Postpartum Nutrition 101: Best Foods to Support Healing from Childbirth, Increase Milk Supply, and Balance Hormones
I deeply believe that food is medicine. Your daily diet is also one of the easiest ways to make big shifts in your health, fast.
Your body postpartum is recovering from the massive event of childbirth; whether you had a vaginal or Cesarean section, you need time, space, and nutrients to heal. Your body’s nutrient requirements change when it’s healing from childbirth, and you will have even more nutrient demands if you're also lactating.
Healthy nutrition postpartum can help you recover from childbirth, balance your hormones, and nourish your newborn if you’re breastfeeding. During this time, it’s essential to prioritize nutrient-dense foods that promote healing, increase milk supply naturally, and maintain hormonal balance.
The Mediterranean diet provides essential postpartum nutrition, with its focus on whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins.
The Mediterranean diet is known for its anti-inflammatory and hormone-regulating benefits.
(Did you know that postpartum healing already puts you in a state of increased inflammation?! This is totally normal, as healing requires inflammation, but healing and reducing inflammation are more likely to resolve quickly with a nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory diet.
This is shown through biomarkers like TNF-alpha, an inflammatory marker that decreases more rapidly in postpartum women following the Mediterranean diet).
Plus, the Mediterranean diet is founded on anti-inflammatory and healing plant-based nutrition including:
Whole grains like rice, quinoa, oats and barley
Beans and legumes
Nuts and seeds
Healthy plant-based oils (even for cooking)
Lots of veggies and fruits
These healthy foods are abundant in vitamins, minerals, plant-based antioxidants and fiber to help you heal faster, rebalance your hormones, and support a healthy mental and emotional outlook, while also providing the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fats you need to recover your metabolism and feed your baby, too (if you are lactating).
Of course, healthy animal-based products are also welcome on your plate, including lean cuts of meat; wild fish; eggs; yogurt, sour cream, and cheese.
(Now, while the Mediterranean diet recommends limiting many of these animal-based foods, I make an exception postpartum because healing requires an immense amount of nutritional support. And your body needs extra protein and fat while breastfeeding, for those who are.
Also, who am I to limit your comfort food?)
So now, let’s explore how the Mediterranean diet supports your healing from childbirth; increases milk supply naturally; and balances hormones postpartum, along with specific foods to include in your daily meals.
The Importance of Postpartum Nutrition for Healing and Hormone Balance
Recovering from childbirth, maintaining energy levels, and caring for a newborn can feel overwhelming, to say the least.
But truly, the right postpartum diet can help speed up recovery, support hormone balance, and provide the energy needed for this demanding stage of life. Nutrient-dense foods from the Mediterranean diet can aid in faster tissue repair, regulate mood, and support metabolic recovery.
Hydration is also essential in recovery, meeting your increased water needs in lactation, and balancing hormones by supporting detoxification pathways.
Drink enough water, herbal teas, and consume hydrating foods like cucumber and watermelon to stay properly hydrated throughout the day. And if you don’t have one yet, consider purchasing a glass or stainless steel water bottle (one with a big enough mouth that you can easily wash by hand).
Strange, but true (for me, anyway): the prettier the bottle, the easier to hydrate.
Making diet changes can be simple. One shopping trip can change your kitchen, and change your health (check out the bonus shopping list below for inspiration!).
Now, let’s dive into specifics.
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Foods That Support Postpartum Recovery and Healing After Childbirth
After giving birth, your body needs extra nutrients to recover and repair tissues affected during pregnancy and delivery. The Mediterranean diet provides plenty of nutrient-rich foods to help you heal faster. Here are a few top choices:
Leafy Greens (Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard)
Recovery Support
Chinese medicine considers leafy greens blood builders, which is necessary postpartum.
Leafy greens are rich in iron, which helps replenish blood lost during childbirth, and vitamin C, which boosts immune function and aids in collagen formation for tissue repair.
Pairing iron-rich foods like spinach with vitamin C from bell peppers or citrus fruits enhances iron absorption, making it easier for your body to recover.
Leafy greens are also packed with vitamins A and K, along with calcium, to heal and rebuild tissue. These vitamins support the immune system, help reduce inflammation, and promote skin and wound healing, which is important after childbirth.
Here’s a tasty and simple recipe for a healthy soup for busy women: Spinach and Cilantro Soup with Tahini and Lemon
Emotional Benefit
Leafy greens also contain folate, which can help regulate mood when consumed as part of a healthy diet, especially in people with MTHFR gene issues (these genes affect methylation, a process closely linked to mental health).
Folic acid supplementation throughout pregnancy is recommended, and it seems that the length of time matters. Long-term folate/folic acid intake seems to provide more benefit than short-term intake.
