Nutrition after childbirth should give the young mother enough calories - first, so that she feels vigor and strength, and secondly, so that her body can freely replenish the supply of milk. On the other hand, the diet should be made in such a way that after the birth the woman could gradually lose the kilograms collected during pregnancy. However, after giving birth a woman can not always (or wants) to breastfeed her baby - this must also be taken into account when talking about the proper nutrition of a young mother. Consider what products should be on her desk.
Proteins
The woman's nutrition after the birth should include 3 portions of protein a day - if she is breastfeeding, and 2 servings - if she does not breast-feed. For one portion you can take:
- 2.5 or 3 cup low-fat or low-fat milk;
- 1.25 cups of fat-free condensed milk;
- 1.75 cups of low-fat yogurt;
- 0.75 cups of low-fat cottage cheese;
- 2 large eggs (necessarily - with protein);
- about 100 grams of fish, red meat or poultry.
Mothers who breastfeed twins or triplets, it is necessary to add additional portions of proteins to their daily diet after the delivery, one for each child. Vegetarians who do not eat animal proteins should add one more (vegetable protein) per day, as the quality of plant proteins is not as high as the quality of animal proteins.
Fats in the diet after childbirth
During pregnancy, a woman needs a relatively large amount of fat, and her body is able to cope - without harming herself - even with those foods that are rich in cholesterol. However, maternal nutrition after childbirth should include a limited amount of fatty foods. In addition, she must carefully monitor what type of fat she chooses.
On average, an adult should include in his daily menu not more than 30% of fat. Anyone who is predisposed to heart disease or has already been affected by them, should limit the use of fat-containing foods even more.
For example, if your ideal weight is 56 kilograms, you need 1900 calories per day, of which 30 percent must be fat. This corresponds to approximately 4.5 servings of fat per day.
Half of the portion of fats will be considered:
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese;
- 2 tablespoons whipped cream;
- 100 grams of red meat;
- 200 grams of turkey or chicken meat (skinless);
- 1 egg yolk;
- 9 slices of fried potatoes;
- 1 piece of cake.
A full portion of fat is:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or mayonnaise;
- 170 grams of low-fat meat;
- 1 cup of tuna salad;
- 40 grams of fatty meat.
Green and yellow vegetables and fruits
In the daily diet after the birth of those mothers who are breastfeeding, should contain 3 servings of such fruits and vegetables. If a woman does not breast-feed, she can eat only 2 servings a day. For one serving are accepted:
- 2 apricots;
- 1 share of melon;
- 1/2 medium carrot;
- 1 zucchini.
Vitamin C
If it is a question of feeding a mother who is breastfeeding, after giving birth, she needs to give her body 2 portions of foods with vitamin C every day. If the young mother does not feed her baby, it is enough for each day of one portion of such foods. One serving will correspond to the following:
- 1/2 cup of strawberry;
- 1/4 of a small melon;
- 1/2 grapefruit;
- 1 orange;
- 1/2 large kiwi or mango;
- 1 sweet pepper;
- 1 cup of tomato juice.
Calcium
In the menu of their food after delivery, breast-feeding mothers should include 5 servings of calcium-containing foods daily. If a woman does not breast-feed, she should eat 3 servings of such foods a day. One serving corresponds to:
- 2 pieces of cheese (Parmesan, hard cheeses, yellow cheeses) - the size of a matchbox;
- 1 cup of low-fat milk.
Iron
Proper nutrition of women after childbirth includes one or more servings of products containing iron. Iron, in different quantities, is in beef, black molasses, carob, chickpeas and other legumes, in sardines, nuts, in soy products, spinach and liver.
As for the liver, it should be eaten rarely, because it contains high cholesterol, and also because the liver is the organ that stores all the chemicals in it.
For one serving, you can take 1/2 cup of tea beans.
Salt in food after childbirth
Although salt was necessary for you during pregnancy, your food now, after childbirth, should become almost unsalted. Take for a rule not to keep in your kitchen foods that contain a lot of salt - salted pistachios, marinades, pickles. Think about your food in such a way that
Remember that any food that you want to give to your child should also be unsalted - otherwise you can develop a salt dependence in the child. In addition, the body of young children is not able to process large amounts of sodium.
Fluids in nutrition after childbirth
Nutrition of a woman breastfeeding after delivery should include at least 8 cups of liquid daily. If a woman does not feed her baby, she should drink 6 to 8 cups a day.
What kind of fluids should a young mother include in her diet? After giving birth, water, milk, vegetable and fruit juices, soups and carbonated water will be a good choice. However, be careful and do not drink excessive amounts if you are breastfeeding - as this can interfere with the formation of milk. (Excessive amounts mean more than 12 cups a day).