The Postpartum Pantry
Although it may be tempting to stock your postpartum pantry with easy to grab, sugary snacks and quick microwave meals that are full of empty calories, longterm your body will be craving substantial wholefoods that will provide enough nutritional value to help you function day to day, replace lost nutrients, and also support your body to produce and sustain milk supply if you are nursing your baby. Having ingredients in your pantry that not only help to nurture and heal your body after the birth of your child, but provides nourishment and sustenance in those early weeks, goes a long way to supporting you during your recovery.
As a naturopath, I would look at replacing lost nutrients like iron, to help with energy production, increasing your consumption of foods containing protein, zinc and vitamin C for tissue and wound healing, Magnesium for muscle recovery, energy nervous system and sleep support, B vitamins for energy and nervous system support, and essential fatty acids for mood support and hormone balance.
Traditionally though, there is a strong importance placed on consuming foods that provide warmth, nourishment and are gentle on the digestive system. Ayurveda and Chinese medicine believe a new Mamas energy is cold due to an increase in the air or 'Vata' element in her body. This in part is caused by the empty space left in her womb after birthing her child and the placenta, and the loss of heat and fire through fluid, energy and blood loss.
The loss of this heat and fire needs to be replenished and her circulation increased to optimise healing and recovery, and support the weakened digestive 'fire'. The best way to do this is through avoiding cold and raw foods and instead consuming sweet and savoury foods that provide warmth and comfort like broths, soups, slow cooked stews, steamed puddings, and spices like cinnamon and ginger, in cooking and herbal teas like masala chai.
So what foods should you be stocking your postpartum pantry with? I have listed a number of readily available ingredients below to have on hand, and advise you to start filling your pantry in the weeks prior to the birth of your baby, so you are well prepared.
Ghee, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, olive oil, avocado oil
Nut butters (cashew, almond, brazil, macadamia)
Seeds (hemp, sesame, chia, flaxseed, pepita, sunflower)
Tahini
Dips (hummus, tzatziki)
Nuts (brazil, almond, cashew, macadamia, walnut, pecan)
Pumpkin, carrot, parsnip, sweet potato, broccoli, mushrooms, kale, spinach, onions, garlic
Oats
Legumes (lentils, split peas, adzuki beans, chickpeas)
Spices (ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, fennel, black pepper)
Nettle and raspberry leaf tea
Coconut milk and nut mylks
Sourdough (rye, spelt)
Eggs
Noodles, rice, quinoa
Miso paste, vegetable and bone broths
Dried figs, prunes, dates
Raw honey (great for wound healing), coconut sugar
You grew your beautiful baby inside you for forty odd weeks, providing warmth and nourishment. It is now time to give yourself the same love and care for the next forty days and beyond.
If you would like further guidance with postpartum care and nutrition, you will find my 1:1 postpartum support packages here.
I’m Hannah.
I’m a naturopath and mama of one, living in the beautiful Southern Highlands, N.S.W. Australia. I love holistically supporting women to feel healthy and amazing from the very start of their preconception journey, throughout pregnancy, during the postpartum period and beyond.