Nourishing My Pregnant and Postpartum Body the Traditional Way
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When I found out I was pregnant, I took extra care to make sure I was nourishing my body properly. I wanted to follow a diet based on **traditional** foods drawn from my heritage and from ancestral research provided by the * Weston A. Price* foundation on nutrition for pregnant and nursing mothers. *I discovered Weston A. Price when I first transitioned to a holistic lifestyle sometime around 2013. It was a major resource in helping me develop a healthier diet to overcome my skin issues.*
about the foundation:
“The Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism. It supports a number of movements that contribute to this objective including accurate nutrition instruction, organic and biodynamic farming, pasture-feeding of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies. Specific goals include establishment of universal access to clean, certified raw milk and a ban on the use of soy formula for infants.”
Living in a modern society surrounded by the temptations of packaged foods (even if they’re made healthy), I still held myself to pretty strict standards. I think the worst damage I did while pregnant was having a couple of cookies and hot chocolate (I added ghee for extra deliciousness and to feel less guilty). Personally, I just felt better and more energized feeding my body unprocessed foods. As any mama knows, energy is something we all desire more of because our pregnant and postpartum bodies deplete us of it!!!
To prepare my body for pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, I followed a nourishing, traditional diet that I combined from Weston A. Price, with customary soups and dishes specific to the Chinese culture.
Here is a list I’ve compiled to highlight these nourishing foods from the best of both worlds!*
*Note that these foods do not represent all foods that pregnant and postpartum women should eat. These are drawn from my own experiences following the Weston A. Price diet and advice passed down from generation to generation in my family. They are listed in no particular order below.
Jujubes
I add a handful of these Chinese dates to my bone broth to improve blood circulation during pregnancy and replenish blood lost in childbirth
Dates
I ate large medjool dates throughout my pregnancy, but when I got closer to my due date, I was eating at least six or more a day to help induce labor naturally; I also eat them for milk production
Eggs
Just so nutritious all around, it helps the developing fetus grow and helps replenish blood lost in childbirth
Chinese Whitebait Fish
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) says that eating the whole fish (because they’re so small and the bones are soft), helps the developing fetus grow a stronger spine and stronger bones
Peanuts
Soaked into bone broth and provides protein as well as helps replenish blood lost in childbirth
Raw Milk
Raw milk (cow or goat) is the best milk, period. (More on why raw milk is the best milk for another post)
I love raw goat milk as it’s easier and way faster to digest than cow milk
Left Foot Farm and St. John’s Creamery are my favorites in Washington state!
Eel
Like Chinese whitebait fish, eating eel is supposed to help the growing fetus develop a strong spine and bones
Kefir
Consuming fermented foods will create a healthy gut full of good bacteria and is a natural probiotic!
Rice Porridge
It’s especially important in the Chinese culture and according to TCM, to consume rice porridge immediately after birth to maintain body warmth, enhance the milk supply, nourish the body, and rebuild the blood
Liver
Provides iron to the mother and baby; when I don’t have time to go to the butcher shop, I take it in powder or capsule form
Dried Tofu Skin
Soaked and just a few added in bone broth, it helps replenish the blood and detoxify according to Chinese medicine
Cod Liver Oil
It helps with brain development in pregnancy, and I’ve even come across in past research that it helps with forming strong teeth; baby Milana and I take this daily (she takes it in gel form mixed in with food, and I take the capsules)! Scroll down for recommendations!
Coconut Oil
A good fat that helps the growing fetus develop
Grass-fed Butter/Ghee
Another excellent fat that helps with fetal development!
Pork Tail and Feet
The fatty tissues from pork tail and feet enhance the milk supply and are considered a major postpartum healing food in Chinese culture
Beans
Red, yellow and black beans are important ingredients in Chinese soups - I soak and add them to bone broth to help replenish the blood supply and improve blood circulation in pregnancy and postpartum
Fish Eggs
Provides good fatty acids to help with brain development
Seafood
Provides all sorts of good fatty acids (omegas!)
I purchase fish eggs and salmon from Vital Choice (my picks are below) because it was a high-quality recommendation from the owner of one of my favorite supplement brands and it didn’t disappoint
I truly tasted a difference in their salmon (sustainably wild-harvested) compared to supermarket fish
Meat and Broth
Black chicken bone broth with jujubes
Chicken and pork meat and broth (especially black chicken) are regarded in Chinese culture as key healing remedies to help improve blood circulation, enhance breastmilk, and replenish blood lost in childbirth, but I think any bone broth would provide amazing benefits!
I purchase meat from pasture-raised animals from a local butcher shop - if you’re in the Seattle area, Bob’s Quality Meats is a tiny yet mighty shop that carries everything ranging from lamb to bison and they can also put in a special order for black chicken!
I also love that their packaging is entirely biodegradable, water-soluble, recyclable, and personable with a little note included!
Sometimes I just can’t make it to the shop, so I subscribe to Crowd Cow
I am a HUGE fan of Crowd Cow! It’s a subscription-based box that gets delivered to your door every month, and sourced from local farmers near you
I can freeze what I don’t use, plus, I can put a hold on my box anytime so during some months I’ve been able to reschedule my box for a later delivery date
Crowd Cow is a really great time-saving and cost-saving option in my opinion, for busy mamas because it has great prices for good meat, so you don’t need to spend a fortune on healthier, sustainably raised meats
My Vital Choice Picks:
Succulent Wild King Salmon is the richest and most flavorful all wild Pacific Salmon, w... [More]
Our Ikura salmon caviar comes from wild Northwest Pacific keta salmon and is produced u... [More]
My Product Picks:
Rosita + Green Pasture are the purest and highest quality fish oil I’ve come across over the years even though they’re flavorless and can be hard to get down (but that’s why there are capsule versions), and Carlson just tastes good because it has lemon flavor added!