Postpartum University Postpartum University
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Articles
  • For Mamas
  • For Professionals
  • Subscribe
    • Healing Portal

  • About
  • Podcast
  • Articles
  • For Mamas
  • For Professionals
  • Subscribe
    • Healing Portal

19 May

40+ Quick and Healthy Postpartum Snacks

  • By admin
  • In All Posts, Nutrition

It isn’t any wonder why mamas munch on plenty of snacks in postpartum and early motherhood. With the insatiable appetite and need for quick and easy foods, snacks have become a necessity to make it through the day. 

But as most of us can attest, easy snacks don’t always add up to the most healthy choices. One thing I hear on a weekly basis from my clients and group members is that they often find themselves surviving on junk food and spending a great deal of time feeling guilty about it in the process.

It’s time to end the snack food guilt and start using snacks as a means to THRIVE in early motherhood. And I’m going to show you how to do just that. 

What You Need to Know First

When it comes to nutrition and digestion, the postpartum body is vastly unique. You can read more in detail on the physiological changes that take place in your gut and how it impacts your digestion and needs for certain foods here. Rather than go into detail about it in this post, I’ll summarize some important facts:

  • Your body lacks digestive enzymes (which break down your food to usable nutrients). Because of this, your body needs warm foods that are easy to digest and won’t cause gas, bloating, or constipation (symptoms that are commonly referred to as normal because they are so common in postpartum). These symptoms are signs of inflammation and malabsorption of the food and nutrients you need. 
  • Due to pregnancy and birth, there’s a significant likelihood, even in well developed countries, that your body is starting postpartum nutrient deficient. 
  • Fats and protein needs increase significantly in postpartum. Despite common beliefs that fats make you fat (they don’t), it’s important to consume more for breast milk and for tissue and body repair. 
  • Intense hunger in postpartum can be satisfied with better quality food and the nutrients your body is begging you for. Meaning your body signals it’s hungry because it needs nutrients to continue to function. Rather than focusing on calorie intake, focus on healthy meals that are easy for your tummy to absorb. 

Essentially, your body needs plenty of nutrition! And it needs to be absorbed efficiently without your body exerting more energy (that it doesn’t have) to digesting and you feeling like crud in the end. 

And let’s face it. When you eat well, your body feels good. And more than ever, as you learn and navigate motherhood, your baby, and healing your body, you NEED to feel good. 

Eating well means less fatigue, less exhaustion, fewer mood swings, shorter healing time, and so much more.

A Word on Comfort Food

We all know the comforts of hearty meals that touch the soul. Hot grilled cheese sandwiches, a big slice of cake, twice baked mac and cheese… the list goes on! 

Just because you’re postpartum and your body is on overdrive trying to recover, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some good ol’ comfort food. The key is that comfort foods are used sparingly. 

And that’s the hard part, right? Because we seek a lot of comfort in the transition to motherhood. Mothers need mothering too and tend to be forgotten as the focus is solely on care of the baby. So it’s no wonder we all reach for the foods that feel good emotionally in the moment.

Unfortunately, the feel-good moment quickly turns to guilt and shame. Which makes the desire for comfort even more wanted. This makes the next binge that much easier. And the spiral of comfort and junk food is a hard one to beat.

So if you find yourself in this downward mix, the best thing you can do is be conscious of it. When you notice yourself reaching for comfort food because you need support, call it out. Name it. And then see if you can come up with another way to meet your needs. 

The Best Kept Snack Secrets

One of the best and most effective way in getting nutrient dense foods and snacks in you is to PLAN. 

Planning out your meals for the week, including snacks, not only takes the pressure off you when it comes to figuring out what to eat, it also creates a place for you to fall back on when things get a bit challenging and you need a fast pick-me-up to feel better.

Even better is the prepping a few things before the week begins. One of my favorite ways to do this is to simply double up when creating a meal. When I bake sweet potatoes for the family, I’ll throw in a few extra for easy warm up when I’m busy through the week. Bacon gets a double batch. So do eggs for an easy and quick burrito.

