The Healthy Diet Plan After Pregnancy

Eating a healthy menu after your baby is born can be a bit of a challenge because new moms are somewhat time-strapped.  Due to this reason, a little planning goes a really long way.  No matter whether you decide to breastfeed or not, the same principles guide a healthy, nutritious diet.  A breastfeeding mother increases her caloric intake by about 500 hundred calories … for a total intake of 2,700 calories daily.  A mother who bottle feeds should consume around 2,200 calories per day.  Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?  Not when you choose foods that are close to Mother Nature.

Of what should those calories consist?

1. Grains – 6 oz. (half of all grains should be whole grains)
2. Vegetables – 2.5 cups (variety)
3. Fruits – 2 cups (variety; easy on sugared juices)
4. Dairy – 3 cups (low-fat)
5. Meat and Beans – 5.5 oz. (lean meats and seafood; avoid frying)

Now for the planning.  Go to the grocery store, or send your significant other.  Have a healthy food list already in hand and do not stray from the list.  Your list should include: a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables (preferably ones like spinach, which pack of bunch of iron for new moms), whole grain breads and cereals, unsalted nuts like peanuts or walnuts, lean meats such as poultry or seafood, 1% milk, low-fat yogurt and cottage cheese.  You get the idea that you should stock your refrigerator and pantry shelves with healthy foods.  Do NOT buy junk foods or anything else processed.

Make time to prepare whole food breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  Take a Sunday and dedicate part of it to chopping vegetables for salads, cooking lean chicken breasts, sort recipes and actually prepare your week’s worth of meals and snacks.

Drink water.  You can even flavor your water with a little juice from whatever fruit you decide.  Stay away from sodas and anything else packed with processed sugar or sugar substitute.

Eat six (6) small meals each day.  For the three (3) snacks during the day, make sure you eat fruits and veggies … apples, bananas, crunchy carrots and celery.  If you would like a little variety, you could always dip apple slices in honey, a natural sweetener.

If you find yourself craving something sweet, reach for a piece of fruit, such as a pomegranate or apple.  If you find yourself craving something crunchy, reach for the salt-free nuts or raw vegetables.

If you ate a healthy diet during your pregnancy, you are in luck … you already made the lifestyle change to a healthy, whole food, nutritious meal plan.  If you are afraid you did not eat so healthfully during your pregnancy, it is not too late to make a lifestyle change.  After all, you are now a role model for your new little one … wouldn’t you like to share the gifts that Mother Nature has given you with your baby?

Related article: Lose weight after pregnancy

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