Stretched skin. Acne. Hair loss. Weight gain. Weight loss. Nausea. Loss of appetite. Increased appetite. Leaky boobs. Low libido. Crazy high "I want to practice making more babies every hour even though I'm already pregnant and sometimes wish I wasn't" sex drive. Loss of identity. New Identity...
Need I go on? The point is. Having a baby does countless things to your body physically. Not to mention mentally and emotionally. Can someone say Postpartum Depression and Anxiety?
Food is something I became passionate about shortly after getting pregnant with my first son. I learned quickly that the foods I ate drastically affected how my irritable and sensitive body felt that day. How could eating 200 calories before letting my feet hit the floor in the morning, really prevent nausea? How could WHAT those 200 calories were, really make all of the difference? It may sound obvious to you depending on where you're at in your food/health journey, but to a girl raised on frozen pizza and casseroles, I had no idea what I didn't know. As that pregnancy progressed and my desire to learn everything I could about nutrition, health, birth, motherhood, childhood illness, and prevention, etc grew, I soon realized that food was such an under utilized remedy.
Pregnant and newly Postpartum women are severely lacking in access to nutrition and whole-body healing education. I don't mean the questionably funded FDA food pyramid type of education; but whole food, minimally processed, full-body support recipes to support their changing body and give them more energy to combat their fatigue. The average pregnant or postpartum American woman lacks adequate protein, iron, and vitamins in her daily diet, which can contribute to exhaustion and an overall feeling of depletion. If you are pregnant or postpartum, 80 grams of protein is a great goal to hit, if not more. Are you getting that? If you are breastfeeding, your body is using more energy to fuel milk-making than your brain is using. How crazy cool?! Another crazy cool thing is that your body needs around 500 extra calories per day when lactating. Now, believe me, I am one to pig out on raw cookie dough and indulge in cravings, so don't for a second believe I am the poster child for organic eating; but I will shout from the rooftops over and over, the medicinal, healing and restorative properties of food.
I have tried almost every fad diet under the sun. I don't believe there is ONE diet that every woman should be on. However, I do believe and have seen from my work as a Doula, that mothers who eat more processed foods are more tired, more anxious, and take longer to feel back to their normal selves. This, of course, is all anecdotal evidence, but any human with a computer can find peer-reviewed studies on the benefits of a whole foods diet for ANY person; not just women.
Here are some whole food-based, fast snack ideas that are quick and easy; and will fit into diets ranging from vegan to keto:
1) Banana with nut butter
2) Fatty nuts
3) Cheese and deli meat rollups
4) Avocado (can be spread toast)
5) High protein yogurt
6) Berries & granola
7) Beef sticks
8) Veggies & hummus
9) Sliced apples & peanut butter
10) Baked potato
If you are in the Omaha metro area, think...IN-HOME MEAL PREP & COOKING SHIFTS! Think....personal chef meets Doula meets wizard. In a 4 hour shift, we will leave you and your family with 8-10 meals of 25-35 portions on average to freeze and enjoy at your convenience. This is a game-changer, parents! Dietary restrictions or allergies? No problem! We will discuss all of this in advance before agreeing on a menu. I can't wait to cook for you and enhance your motherhood!
Come look around at theomahababynest.com
For prenatal and postpartum medical support guided by whole food nutrition, visit the Facebook page of Dr. Jaime Seeman (Doctor Fit and Fabulous). She is an OBGYN in Omaha and will take amazing care of you!