Look at areas in your meals where you can make a few improvements. Easy and quick changes that go hand-in-hand with your current meal regimen makes for habits that stick. 

Where’s the Dairy and Gluten?

All the of the snacks in the early postpartum section DO NOT contain dairy and gluten. These foods tend to be inflammatory and there is a rise in the number of women and their newborns who are experiencing adverse health issues because of them.

For these reasons, I highly recommend that both dairy and gluten be avoided in the first 6-8 weeks postpartum and slowly added back in, paying close attention to both physical and emotional changes.

If you don’t have any issues with food allergies, sensitivities, mood disorders, or tummy troubles, feel free to add them back into your diet as you feel best (because mama always knows best).  

If you have any of the symptoms above, consider holding off on dairy and gluten until they resolve. You may notice a significant benefit to doing this and a faster recovery time as well. If anything, experiment! See how your body feels. This is the best and most fruitful means of healthy living.

Snack Ideas for Early Postpartum 

  • mixed nuts roasted in oil or fat
  • pan fried avocado with bacon
  • scrambled eggs
  • egg muffins
  • hard boiled eggs
  • deviled eggs
  • sweet potato with olive oil, chives, and spices
  • Coconut energy balls (see recipe in my Mother Love Redefined Guide here)
  • warm papaya
  • warm fresh berries
  • lactation cookies
  • coconut and fig with roasted granola
  • bean and rice burrito
  • fried rice
  • oatmeal with berries and chia seeds
  • avocado toast
  • warm applesauce
  • roasted chickpeas

Snack Ideas for Late Postpartum (Or when you feel good physically and emotionally)

  • salsa, hummus, or guacamole with fresh veggies or pita chips
  • baked zucchini chips
  • kale chips (without stems)
  • Greek whole fat yogurt
  • fresh veggies: sugar snap peas, bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumbers
  • fresh fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, kiwis, mangoes, grapes
  • crackers and nut butter
  • nuts and dried fruit, including dates
  • oatmeal cookies
  • homemade meatballs
  • nitrate free prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, beef jerky

Apply Now To Work with Maranda

If you are ready to get back to feeling your best again, and fully heal from the transition into motherhood using nutrition, apply below.

  • Share:
admin

You may also like

Connecting with Your Postpartum Culture: Ep73

  • August 16, 2022
  • by Maranda Bower
  • in All Posts
pregnancy depression
Pregnancy Depression with Angela Mancini: Ep72
August 7, 2022
holistic postpartum care
A Call for Better Postpartum Care: Ep71
July 31, 2022
postpartum training
Turning Your Postpartum Passion into a Business with Jodi Cognan: Ep70
July 24, 2022

Categories

  • All Posts
  • Blog
  • Exercise
  • Hormones
  • Mental Health
  • Nutrition
  • Podcasts
  • Sleep
  • Well-Being

Recent Posts

Connecting with Your Postpartum Culture: Ep73
16Aug,2022
pregnancy depression
Pregnancy Depression with Angela Mancini: Ep72
07Aug,2022
holistic postpartum care
A Call for Better Postpartum Care: Ep71
31Jul,2022

INSTAGRAM

Thank you immensely to everyone who showed up to o Thank you immensely to everyone who showed up to our epic free masterclass yesterday. 

Without your commitment to serving women and families, this would absolutely not be possible.

The Postpartum Herbs, Care, and Practice course series and 100-page downloadable book will give you a fundamental understanding of herbal use specifically in postpartum, and how you can use this information within your scope of practice.

If you’re ready to begin your herbal journey, this is an incredible place to start.

#rootcausemedicine #herbalmedicine #postpartumcare #doula #midwife #birthworker
Do you know the leading cause of postpartum depres Do you know the leading cause of postpartum depression and anxiety?

Do you know why so many of us run to comfort food in times of stress?

Here’s an important truth bomb:

💥Your stomach has more nerve cells than your brain.💥

This is also why food has the ability to calm our emotions more completely than any breathing technique ever will. The link between our stomach and our brain health is undeniable.

POOR GUT HEALTH AND LACK OF NUTRIENTS ARE ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY.

