A healthy and varied post-pregnancy diet will ensure you get loads of different nutrients. Try to ‘eat a rainbow’ of different coloured foods every day including:
- Iron-rich foods like red meat, lentils, spinach and broccoli alongside foods rich in vitamin C, like oranges, strawberries, tomatoes and red peppers to help you absorb it
- Zinc-rich foods like red meat, seafood, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, fortified cereal and baked beans
- Calcium-rich foods like milk, cheese, yoghurt, sardines (with bones)
- You’ll get small amounts of vitamin D from eggs, oily fish, milk and yoghurt but most of it from the summer sun. Adults need 10mcg of vitamin D each day, so as the British weather doesn't always deliver, all adults including breastfeeding women should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10mcg of vitamin D, particularly during autumn and winter. Those with a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency are advised to take a supplement all year round
- Slow-release carbohydrates, like wholemeal bread, porridge, brown rice and pasta, give you energy to get through the day — and night! Plus, the fibre will help you beat postnatal constipation too
- Protein from lean meats, lentils, fish and eggs will help your body recover
- ‘Good fats’ found in olive oil and avocados will stop you feeling hungry and are packed with healthy vitamin E
- Organic fruit and veg are packed with vitamins and minerals, so pile your plate high every day.