When giving birth, the mother consumes a lot of physical energy and loses a lot of blood, leaving her body very weak. During the confinement period, it is best to nourish herself well. What is the most appropriate confinement meal to eat Postpartum diet?
The first principle: Segmental tonic
The recommended confinement period after childbirth is 42 days, and for caesarean section, it is even recommended to be 56 days.
During these nearly two months, the food eaten in each time period was different.
For example, in the first week after delivery, the mother’s body is still relatively weak, and she needs to discharge lochia. The main purpose of diet is to discharge lochia and eliminate edema.
In the second week after delivery, you need to clear liver fire and increase milk production. In the third and fourth weeks after delivery, you need to replenish qi and blood and regulate organs. In the fifth and sixth weeks after delivery, you need to strengthen your physical fitness and lose weight.
The purpose of mothers taking tonics is different at different times, and the tonics they take are also different.
Principle 2: Tonics should be taken in order
In the past, the elderly said that you cannot eat vegetables or fruits during the confinement period. Although my mother now says that this way of eating is unreasonable, in fact, the elderly in the past ate this way based on the experience accumulated by several generations, and it does make sense.
Although my mother now says that I can eat vegetables and fruits, I also need to adjust the order. For example, I can eat some meat with a neutral or warm nature first, then some vegetables with a cool nature, and then eat fruits half an hour after the meal.
If you feel uncomfortable in your stomach after eating fruits, you can even soak them in hot water or steam them before eating. This will not hurt your stomach and you can still absorb the essence of fruits and vegetables.
Principle 3: Balanced Diversity
Mothers are relatively weak during the postpartum confinement period and need more balanced nutrition, and different foods contain different nutrients.
Mothers should not eat only chicken, eggs, or fish for a month after giving birth. They should mix various foods, such as fish today, meat tomorrow, and seafood the day after tomorrow. Changing the foods will help digestion.
Not only meat but also vegetarian food.
Principle 4: Dry and liquid combination
A mother’s main task during the confinement period is to breastfeed her baby. More than 88% of breast milk is water, and this water also comes from the mother’s daily diet.
During the confinement period, mothers cannot just eat dry meals, they also need to drink some soup. During the confinement period, they need to drink soup and eat rice, so they need a combination of dry and liquid foods.
Principle 5: The amount should be appropriate
If the mother takes too much supplements after childbirth, she will either get irritated easily or gain weight, which is not conducive to the body’s recovery!
If the mother has sufficient breast milk after giving birth, then the daily diet can be the same as during pregnancy. If the breast milk is not sufficient, then the mother needs to suck more, pay attention to rest, and drink more soup.
Principle 6: Cook appropriately
Steamed spare ribs and fried spare ribs use the same spare ribs, but the calories in them are completely different, and my mother feels different after eating them.
Eating fried chicken ribs can easily cause a sore throat. How the food is cooked will directly affect the taste of the food and even the nutritional value of the food.
During the confinement period, mothers should avoid frying food, adding too many seasonings, and using less spicy spices.
How can mothers eat more nutritiously during the postpartum confinement period? They should remember the above 6 principles to eat well and recover quickly after childbirth.
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