Take that in for a second.

As professionals showing up to serve, we must understand this in order to elevate our practice and truly help mothers and families thrive.

We need root cause care. Click the link in my bio to save your seat for the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Program!

#postpartumsupport #doula #midwife #socialworker #ibclc #perinatal #postnatal
“Bounce back” culture has failed us terribly. “Bounce back” culture has failed us terribly.

Although the signs that this isn’t working are everywhere, where do we look when stepping outside of the modern norm?

It is this crossroads where we’re given the opportunity to come home to the traditions and cultural practices that have been lost across generations.

The secret to a better way of experiencing motherhood rests in this wisdom.

The way back, however, requires a deep process of discovery and digging back to our roots. Today, we’re here to share our best advice and what we’ve been working on at Postpartum University to help you get started.

🎧 Click the link in my bio or search "Postpartum University" on your favorite podcast player.

#traditionalwisdom #postpartumcare #culturalanthropology
When I first started working as a childbirth educa When I first started working as a childbirth educator, doula, and nutrition coach nearly 15 years ago, I was absolutely terrified of HERBS. 😖

Over the last several years, my attitude has changed significantly. I've had the privilege to homestead on a 40-acre forest in Alaska (where I've lived 100% of the time for the last several years). I've grown comfortable foraging wild berries and harvesting devils club, wild chamomile, rose hips, fireweed, and so much more.

My passion for the land and its medicine took me into a Women's Herbalist Certification program, and I've had the advantage of working with locals to learn and grow my own love of God's earthly medicine.

And even more importantly, I've learned that herbs are nothing to be afraid of. Over the last few generations, the healthcare industry and medical market has successfully placed fear, worry, and anxiety over herbs, marking them as dangerous, unknown, and highly risky, especially in pregnancy and postpartum.

I fell for the "it's not safe and it's out of my scope" trap. And I see so many professionals doing the exact same.

This is exactly why I created the free upcoming training:

How to Use Herbs in Postpartum (Safely)!

A free masterclass for professionals who want to incorporate traditional root medicine into their practice without feeling constant worry.

In this 90 minute masterclass, you'll be learning:

🌿 How to use herbs effectively and safely in the sensitive postpartum period, even when you're not an herbalist.
🌿 A 4-step framework that makes herbal knowledge and use significantly easier to understand and apply.
🌿 Using herbs as Root Cause medicine while busting myths that have kept herbal knowledge in the hands of few.
🌿 And plenty more!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! This will be held on August 17th at:

10am Alaska Standard Time (AST)
1pm Central Standard Time (CST)
6pm Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

Limited seats available. REPLAY AVAILABLE.

We will conclude with a Q+A session and you will be given a followup juicy BONUS download with specific information that goes beyond this Masterclass (for live attendees only).

#herbalmedicine #postpartumherbs #herbalhealing #herbsforhealth

EXPLORE MORE

  • Contact
  • Testimonials
  • For Mamas
  • Certification
  • Podcast
  • Articles
  • Healing Portal
  • About
  • Media
  • Affiliate Program

SUBSCRIBE

Copyright © Maranda Bower, LLC
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Copyright Postpartum U. Website design by Make Waves Design.


THIS WEBSITE AND ALL PROGRAM OFFERINGS ARE SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY.
Testimonials or endorsements on this website have not been scientifically evaluated and results experienced vary significantly. Many statements outlined on this website are simply opinion.

CONTENT PRESENTED ON THIS WEBSITE OR OTHERWISE IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT OR A PROFESSIONAL THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP. CONTENT PRESENTED IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE GENERAL HEALTH INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. IT SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC ADVICE, CANNOT DIAGNOSE OR TREAT ANY MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC CONDITION, AND DOES NOT REPLACE CARE FROM YOUR PHYSICIAN.
You should not rely on content presented on this website or any program offered on this website for diagnosis or treatment of any health condition. We are not healthcare professionals or providers. Always consult a healthcare professional if you suspect you require medical or psychiatric treatment. If you believe or suspect you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 immediately.