Postpartum Meal Guidelines｜Recovery & Nutrition Tips
Key Points for Postpartum Nutrition
Adequate and balanced nutrition
is essential to replenish nutrients lost during childbirth and to support sufficient breast milk production.
Choose nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods
to restore health and support gradual weight loss.
Seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables
provide vitamins and fiber, aiding digestion and bowel movement. Dark green vegetables rich in Vitamin K help with bowel regulation and wound healing.
Small, frequent meals
are recommended since the digestive system is weaker postpartum. Eating too much at once may cause diarrhea or constipation.
Ginger and postpartum water
have warming properties, helping to warm the uterus, promote blood circulation, and strengthen immunity.
Adequate hydration
Drink at least 2000cc of warm water or nourishing soups daily. Insufficient fluid intake can reduce milk supply. Drink slowly and in small amounts.
Avoid hard, greasy foods
Choose easily digestible foods to reduce digestive burden. Avoid raw or undercooked foods.
Limit salt intake
Excess salt affects fluid metabolism and may reduce milk supply. Too much salt can worsen postpartum edema.
Avoid overly sweet or stimulating foods
Chocolate, garlic, onion, and spicy foods may alter the taste of breast milk. Excessively sour or spicy foods may affect mood and sleep.
Avoid excessive tonics
Over-supplementation may hinder lochia discharge. Tonics are best consumed after bloody lochia ends.
Avoid cold foods
Postpartum women should avoid foods like radish, cabbage, pear, watermelon, taro, and mango.
No smoking or alcohol
Avoid caffeine (coffee, strong tea), saccharin, and processed foods.
Wash fruits and vegetables carefully
to remove pesticide residues that may pass into breast milk.
Medication must be prescribed by a doctor
Supplements or medicines can pass through breast milk to the baby.
Nutrition Intake
Protein
Adequate protein intake is very important for increasing breast milk production. Protein is the foundation of life and a vital component of body cells. Organ meats should be consumed in small amounts to avoid excessive cholesterol, and fat on meat can be trimmed to reduce unnecessary fat intake. Unlike fat, protein cannot be stored in the body, so it should be consumed in moderation. Eating too much at once not only leads to waste but also increases the burden on the body.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy for the body and help postpartum mothers regain the strength lost during childbirth.
Food sources: brown rice, purple rice, germ rice, root vegetables, and whole grain products.
Fat
Fat is an essential component of brain tissue and an important nutrient for a baby’s growth. It should not be completely avoided, but intake must be carefully moderated to prevent excess.
Minerals
Minerals include zinc, iodine, magnesium, calcium, iron, selenium, sodium, and more. Minerals are essential for tissue development, growth, bone repair, and overall health. Except for zinc, most minerals are widely distributed in foods. Food sources:
Zinc: sesame, soybeans, oysters, egg yolk
Iodine: kelp, seaweed, cod
Magnesium: soybeans, almonds, nuts, cod, swordfish
Manganese: buckwheat, oats
Iron
From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, iron-rich foods help regulate qi and blood, and are mainly found in red-colored foods. Breastfeeding mothers are encouraged to consume more of these foods. Food sources:
red beans, red amaranth, red leaf vegetables, seaweed, hair moss, cherries, pork liver, pork kidney, and red meats.
Calcium
Calcium supports the growth and development needs of the baby. If a breastfeeding mother’s diet lacks sufficient calcium, her body will release calcium from the bones into the breast milk to maintain stable calcium levels for the baby. To prevent future osteoporosis, mothers should ensure adequate intake of calcium-rich foods.
Vitamins
Vitamins are essential for normal metabolism. They are components of enzymes that help complete chemical reactions in the body and are also part of hormones. Vitamins are important for both mothers and babies. Food sources:
Vitamin A: sweet potato, carrot, spinach, broccoli
Vitamin C: broccoli, bell peppers
Vitamin B1: red beans, nuts, cereals, oatmeal, lean meat, liver
Vitamin B2: brown rice, oats, sesame, walnuts, yeast
Vitamin B12: clams, eggs, cheese, beef, milk
Daily Foods and Common Herbal Properties
Warm-natured Foods
Fruits: cherry, guava, pineapple, kumquat, bayberry, peach, apricot, chestnut
Vegetables: carrot, rapeseed greens, mustard greens, pumpkin, leek
Grains/Meats: glutinous rice, brown sugar, maltose, garlic, coriander, old ginger, scallion, fennel, vinegar, beef, chicken, shrimp, eel, mussel, goat milk, snow frog
Herbs: astragalus, cordyceps, red dates, schisandra, acanthopanax, rehmannia, angelica, polygonum multiflorum
Mild Foods
Fruits: grape, lemon, papaya, loquat, plum
Vegetables: crown daisy, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, string beans
Grains/Meats: peanut, black fungus, corn, olive, soy milk, white rice, brown rice, soybean, black bean, red bean, rock sugar, fish, pork, egg, bird’s nest
Herbs: codonopsis, poria, yam, black bean, goji berry
Cool-natured Foods
Fruits: apple, wax apple, tomato, sugarcane, cantaloupe, orange
Vegetables: white radish, bottle gourd, winter melon, loofah, cucumber, mangosteen, lotus root, bok choy, celery, lettuce, eggplant, water caltrop, shiitake mushroom, winter mushroom, other mushrooms
Grains/Meats: white fungus, mung bean, tofu, tea, sesame oil, ginger peel, fig, honey, silky chicken, duck, crab, turtle, egg white, milk, millet. Note: Most fish are cool-natured; cooking with ginger can make them warm-natured.
Herbs: dendrobium, polygonatum, ophiopogon, lily bulb, polygonatum odoratum, coix seed (job’s tears), ganoderma (reishi mushroom)
Cold-natured Foods
Fruits: watermelon, pear, pomelo, grapefruit, coconut, orange, dragon fruit, starfruit, persimmon, banana, mulberry, kiwi
Vegetables: cucumber, bitter melon, water spinach, water bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, laver (seaweed), kelp, watercress, fermented soybeans, water chestnut, Chinese cabbage, aloe vera
Grains/Meats: any cold desserts/ice products, wheat, buckwheat, salt, soy sauce, white sugar, clams, mussels
Herbs: cassia seeds, gynostemma (jiaogulan), chrysanthemum
Hot-natured Foods
Fruits: durian, longan, lychee
Grains/Meats: chili pepper, dried ginger, black sesame oil, pepper, lamb, walnut, any smoked/fried/roasted foods, coffee, curry, alcohol, tobacco, betel nut
Herbal Dishes/Medicinal Herbs: sesame oil chicken, ginger duck, lamb hot pot, “Shi Quan Da Bu Tang” (Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup), “Si Wu Tang” (Four-Ingredient Decoction), cinnamon, deer antler
Trigger/Allergenic Foods
Coriander, mango, bamboo shoots, pork skin, shiitake mushroom, mushroom, goose meat, stale seafood
Gas-producing Foods
Sweet potato, taro, potato, cabbage, milk, boiled eggs, soda, cola, etc.