Some experts suggest that women with a history of mental health struggles and/or known MTHFR defects may need more folic acid than the general recommendation for pregnant women.
If you have any concerns for your mental health, or you know you have at least one MTHFR variant, discuss your need for additional folic acid with your doctor. This matters at every stage in life, and especially in pregnancy.
Bone Broth
Recovery Support
Bone broth is packed with collagen, gelatin, and amino acids, all essential for repairing tissues like the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles after childbirth. It also supports gut health, which is key for nutrient absorption and overall recovery.
It’s often easiest to incorporate bone broth into your diet by cooking your grains in bone broth, or making it the base for a soup.
Emotional Benefit
Sipping warm bone broth provides comfort and emotional nourishment, reducing stress. I like to add a tiny pinch of turmeric and a couple of slices of fresh ginger to my bone broth when I sip it.
Salmon
Recovery Support
Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon reduces inflammation and aids in tissue repair, making it a must-have for postpartum recovery. Salmon is also an excellent source of protein, which is also necessary for postpartum healing, whether or not you’re lactating.
Omega-3s also support brain health, which supports mental and emotional wellness during a time when women are especially vulnerable to postpartum depression and anxiety.
Emotional Benefit
Omega-3 fatty acids can help stabilize mood in perinatal (pregnant and postpartum) people.
Eggs
Recovery Support
Eggs provide high-quality protein and are rich in B vitamins including vitamin B12, which are essential for energy production and mood regulation. The choline and protein in eggs also helps rebuild cells and tissues, aiding recovery.
Choline is also great for brain health; your nervous system is healing now, too.
Emotional Benefit
The combination of protein and healthy fats helps maintain steady energy levels, reducing mood swings and fatigue.
How to Increase Milk Supply Naturally with Nutrition
For breastfeeding moms, increasing and maintaining milk supply is a top priority.
When I breastfed I had very few comforts: food was one of them (also, Real Housewives). I deeply believe that your food should be pleasurable to you, even while you’re thinking about which foods to eat to best nourish your baby.
Certain foods in the Mediterranean diet are known for their lactogenic properties, which means they can naturally boost milk production. Plus, they’re easy to throw together with other things to make them tasty too.
With that said, a lot of foods have traditional wisdom behind them, but little or no research to back up their use as a truly lactogenic food.
Does that mean you should avoid it? No! If it’s healthy for you and your baby and it’s keeping healthy food on your plate (rather than skipping meals, living on lactation cookies, or constant trips to McDonald’s), just go for it. Your body knows what to do.
Here are a few foods to include:
Oats
Lactation Support
Oats have a longstanding reputation for supporting milk production, although currently there’s no research to back this claim up.
But that doesn’t mean you should overlook them. Oats are a nutrient dense, high fiber food with a good amount of iron, which will only help postpartum recovery.
They also have important plant-based polyphenols called avenanthramides that are known to support heart health and promote blood flow, in part by increasing nitric oxide production.
This helps mood, heart health, energy, and just maybe, milk production. While there are no studies on this yet,. avenanthramides may support milk production by promoting blood flow to milk-producing glands.
Oats are an easy base for other nutrient-dense foods like nuts and seeds (especially walnuts, almonds, flax and chia) and berries, apples, pears, cherries, or other fruits. Sweeten with a touch of maple syrup if you’d like.
Emotional Benefit
Oats help regulate blood sugar levels, providing steady energy to cope with the demands of a newborn.
Flaxseeds
Lactation Support
Like oats, flaxseed has traditionally been used for healthy breast milk production, but research is lacking. However, they are nutrient-dense superfoods, and flaxseed intake by nursing women is known to increase the omega-3 fatty acid content of milk.
They contain phytoestrogens, which might ease postpartum hormonal shifts. Their omega-3 fatty acids also support brain health and fiber helps regulate blood sugar levels, which are essential for managing postpartum stress.
Emotional Benefit
The fatty acids and phytoestrogens in flaxseeds may help improve mental clarity and reduce overwhelm.
Almonds
Lactation Support
Almonds are rich in healthy fats, calcium, and vitamin E. While again we see a lack of research on this, they are believed to support milk production, likely through their dense nutrient profile, and aid in postpartum recovery by replenishing essential nutrients.
Emotional Benefit
Almonds help keep you full and energized, making it easier to manage the demands of new mama life plus breastfeeding.
Organic Greek Yogurt
Lactation Benefit
Greek yogurt is a rich source of protein, calcium, and probiotics.
Probiotics support gut health and boost the immune system, making it a multi-functional food for postpartum moms. Although the Mediterranean diet generally recommends low-fat dairy, full-fat or mid-fat Greek yogurt is just fine for postpartum and breastfeeding moms due to its healthy fat content.
