I recently shared 10 tips that helped me recover after birthing my children, and now I want to delve a little deeper into the FOODS that have helped me during this “4th trimester” to nourish myself, heal, promote healthy digestion, and keep up my energy (despite sleepless nights).
I promise that what you eat makes all the difference in your recovery! A healthy nourishing postartum diet is important to:
Replenish nutrients depleted during pregnancy
Support a successful and speedy recovery from birth
Create a healthy supply of (and good quality) breastmilk
Support hormonal balance
Here are the key HEALING FOODS that I was eating daily in my first 40 days postpartum (and continue to enjoy almost daily during my “4th trimester”), and below, 4 of my go-to recovery RECIPES.
Top nourishing, healing foods to help with recovery post birth (and post surgery):
Dark leafy greens. TONS of greens, mostly spinach and kale (cooked)
ALL vegetables! My go-to's include: Sweet potato, butternut squash, zucchini and yellow squash, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower (in small amounts at a time), mushrooms and bell peppers; Incorporate as many COLORS as possible!
Berries: Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries (all preferably organic!) cherries and goji berries. Also small amounts of banana, dates and other fruits.
Seeds: Black sesame seeds, Chia, Flax and Hemp seeds (organic). Tahini and Sunflower seed butters, too.
Nuts & Nut butters: Almond, Cashew and Peanut butters (organic), plus raw nuts (mostly walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts and cashews).
Other Healthy fats: Avocado, Coconut, Ghee and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Grains: Quinoa, Oats (sprouted), Millet, Buckwheat, Rice (brown and wild rice) (preferably always organic).
Animal proteins: Eggs (organic and pasture-raised), Chicken (free range & organic when possible), Salmon and other fish/seafood (wild-caught always), Meats (grass-fed). Bone broth (organic chicken and beef broths).
Legumes: Lentils, Chickpeas, Beans (all varietyes including black, white and red beans) (since both my baby and I were a bit gassy, I kept these to small quantities, always soaked and cooked with a piece of kombu, and didn’t have every day).
Dark chocolate, Cacao powder and Cacao nibs (which I used to make homemade healthy desserts).
Herbs/spices: Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamon, Coriander. Fresh Cilantro, Parsley (small amounts) and Basil. Also Seaweed especially when cooking grains/beans/stews.
Optional lactation friendly “superfoods”: Bee pollen, raw organic Honey (only small amounts), as well as my high quality Protein powders, Brewers yeast, Collagen, Matcha, Moringa, Spirulina, Maca, Ashwagandha and Shatavari.(small amounts of all these superfoods).
Here are 4 of my favorite POST-PARTUM recipes that I was making every week (inspired by the First 40 Days):
CREAMY VEGGIE RECOVERY STEW WITH CHICKEN & CASHEWS
CHOCOLATE, PEANUT BUTTER AND BLACK SESAME SEED GRANOLA
HEALING HOT CHOCOLATE
POSTPARTUM RECOVERY TEA (to help with bloating!)
RECIPES:
Creamy Recovery Veggie Cashew Chicken Stew
Serves 4
1 tablespoon ghee (grass-fed)
1⁄2 white or yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cubed (or 1 medium/large sweet potato)
3 celery sticks, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, cut into cubes, keeping as much juice as possible to add to stew
1 1⁄2 cups sliced mushrooms (baby bella, or any variety works!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 thin slice of ginger, minced
1 cinnamon stick (if you don’t have, use 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon)
1 dried piece of kombu seaweed (omit if you don’t have, though I recommend buying and using whenever cooking any grains/beans!)
1⁄2 cup raw cashews
3 cups bone broth* + water as needed
1⁄2 cup millet or quinoa (organic) (raw, uncooked)
1⁄2 - 3/4 cup canned coconut milk (ideally organic and no guar gum)
2 cups green beans
2-3 cups organic spinach (option to add other dark leafy greens, too)
Juice of 1⁄2 a lemon
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 chicken breast (organic if possible), boiled and shredded (or cooked to your liking then shredded)
Heat the ghee in a medium pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onions and leeks with a pinch of salt, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are golden brown and are tender, about 8 minutes.
Add the carrots, celery, tomatoes and juices, mushrooms, cumin, cinnamon stick, cashews, coriander seeds, turmeric, ginger, and kombu to the pot, along with the broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered. Add the millet (or quinoa), reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, covered. Stir in the coconut milk and green beans and spinach (and more leafy greens, if using), and cook for another 10 minutes over low heat, covered. Remove top, add in the cooked shredded chicken and cook for 5 more minutes.
Remove from heat, remove cinnamon stick and piece of kombu seaweed if using, then season with the lemon juice and salt to taste.
