Postpartum diet: what to eat and not to eat and menu tips

Eating well should be a concern at all stages of a person’s life, however, in the postpartum period, this issue deserves even more attention. It is worth noting that the quality of a woman’s diet is extremely important, both before becoming pregnant, during pregnancy and after childbirth, as it directly affects not only her health, but also that of her child.

Luciene Barbosa dos Santos, supervisor of the Clinical School of Nutrition at the Anhanguera University of São Paulo – Santo André Unit, comments that the postpartum period is a phase in which many women end up “forgetting” to pay attention to the quality of what they are eating, even because they are more concerned with the new baby care routine.

But this attention to food cannot go unnoticed. After all, postpartum does require a special diet.

Tatiane Império, nutritionist and Master in Aging Science, emphasizes that a healthy and balanced diet provides women with essential micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to ensure adequate milk secretion and also ensure the correct development of the child.

But, after all, what should a postpartum diet look like? How should a woman eat fully and, at the same time, be able to return to her pre-pregnancy weight? Below you can find the answers to these and other questions.

How to get back to healthy weight after pregnancy?

Tatiane explains that breastfeeding is related to increased energy needs to supply the mother’s body in adequate amounts in milk production, in addition to ensuring a healthy weight reduction.

“Weight loss occurs in the first 3 months and is more intense in breastfeeding women. It is not recommended to reduce energy during this period and, according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM, 2005), the diet should have at least 1,800 kcal per day to provide nutrients for the mother and the breastfed baby”, highlights the nutritionist. .

The main dietary guidelines for this period should focus on a healthy and adequate diet, and are highlighted below by nutritionist Tatiane:

• Divide food into five or six meals a day, avoiding long periods of fasting, and to ensure normal sugar levels and improve the use of nutrients.
• Ingest liquids (3L/day), mainly water, and, in smaller amounts, natural juices.
• Avoid sugary drinks which can lead to inappropriate weight gain.
• Consume milk and dairy products at least three times a week, preferably whole milk due to fat-soluble vitamins.
• Eat foods that are sources of vitamin C in the main meals to facilitate the absorption of iron.
• Replace refined foods with whole grains.
• Increase consumption of vegetables, legumes and fruits, including a yellow-orange vegetable and a citrus fruit daily.
• Eat fish at least twice a week.
• Prioritize preparations in the form of roasts, grilled, boiled, sautéed.
• Avoid excessive consumption of sweeteners.

Food groups and their best choices

Tatiane emphasizes that all food groups must be present daily in the mothers’ diet, so that better choices and an adequate food variety in essential nutrients for this period are encouraged.

Postpartum menu prepared by nutritionist

Below you can see examples of postpartum menus, prepared by professionals, just with the aim of exemplifying the types of foods that should not be missing in a postpartum diet, in general. It is worth mentioning that the diet of the mother who recently had her baby should always be personalized, according to the guidelines of the doctor or nutritionist.

Menu 1 by Luciene Barbosa dos Santos

BREAKFAST

Option 1

• 1 cup pineapple mint juice
• 2 slices of light wholemeal bread
• 2 col. (dessert) cottage cheese
• 1 medium slice of melon

Option 2

• 1 cup of skimmed natural yogurt mixed with ½ papaya and 1 col. flaxseed (dessert)
• 1 slice of light wholemeal bread with 1 thin slice of Minas cheese and 1 col. (dessert) of sugar-free jelly
• 1 cup of herbal tea

Option 3

• 1 cup (tea) of fruit salad (banana, apple, papaya, melon and strawberry)
• 1 cup of skimmed natural yogurt with 3 col. (Oats Soup
• 1 col. (tea) honey
• 1 slice of light wholemeal bread with 1 knife edge of light margarine

MORNING SNACK

Option 1

• ½ papaya with 2 col. (soup) of oats and 1 col. flaxseed (dessert)
• 1 cup of herbal tea

Option 2

• 1 Polenguinho Light
• 1 banana
• 1 cup of herbal tea

Option 3

• 1 thin slice of plain cake
• 1 cup of herbal tea

LUNCH

Option 1

• 1 plate (dessert) of salad: watercress, arugula, lettuce, tomato, carrot and fennel with 1 col. (soup) of oil
• 3 col. (soup) brown rice
• 2 shells full of beans
• 1 medium grilled chicken fillet (130 grams)
• 1 saucer steamed broccoli with almond slivers

Option 2

• 1 plate (dessert) of salad: lettuce, tomato, crumbled ricotta and apple slices with 1 col. (soup) of oil
• 2 col. (soup) of manioc puree
• 1 shell of lentil
• 4 col. (soup) lean ground beef
• 4 col. (soup) sauteed zucchini

