Since the birth of my first child, I have been super passionate about finding the perfect pregnancy and postpartum diet. Through lots of research and trial and error, I have come up with a diet routine that fits my busy schedule and nourishes my body so I can properly nourish my baby. I am currently 5 weeks postpartum as I write this. With two toddlers and a baby, I seem to have less and less time to prepare meals for myself these days! The methods and recipes that I have listed here fit a busy schedule while being very nutrient-dense. In a perfect world, I would create 3 square meals every day and have time to sit and eat them mindfully and with gratitude. Well, these days I am happy to get a shower and a hot meal! So, here is what works for this busy working Mom…
What I Eat Postpartum
Morning “Supplements” (they really are just superfoods):
- Prenatal Vitamin: I always chose a “whole food” prenatal, but often times I change up the brands
- Coconut oil: A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that lactating mothers who eat coconut oil and other coconut products, have significantly increased levels of lauric acid and capric acid in their breast milk, creating milk rich in health promoting nutrients. Coconut oil is easy for an infant’s immature digestive system to absorb and utilize. It also provides energy in the form of medium chain fatty acids to help the baby grow and develop properly. (source)
- Fermented Cod Liver Oil/High-vitamin Butter Oil: for Vitamins A, D and K2 — where to find
- Lactogenic supplements: I go over these in the video below. To learn more about lactogenic foods, pick up a copy of this awesome book
- Sardine and Liver Cubes: read this post and watch the video to learn more
- Elderberry Syrup: I take this during cold and flu season, or when I feel a cold coming on. Here is my recipe
- Dandy Blend: a great coffee substitute that gently detoxifies the liver and has also been shown to be lactogenic — where to find
- Kombucha: a wonderful probiotic beverage that we brew up every week. Here is my recipe and a video of how I make it
- Others that I mention in my video below: Marshmallow Root, Spirulina, Evening Primrose Oil, Nordic Naturals, Mother’s Milk Tea, Nettle Tea
Breakfast:
I always keep breakfast easy because it is one of the busiest times of the day. I pretty much eat either eggs prepared however I like them, or my no-oatmeal with either raw milk or whatever milk we have around. I recently tried it with coconut hemp milk! If I have a little extra time I will whip up a batch of my quick and easy homemade hollandaise sauce because it is loaded with healthy fats in the butter and egg yolks. I pour that over the eggs that I prepared. Fat is good for you! Oh and I also try to have pastured bacon every chance that I get!
- My hollandaise sauce recipe
- My no-oatmeal recipe — make this one week in advance and then all you have to do is heat it up each morning!
- Some of my quick and easy breakfast recipes (many of these can be made ahead!): Banana Bacon Frittata, Gluten Free Crepes, Grain Free Granola, Paleo Breakfast Cake, 3-ingredient Paleo Waffles, Breakfast Scotch Eggs
- If you cannot find raw cheese in your area for your eggs, you can order it HERE
Lunch:
I often snack and graze during lunch because it is a time when I can get stuff done around the house! The kids are occupied eating their lunch and the baby is often sleeping at that time. So, I graze while I clean or fold laundry. Its what works for me right now. I would love to prepare a big lunch and sit and enjoy it, but time is money and that laundry pile will NOT fold itself. So, snacks it is — healthy, nutrient-dense snacks of course.
My favorite grazing foods are:
- Sauerkraut: full of probiotics to help establish and maintain a healthy gut flora — here is my recipe and a video of how I make it
- Grass-fed and Pastured Meats: We get our pork, beef and chicken from our family farms. If you want to find local farms in your area go here. I just heat up whatever meat we have in the fridge and eat it with some of my sauerkraut.
- Yogurt and Granola (I forgot to mention these in my video): another probiotic food topped with healthy protein and fats. Here is my granola recipe plus a video of how I make it. Here is my yogurt recipe and a video of how I make it
- My Healthy Hot Chocolate Squares (recipe here). These are FULL of healthy fats and give me energy to keep on keeping on.
