A newly mother after delivery goes through many changes both physically and emotionally, thus she needs to take care of herself by having sufficient amount of nutrients that would rebuild her strength. But with changing lifestyle, their nutritional diet also changes which directly or indirectly has an effect on baby’s growth and nourishment.
Almost 70% of newly mother give up on their healthy eating lifestyle after 2 months of delivery because either they are working moms or they live in a nuclear family which makes it difficult to follow.
It is essential to eat well during the whole 6 months while feeding the baby. Eating a poor diet not only affects the growth of the baby but it could also have negative effects on the future health and well-being of the baby.
So, newly mothers are advised to consume a healthy diet with good proportions of calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals. She can continue the healthy eating policy that she was following in pregnancy.
Sticking to a diet is not a rocket science; all you need to have is true dedication and honesty with yourself. By following few simple steps you could easily manage your cravings, and could eat healthy all day long without compromising with your professional as well as personal life.
- Follow a daily routine for your diet.
- Follow a 5-6 meal pattern in a day which would include protein, leafy vegetables, fruits, whole grains and enough amount of water.
- Include some handy foods like dry fruits, energy bars, dry fruit ladoos, fruits etc in case in between if you would crave to munch something.
- Avoid oily and spicy food, too much tea and coffee too.
Also, mothers who wish to shed off some post pregnancy weight immediately after delivery without compromising on their nutritional diet, could accomplished it by cutting out high fat snacks and concentrating on a diet plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, balanced with proteins and carbohydrates. Exercise and yoga also helps burn calories and tone muscles and limbs.
Dr Alka Bharti, Executive Nutritionist, Motherhood hospital, Pune