Emotional Benefit
The probiotics in Greek yogurt support the gut-brain axis, and may help improve depression and overall mood.
The Best Hormone-Balancing Foods for Postpartum Moms
After childbirth estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate significantly, and certain Mediterranean foods can help regulate these hormones. Achieving hormonal balance is key for mood, energy, and overall well-being, but this takes time and self-care.
Hormonal balance isn't just marked by the return of your period. Focus on how you feel—your mood, energy, focus, and libido. These are signs of your body responding to hormonal changes.
The process requires patience, gentleness, and setting boundaries.
Now, let’s talk about some great foods for hormone harmony.
Fatty Fish (Salmon, Sardines)
Hormone Benefits
Fatty fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are intimately linked with lifelong women’s health. They reduce inflammation and promote brain health. This is especially important for postpartum moms at risk of depression.
Emotional Benefit
Omega-3s also support mental well-being by stabilizing mood and reducing feelings of depression and anxiety, especially in postpartum people.
Leafy Greens
Hormone Benefits
Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and arugula are high in magnesium, which supports restful sleep, which is often disrupted after childbirth (but is necessary for hormone balance).
Many leafy greens are also rich in B vitamins, which are necessary for healthy adrenal function and regulating stress hormones, helping to reduce fatigue and stabilize mood postpartum.
Emotional Benefit
Adequate magnesium and B vitamin intake can help stabilize mood postpartum and boost resilience against stress.
Whole Grains (Quinoa, Brown Rice)
Hormone Benefit
Whole grains are rich in B vitamins to benefit hormone regulation, energy production, and adrenal support. This helps your body manage stress more effectively.
They also contain healthy fiber to stabilize blood sugar and stabilize female hormone levels.
Emotional Benefit
Whole grains stabilize blood sugar and provide necessary B vitamins, reducing irritability and supporting stable energy levels.
Avocados
Hormone Benefit
Avocados contain healthy fats and fiber, which are essential for balancing blood sugar and supporting hormone production. The potassium in avocados helps regulate fluid balance and blood pressure.
Emotional Benefit
The brain-boosting healthy fats in avocados support mental clarity and mood stabilization.
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Sample Postpartum Meal Plan for Healing, Milk Supply, and Hormone Balance
Here’s a 7-day meal plan featuring nutrient-dense Mediterranean foods to promote healing, improve milk supply, and maintain hormonal balance.
Day 1:
Breakfast: overnight oatmeal with berries, flaxseeds and almonds
Quick prep: put oats in milk or water in the fridge the night before; top the next morning)
Add protein powder for an extra boost
Lunch: quinoa salad with leafy greens, avocado, and grilled chicken
Quick prep: cook an extra piece of chicken the night before. Mix pre-washed greens, pre-cooked ready to use quinoa, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top with chicken and avocado.
Dinner: Salmon with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed greens
Quick prep: buy pre-roasted potatoes, either from your deli section or in the frozen section.
Cook an extra piece of salmon now and sub out for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner.
Day 2:
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with berries and walnuts
Lunch: barley and vegetable soup with a side of leafy greens
Quick prep: use canned soup and toss in a handful of prewashed spinach.
Dinner: grilled sardines with brown rice and a cucumber-tomato salad
Quick prep: use pre-packaged brown rice packets and cherry tomatoes. Thick-cut cucumbers and toss with tomatoes in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
OR: cook your rice in bone broth for an extra nutrient-dense meal.
Day 3:
Breakfast: Flax4Life Muffin with banana and almond butter
Lunch: Sourdough sandwich with hummus, cheese, and veggies (bell peppers, cucumbers, leafy greens; whatever you have, just make it colorful!)
Dinner: Roasted chicken with roasted carrots and potatoes
Quick prep: Buy a whole roasted chicken and pre-roasted veggies from your grocery store’s deli. Or, put a whole chicken in with the potatoes and carrots, toss in some herbs, oil, and bone broth, and roast in one pan.
Day 4:
Breakfast: sourdough toast with avocado, sauteed spinach and an egg
Quick prep: scramble your egg with a small handful of spinach.
Lunch: chickpea salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and olives
Quick prep: Use canned chickpeas and pre-chopped veggies and mix with olive oil and vinegar for a quick, protein-rich salad. Some stores will have pre-made chickpea salads, so check your local store’s deli section.
Dinner: grilled shrimp with whole wheat pasta and pesto sauce
Quick prep: Use frozen shrimp and store-bought pesto sauce for a fast dinner.
