Hey there new moms, are you feeling puzzled with so many pills and vitamins you need to have now that you have welcomed your little one? Did your friends swear by that new diet for weight loss but your relatives warned you it will harm your child? Are you having a hard time deciding what’s good for you but bad for baby or vice versa? What does your doctor say? What does social media dictate? So many choices for the new mom to follow. Don’t sweat, don’t stress. Just read on and relax because you have now entered the wellness zone. That’s why you should read this nurturing yourself for a newborn guide.
1. Fruits -You can never go wrong with these beautiful, colorful, tasty and healthy items. Whether it’s the juicy orange or the humble banana, the pulpy mangoes or the tangy strawberries, all fruits are beneficial for you and your little one. Start with anyone of your choice first thing in the morning, even before your first cup of coffee – incidentally, the old apple hits you with more power than 2-3 cups of joe! And it’s sweet too. Fewer calories and more nutrients. Or if you can’t have that straight up then why don’t you combine a few chunks of peaches and banana with yogurt and some honey and voila – you just made yourself the healthiest smoothie – and it looks pretty too! Or how about mixing a few grapes and berries with some boiled chicken and adding a light salad dressing and some lettuce or salad leaves and you are on your way to having a great day with a power salad. It’s no coincidence that the first food items children are introduced to after mother’s milk are fruit puree. It’s packed with all the vitamins and minerals anybody needs and is light and easily digestible.
2. Veggies –If fruits don’t do it for you then think about the items next in line on the food pyramid – vegetables. Now before you go wrinkling your nose, think about the many ways you can enjoy it. Simply dress it up with any salad dressing of your choice. You can go for the easy to make a vinaigrette or the creamy dressings either by mayonnaise or yogurt, you can even pick up a tahini or ranch dressing from the store and add it for a quick fix. The hero of the show is the vegetables you are assembling. Or if salads don’t do the trick then simply sauté in some mushrooms with onions, add a side of tomatoes and some light cheese and there you have it, your three out of five vegetables covered in one meal. You may also want to add some broccoli or beans to the casserole, or jazz up the pizza with some kale and spinach. It may seem a bit of an effort at first but once you taste these – your body will ask for more. Fruits and vegetables are the building blocks of life and after the life-changing event of giving birth to one (or if you are lucky twins or triplets) then before you go reaching for that bottle of multivitamins, try the greens.
3. Proteins – For new moms, this is a must-have. If you are nonvegetarian, your choices are plenty and you can never get tired of eating meat, fish, poultry, and eggs. See if you want to jazz up some poultry meals by adding a vegetable salad on the side, or go experimental and try a well-done steak with a side of raspberries or cranberry salad. There is no going wrong with that. Don’t fret if you don’t have time to prepare elaborate dishes, you can bake a salmon or tuna while you’re quickly throwing together an avocado and mango salad or chop up some colorful bell peppers, tomatoes and onions and slap on some honey mustard or balsamic vinaigrette. The important thing to remember is all the time and effort you spend putting together a healthy meal like this will not only help you replenish energy for those late-night feeds but also help you lose the weight you may have gained during the last trimester and leave a fantastic taste in your mouth.
If you are a vegetarian, your choices are as varied. Pulses and grains like chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, quinoas, oats, rice, and wheat have so many recipe combinations that it will be a year before you exhaust them. Hummus and pita bread with roasted peppers on the side or boil some lentil salad and see it come alive with feta, cherry tomatoes, juicy cucumbers and a dash of lime. Haloumi, ricotta, cream cheese or camembert, you don’t even need to add anything to it. Your red apple cut alongside and try it as a snack to eliminate sudden cravings.
The combinations of fruits, vegetables, and proteins – be it nonvegetarian or vegetarian, are the building blocks for you, and your baby. These are almost as crucial as the supplements or vitamins your doctor may have prescribed for you. The beauty of these meals is you can never go wrong with them. They are undeniably categorized as superfoods. Providing the essential nutrients, replenishing any minerals and vitamins you may loose with the chaotic schedule and bursting with enough energy that you don’t need any caffeine at all. These are great sources of water and the combinations are limitless. Sure you can pick up a juicy burger but why don’t you ditch the fries and munch on carrot sticks? Do you know that is your source of calcium and Vitamin A? Carrots are also great pureed for your little one when they can move to semi-solid foods, don’t you think that will be a better choice than the store brought (and packed with additives) of the expensive puree? The easiest test of experimenting with all of these new and healthy choices is listening to your body. And don’t be surprised if you wake up craving a plate of apples instead of the aromas of freshly brewed coffee!
