked overnight

2 cups coconut milk (I recommend homemade or canned by  ‘Native Forest’ – organic and BPA-free)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger or ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon sea salt

 

Toppings:

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

½ cup hemp seeds

½ cup fresh strawberries, chopped

¼ cup fresh medjool dates, chopped

Extra coconut milk if desired

1 Tablespoons raw maca powder (optional, but will provide great hormonal balancing benefits), you can mix this in before adding the toppings

 

Procedure:

1. Soak rice overnight or for at least 4 hours. Drain and rinse. Place in medium size pot with coconut milk, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, cardamom, and sea salt.

2. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, until rice is cooked and it reaches a porridge consistency. Add water or more coconut milk if porridge becomes too thick.

3. Serve and stir in maca powder if using. Garnish with toasted coconut, hemp seeds, chopped strawberries, and chopped dates.

Serves 4

Because you can’t have a happy healthy baby without happy healthy parents

 

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