Serve hot or store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze in glass Tupperwares. *I personally divide into 4 tupperwares so I have my portion servings ready!
*For broth, I suggest using bone broth for the added nutrients, and for this recipe my preference is for chicken bone broth. Buy organic pre-made bone broth, or make broth at home using grass-fed beef bones and/or organic chicken bones, and store in mason jars in your freezer; its a essential recovery food! However if you don’t have bone broth, any broth will do, but aim for organic and low sodium if possible!
*This has become one of my go-to healthy,, nourishing dinners; I make a double batch every 2 to 3 weeks (and freeze individual portions), so I HIGHLY suggest you give it a shot, and customize as you like!
Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Black Sesame Seed Granola
Makes about 8 cups (about 4 16oz mason jars)
1⁄4 cup coconut oil, plus extra for the pans
3 cups organic rolled oats (for optimal digesiton, I like to use sprouted oats)
1 cup cashews + ½ cup chopped walnuts (or any combo of nuts you like)
1⁄4 cup black sesame seeds
1⁄2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
2 cups organic peanut butter, unsweetened (option to swap for almond or cashew butter, or you could use a mix)
1⁄4 cup raw organic honey (I splurged on this one with “superfoods”)
1⁄3 cup organic cacao powder (unsweetened)
1 serving (1-2 scoops) vegan chocolate protein powder (I have used Majka, Truvani, Aloha, and SunWarrior; all work great!)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt (add only if nut butter is unsalted)
1⁄2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips (to add AFTER baking) *Hu, Lakanto, Lily’s, Guittard and Just Date all offer great options without refined sugar
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease two large baking sheets (or you can line them with parchment, whichever is easier).
In a small pan over low heat, melt the coconut oil (if solid). Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, sesame seeds, shredded coconut, peanut butter, honey, cacao powder, chocolate protein, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Add the melted coconut oil and stir until everything is evenly coated. Spread out on the prepared baking sheets.
Place one baking sheet on the top oven rack and the other on the bottom rack. Bake about 30 minutes, stopping halfway through (after 15 mins) to stir the granola, pulling the edges into the middle so they don’t burn, and rotating the baking sheets (from top to bottom) to ensure even baking.
Allow the granola to cool for 10-15 minutes, then stir in the chocolate chips. Store in airtight containers at room temperature for about 2 weeks.
Note: This granola is “soft” and with a splash of almond milk (or cashew or coconut milk), it gets a delicious mushy/creamy texture; its meant to be like that as postpartum we want to avoid very dry cold foods. Avoid refrigerating the granola (and I actually like to warm it up for a few seconds when serving with milk so the chocolate chips melt!)
Healing Hot Chocolate
Serves 2
3/4 cup hot water + 1.5 cups almond milk or cashew milk (homemade preferably, or store bought without preservatices nor sugar)
3 tablespoons cacao powder (unsweetened, organic)
½ -1 scoop vegan chocolate protein powder *
Pinch of sea salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground flaxseeds
1 teaspoon organic coconut oil
Optional: 1 teaspoon raw organic honey (or sweetener of choice)
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the water, then add vegan milk, and then stir the rest of the ingredients into the milk slowly. When everything is dissolved, taste, adjust as needed and enjoy. Option to blend until it’s smooth if you prefer.
*For protein powder: I have been using Majka, but Truvani, Aloha, SunWarrior and Garden of Life chocoalte proteins all work well. I suggest to start wtih ½ serving of the protein, then increase as per your liking. I used 1 scoop which is ½ the serving size/
Postpartum Recovery Tea (mourishing and de-bloating tea)
Serves 2-3
1 teaspoon Red Raspberry leaf tea
1 teaspoon stinging Nettle leaf tea
2 teaspoons Fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Marshmellow root tea leaves
1cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 bag of chamomile tea (or 1 tsp of loose leaf chamomile)
Mix all the herbs together and place in a pot (including the chamomile tea bag and piece of ginger) with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10-15 mins. Remove tea bag, strain the tea (with a fine mesh strainer), and pour into 1-2 large mason jars (depending on the size).
*I recommend having this tea DAILY, 1-2 day in the first 40 days. Feel free to adjust quantites a bit and omit any herbs you dont have.
*Another (more simple) version of this tea is to just combine a CCF tea mix (any ayurvedic cumin-coriander-fennel tea; I used THIS one with giner), mixing 1 tablespoon with a bag of chamomile and 3-4 cups of water, boiling for 5 mins (and omit the red raspberry and marshmello root tea), which will be enough for 2-3 teas.
If you want fully pre-made teas, these are good options too: