First Forty Days Cheat Sheet
Here's a little cheat sheet when deciding to what to eat your first six weeks after birth, beautifully outlined by Heng Ou, inside her book The First Forty Days :)
| EMBRACE THESE FOODS | MINIMIZE OR AVOID THESE FOODS |
| soups, stews, broths, stewed fruits | salads, raw vegetables |
| warm cooked grains | crunchy crackers, chips |
| chicken, slow-cooked lamb, beef/bison | heavy meats, like steak |
| custards, steamed puddings | ice cream, sorbet, gelato |
| warm milk, soft goat cheese, unsweetened whole-milk yogurt, hard cheese | sweetened skim yogurt, sweetened kefir |
| fish, including oily fish, sea vegetables (sardines, mackerel, herring) | |
| avocados, coconut, olives (whole foods or oils) | processed and refined cooking oils (canola, sunflower) |
| seed, nut oils (sesame, hemp oils) | |
| fat-stirred into everything (grass-fed butter, coconut oil, coconut milk, ghee) | |
| warming ginger, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric | |
| herbal teas and infusions | strong caffeine, coffee |
| kombucha and other naturally fermented non-alcoholic beverages | wine and beer (use in moderation) avoid liquor |
The key to optimal postpartum recovery is found in eating warm and nourishing foods to replenish internal heat. Cold and processed foods should be avoided because they disrupt digestion. Shifting your perspective from a restrictive-mindset to one with gentle moderation will lead to the ultimate healthy healing.
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