Pregnancy is a time of tremendous change for your body. Diet plays a crucial role in postnatal care. The diet that you choose should be healthy and nutritious to make up for the strenuous job of pregnancy and childbirth.
A healthy eating pattern is very important for women both during and after pregnancy. The other important thing that needs to be followed is the eating-schedule. This is important because if you wait until you’re hungry to eat, you might be tempted to eat more than you should.
Your diet needs to be nutritious with the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
Protein is important to support healthy muscles, bones, as well it helps to make important enzymes and hormones that are involved in digestion, metabolism, and tissue growth and repair. Proteins are digested more slowly than carbohydrates that help you feel full.
Whole-wheat, plant-based foods provide complex carbohydrates in the form of fiber. Complex carbohydrates take longer for the body to digest than simple sugars helping to provide the sensation of fullness.
Eating healthy fats and eliminating processed food which contains Trans fats, and refined sugars help you to improve blood sugar level and insulin sensitivity.
Here are some healthy food options that are extremely good for the new mother who is recovering from delivery-
- Almonds– Almonds contain a healthy serving of “good” fats along with some fiber to aid in digestion and are also another great source of protein to boost your energy.
2. Sesame Seeds-Sesame Seeds contain a lot of constituents, namely iron, copper, magnesium, and calcium, which directly benefit the health of the mother. These seeds are great for regulating bowel movements and aid digestion.
3. Grains– Try to eat a variety of foods from this group, including wholewheat, bread, rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, or your traditional cereal and potatoes. Unrefined cereals and wholewheat bread are good sources of fiber.
4. Garlic– Garlic has properties that help the immune system which keeps the body away from germs and viruses and ward off illnesses naturally.
5. Bottle gourd- Bottle gourd is known to be highly rich in vitamin C, magnesium, and folate. It boosts breast milk production naturally and enriches you with the necessary nutrients.
6. Moringa leaves– Moringa leaves are rich in many important nutrients, including protein, vitamin B6, vitamin C, riboflavin, and iron. It helps to stabilize blood sugar levels post meals.
Keep yourself hydrated– When too little water is consumed a hormone called aldosterone is triggered which signals cells to conserve every molecule of water and sodium it can. Water retention can intensify with hormone imbalance or if protein intake is too low. Drinking adequate amounts of water will also help your body work most efficiently.
Practicing healthy dietary habits prepare the mother’s body for quicker postnatal recovery. These habits range from knowing how much to eat, what to eat, what not to eat, and why a balance of micro and macronutrients is so important.
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