Option 3

• 1 plate (dessert) of salad: dark green leaves, grated beetroot and cucumber with 1 col. (soup) of oil
• 2 col. (soup) spinach souffle
• 2 col. (soup) boiled or baked potato or 1 cup. (tea) whole-wheat pasta cooked with 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 large grilled fish fillet (150 grams)
• 3 col. (soup) sauteed green beans

AFTERNOON SNACK

Option 1

• 2 wholemeal toast with 2 col. (dessert) of sugar-free jelly
• 1 cup coffee with skimmed milk

Option 2

• 1 slice of light wholemeal bread with 1 slice of Minas cheese
• 1 cup unsweetened grape juice

Option 3

• 1 cereal bar
• 1 cup of coconut water
• 1 apple

DINNER

Option 1

• 1 plate of vegetable soup
• 1 medium grilled chicken fillet (130 grams)
• 4 col. (soup) boiled carrot

Option 2

• 1 bowl of spinach soup
• 1 medium zucchini stuffed with ground beef and tomato
• 3 col. (soup) of sautéed pie peas

Option 3

• 1 plate (dessert) of salad: dark green leaves, tomato and grated carrot with lemon drops
• 3 col. (soup) of brown rice with peas
• 1 medium grilled salmon fillet (130 grams)
• 1 roasted eggplant

SUPPER

Option 1

• 1 banana roasted with cinnamon
• 1 cup of herbal tea

Option 2

• 1 cup of fruit yogurt with 1 col. (Oats Soup
• 1 cup of herbal tea

Option 3

• ½ cup (tea) of dried fruits (apricots, Brazil nuts, walnuts and almonds)
• 1 cup of herbal tea

EARLY MORNING SNACK (for after feeding)

Option 1

• 1 unsweetened dried banana

Option 2

• 1 cup of fruit yogurt

Option 3

Menu 2 by Tatiane Império

BREAKFAST

• Whole milk (1 cup of curd)
• 2 slices of wholemeal bread + 1 tablespoon of margarine
• 1/2 papaya papaya

MORNING SNACK

• 1 silver banana + 1 tablespoon of oat bran + 1 tablespoon of honey

LUNCH

• Salad: 4 lettuce leaves + 5 arugula sprigs + 3 tablespoons of raw carrots + 1 tablespoon (dessert) of olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of cooked rice + 1 ladle of cooked beans (50% broth, 50% grain)
• 1 medium roast beef
• 5 tablespoons sauteed spinach
• 2 tablespoons of boiled pumpkin
• 1 orange

AFTERNOON SNACK

• 4 pieces of toast + 1 tablespoon of cottage cheese
• 1 cup of pineapple juice (curd)

DINNER

• Natural snack: 1 French bread + 1 slice of ricotta + 4 tablespoons of tuna + 1 tablespoon of beetroot
• 1 mango

EVENING SNACK

• 1 fruit yogurt + 1 tablespoon of granola

It is worth emphasizing that the ideal menu for each woman is the one prepared by her own doctor or nutritionist.

Other factors that may help

You already know that healthy postpartum eating is essential, but other simple tips can help the new mom return to her pre-pregnancy weight more easily. Check out:

• Drink water: Luciene reminds you that fluid intake, especially water, should be high, even to promote milk production. In addition to the fact that breastfeeding also makes you more thirsty.
• Exercise: After your doctor’s clearance, getting back into exercise is a great way to encourage a return to your pre-pregnancy weight. Activities such as walking, light weight training, stretching, Pilates, Yoga, etc., are usually indicated at this stage. But, it is worth remembering, each case is a case; so it is essential to talk to the doctor.
• Breastfeed: breastfeeding itself, in addition to its extreme importance for the baby’s health, is closely linked to the mother’s weight reduction.
• Do not go without food: it is essential to divide food into five or six meals a day, avoiding long periods of fasting.
• Count on nutritional guidance: Tatiane highlights that the search for a nutritionist becomes very important with regard to healthy eating guidelines at this stage, thus also ensuring the reduction of the mother’s body weight.

Tatiane reinforces that it is essential that this postpartum period contains a healthy and adequate diet to enable correct milk production and meet the baby’s needs (since breast milk is the only food until the sixth month of life).

“In relation to the mothers’ diet, eating habits must be analyzed to prevent inappropriate practices, characterizing risks for this period. Therefore, the diet must present the appropriate fractionation, fluid intake and preferably food sources of essential nutrients, such as iron, calcium, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A, ensuring a food quality for the health of the mother and child. , recalls nutritionist Tatiane.

For all these reasons, the search for a nutritionist becomes especially important at this stage of a woman’s life.