It is common for pregnant women to gain a lot of extra weight during the periods of pregnancy. Thus, after giving birth, the primary concern of most mothers is usually how to lose the extra weight that was gained during the pregnancy.
Most providers of post pregnancy health care advocate regular exercise as one of the best ways to lose the extra weight.
However, as many health nutritionists will advise you, the kind of post pregnancy diet that you choose will also play a great and pivotal role in determining how much of the unwanted weight you will eventually be able to lose.
In addition to helping new mothers lose extra weight, choosing a good post pregnancy diet will ensure that your body continues to get sufficient supplies of the kind of nutrients that it needs to continue staying in good health.
It is important to note at this point that breast milk remains highly nutritious and to a large extent, it is practically independent of the kind of diet that the new mothers take.
Contrary to popular thinking, breast milk always contains the nutrients needed by the newborn baby regardless of the meals you consume and if your body happens not to have the important nutrients that the baby needs, then the body’s reserves will be used as the source of the nutrients.
As such, it is clear that choosing the right diet to adopt in the period immediately after pregnancy and child birth is primarily for the good of your body. This said, there are a number of nutrients that should ideally be included in your diet. Some of the most important of these are listed in the subsequent parts of this article.
Components of a good post pregnancy diet
Dairy products – It is important for the new mothers to consume low fat dairy products such as cheese, milk or yoghurt. These products provide protein, vitamins B and D as well as calcium. All of these are important both for the general needs of your body, in addition to adding to the nutritional requirements of your newborn baby.
Salmon – In general terms, salmon can loosely be regarded as the best post pregnancy diet for new mothers due to its rich content of DHA, which is important for the development of the nervous system of any newborn baby. In addition, the DHA found in salmon will help in the improvement of your mood. However, the consumption of salmon should be limited so as to reduce the risks of exposure to mercury.
Lean beef – This is rich in iron and is therefore guaranteed to boost the energy levels of every new mom.
There are several other dietary options available for new mothers and elaborate research should be conducted to establish the sources and availability of the same. Choosing a good post pregnancy diet is essentially the first step in securing the good health of the new babies as well as the new mothers and a lot of caution should be taken regarding the same.
