Ideal diet after pregnancy

You have come along in the nine months by following a diet that is nutritious. However, the rigors of pregnancy aren’t over yet. Your body has spent a lot of its resources carrying the child. Now it’s time to recollect those resources by having nutritious food yet again.

1. Go for food made from wheat and rice. It can include khichri, pulao, paratha or chapatti, which will supply the required amount of carbohydrates. Add some cumin (jeera) and pepper to the food.
2. Adding a small amount of ghee will give you strength. It is high in calcium and it goes well with a lot of Indian food preparations.
3. Oats are an excellent source of iron, calcium, fiber, carbohydrates and proteins and helps keep constipation at bay.
4. Fish rich in DHA and fatty acids helps the newborn develop healthy brain and nervous system. Green leafy vegetables are a good source too.
5. A new mother’s diet would ideally include proteins like meat, fish, eggs or pulses and beans, at least four to five servings of fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, yoghurt and at least eight to nine glasses of water per day.
6. Savories made out of sesame seeds, dry nuts, fenugreek seeds/leaves, garlic, drumsticks and carom seeds are given to new mothers to increase milk supply.
7. Edible gum cooked with dry nuts and wheat is given to strengthen the back and the reproductive organs post-delivery.
8. Have cow’s milk first thing in the morning to enhance the quality of your milk. Milk and yogurt are high in calcium and keep the bones strong. Add them to the daily diet. New moms need extra calcium to keep them strong.
9. A new mom suffers from loss of blood. In order to balance the iron levels add spinach to daal, chapati dough, rice, or eat palak paneer.
10. Black grapes, ripe mango, banana, cashew nuts and dates are important among fruits and nuts. Breast feeding mothers should eat lots of fresh fruits.

What to avoid?

1. New moms must avoid excessive caffeine and sugar.
2. They should cut calories from their diet in effort to get back in shape.
3. Spicy foods, and certain compounds found in citrus fruits and juices may irritate a still-immature GI tract, leading to fussiness and spitting up.
4. A breast-feeding mom must avoid oily snacks and fizzy drinks. Stay away from alcohol and quit smoking. It can harm your baby.