Day 5:
Breakfast: Chia pudding with almond milk, protein powder and fresh berries
Quick prep: Soak chia seeds in almond milk (or your choice of milk) overnight; add berries and protein powder in the morning.
Lunch: lentil soup with a side of whole-grain crackers and cheese
Quick prep: Use store-bought lentil soup.
Dinner: Baked cod with sautéed spinach and roasted potatoes
Quick prep: Buy frozen, pre-seasoned cod and pre-chopped potatoes for a quick oven meal.
Day 6:
Breakfast: cottage cheese with sliced peaches, pears, apples or berries, and almonds
Lunch: snacking plate with sliced cheese, veggies, fruit, nuts, hummus, and tzatziki sauce; can add crackers or a slice of sourdough bread
Dinner: turkey meatballs with zucchini noodles and marinara sauce
Quick prep: Use frozen turkey meatballs and pre-spiralized zucchini for a quick, veggie dense dinner.
Day 7:
Breakfast: oatmeal with apples, walnuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey
Quick prep: Pre-chop apples and pre-portion walnuts for an easy morning.
Lunch: Grilled veggie wrap with hummus and goat cheese
Quick prep: Use store-bought grilled veggies (they’re often available in the deli or frozen foods section) and pre-crumbled goat cheese for a quick wrap.
Dinner: Baked salmon with quinoa and steamed broccoli
Quick prep: Use frozen salmon and broccoli, and microwave-ready quinoa for a fast, nutrient-packed dinner.
To Wrap Up:
Investing in the right postpartum nutrition can help you recover faster, support hormonal balance, and provide the energy you need to care for both yourself and your baby.
The Mediterranean diet, rich in whole foods like leafy greens, fatty fish, and whole grains, is a powerful foundation for postpartum health.
By choosing foods that heal, boost milk supply, and balance hormones, you are setting yourself up for a smoother recovery and greater emotional well-being.
Bonus: Simple Postpartum Shopping List
This list is not exhaustive, nor will it match up exactly with the foods above. It will, however, get you well on the road to having many easy-to-eat nutritious foods easily available!
Note: Whenever possible, buy organic foods to reduce exposure to pesticides and chemicals. Focus especially on organic animal products like meat, dairy, and eggs, as pesticides tend to accumulate in animal tissues and products.
Pantry Staples & Frozen Options:
Bean and Veggie Soups: look for organic versions (lentil, vegetable, or minestrone soups are good options).
Organic Bone Broth: a great base for soups or to sip on its own for gut health and recovery.
Frozen Vegetables: stock up on pre-chopped spinach, broccoli, peas, and mixed veggies—perfect for quick sides or adding to soups and grain bowls.
Frozen Fish or Meat: buy individual portions of salmon, white fish, or organic chicken, which can be easily thawed and cooked.
Preformed Bean or Meat Burgers: great for a quick protein boost (look for organic, grass-fed, or veggie-based options).
Pre-cooked Grains: quinoa, brown rice, and farro are available in microwavable or ready-to-eat packs for quick meals.
Seeded Crackers: look for whole-grain, seeded crackers (like flax or sesame) for easy snacking.
Fridge Essentials:
Greek Yogurt (Full Fat is Okay): organic and rich in probiotics, calcium, and protein—ideal for postpartum recovery and milk supply.
Cheese: organic cheese (such as mozzarella, cheddar, goat cheese, or your favorite) for easy snacking or adding to meals.
Fresh Fruits: apples, berries, oranges, and bananas for easy snacking or adding to yogurt and salads.
Fresh Vegetables: carrot sticks, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers—great for snacking with hummus or dips.
Pre-cut Veggies & Salads: Look for ready-to-eat veggie trays or salad mixes to make meal prep even easier.
Dips: Hummus, tzatziki, pesto, mild chimichurri, or Bitchin' sauce—perfect for pairing with crackers, veggies, or sandwiches.
Breads, Snacks & More:
Organic Sourdough Bread: a delicious option for sandwiches or toast.
Nuts & Seeds: almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds are great for snacking or adding to smoothies and yogurt.
Frozen Meals: stock up on organic, healthy frozen meals and frozen veggies for when cooking isn't an option.
Beverages:
Herbal Tea: choose blends like Mother’s Milk Tea for breastfeeding support. Avoid peppermint tea if breastfeeding, as it may reduce milk supply.
Sparkling Mineral Water: mix with organic juice for a refreshing drink (try pomegranate, black cherry, or blueberry juice).
Organic Juices: pomegranate, black cherry, or blueberry juice—rich in antioxidants and great for mixing with sparkling water.
This list is designed to make eating healthy postpartum easy and efficient without spending all day in the kitchen. These items support healing, milk supply, and hormone balance while offering convenience for a busy new mom.
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