Dinner:
I almost always have a huge salad for dinner! It is a great way to pack a TON of nutrients into one meal. I start with a leafy green base and add: sliced vegetables, nuts and seeds, meat, cheese, eggs, sauerkraut, and a dressing. You can make it however you would like. I have even done things like slicing up an egg bake into cubes and using that on top of my salad. You can put a meal right on top of the greens. I make my dressing by putting a scoop of homemade mayo in a jar, and topping it with vinegar and spices — then shake and pour.
About my salads:
- Here is how I make a fabulous salad, it also contains a video of how I wash my greens
- Here is my recipe and a video of how I make my dehydrated nuts and seeds to put on top of my salads — my favorites are pepitas!
- Here is my homemade mayo recipe that I use in my dressings
- Kelp Granules and Nutritional Yeast
Other meals that we have often:
- Crockpot meals: chicken, beef roasts, pork roasts
- Sausage and sauerkraut — so easy!
- Detox Salad — I make a huge batch and keep it in jars in the fridge for individual meals
- You can find all of my recipes HERE
- Smoothies: throw a ton of organic vegetables and greens into a high powered blender. Sometimes I am so busy that I just drink my dinner!
Bedtime:
I consume bone broth and turmeric tea to help heal my body and reduce inflammation. It also helps me sleep like a log! Here is my bone broth recipe. Here is how I make my turmeric milk. I just add the turmeric mixture into the bone broth and warm it up. Voila — nighty, night!
That pretty much sums up my days as they are right now. As more time opens up in my day, like when the baby starts to take longer and more regular naps, I will start making different meals again. But for now, it’s all about quick and easy, while keeping it nutrient-dense! Please share this post with anyone that you know who is looking to become pregnant, is pregnant, or just had a baby. Keeping our moms and babies healthy is the most important thing that we can do to ensure a healthy future! I am so so so passionate about getting the word out about this! If you want to find more healthy recipe ideas, please follow me on Pinterest.
Again, to read more, please pick up a copy of this awesome book — I seriously can’t put it down!
Watch my video below where I go over these in more detail
P.S. I have had a few inquiries about the necklace that I am wearing in the video. You can find them HERE
P.P.S. If you want to find the best gluten-free items online (best prices around, believe me, I have checked!) with free shipping, I highly recommend Thrive Market, they even have a special Gluten Free section. CLICK HERE to check them out!
What foods did you consume before, during, and after your pregnancy? I would love to hear about them in the comments below!
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7 Replies to “What I Eat Postpartum (plus a video)”
Thank you for putting together this video and helpful blog post! I can’t wait to try your liver and sardine “pate.” Did I get this right? Each morning, you take a tablespoon of your pate mixture, FCLO, Omega 6 via evening primrose oil, and Omega 3s?
I am nursing my 17-month-old baby girl and hope to conceive in the near future, so I know that super nutrition will be vitally important as I try to continue nursing during pregnancy — or at least, nurse until my little girl decides that she is done!
Yep, thats my routine 🙂 You should pick up a few of the books that I recommend in the post, they talk about nursing and becoming pregnant again 🙂
I just stumbled onto your site via Pinterest. Some of this made me just laugh out loud … I’m not laughing at the content, which I think is actually wonderful .. but I have a two and a half year old at home, work full time, and all I have to ask is … WHERE DO YOU FIND THE TIME TO DO ALL OF THIS???? How on earth are you preparing all of these foods AND showering AND working, AND caring for your children AND spending time with your husband? I laugh because I feel like I’ve accomplished something by microwaving frozen veggies and heating up some ground turkey for dinner. I am stunned and frankly totally intimidated. I come home from work, cuddle/play with/ read to my son, have about 20 – 30 minutes to make dinner (no time to fuss with a food processor or blender and even Pre-heating an oven takes up precious time), clean up, cuddle or bathe my son, go to bed. Do the days in your world have 36 hours in them?
LOL, I wish my days had 36 hours! I just work very efficiently and I also get up at 5am every single day. Early mornings are my most productive time! I also work every day, even weekends. My time is just more flexible when I am working from home. I am tired though! My youngest still gets up at night to nurse, so I could certainly use more hours in my day to sleep 🙂
Loved this! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it Linda!