Postpartum Nutrition: The Recovery Advice Every New Mom Needs with Amanda Reed | The Healing Core Ep. 7

The postpartum period isn't the time to eat less—it's the time to nourish more.

In this episode of The Healing Core, Dr. Maria Muto-Rodriguez welcomes Amanda Reed, MS, RDN, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and owner of Lifestyle Nutrition Now, to discuss what every new mom should know about postpartum nutrition, healing, and recovery.

Together they break down the biggest misconceptions surrounding postpartum health—including the dangerous pressure to "bounce back" after birth—and explain why nutrition plays a critical role in energy, mood, hormones, breastfeeding, tissue repair, and nervous system regulation.

Whether you're pregnant, newly postpartum, breastfeeding, or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers practical, evidence-based advice that can make recovery easier and more sustainable.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why postpartum nutrition is often overlooked after delivery

• The biggest nutrition mistakes new moms make

• How under-eating impacts recovery, mood, and hormones

• Why protein, iron, omega-3s, and hydration matter

• The truth about breastfeeding hunger and milk supply

• Why "bounce back" culture may be hurting mothers

• Easy one-handed meals and snacks for exhausted parents

• How blood sugar regulation affects stress and postpartum healing

• Why postpartum fatigue isn't always "just sleep deprivation"

• The importance of checking iron and vitamin levels after birth

One of the most powerful takeaways from this episode:

"Baby's eating. Mama's eating. Baby's drinking. Mama's drinking."

Sometimes the simplest advice is exactly what every mother needs to hear.

Connect with Amanda Reed

🌐 www.lifestylenutritionnow.com

If this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a mom who deserves more support during her healing journey.

The Healing Core is a women’s health podcast focused on pelvic floor therapy, hormone balance, chronic pain, gut health, and nervous system regulation. Hosted by Dr. Maria Muto Rodriguez, each episode blends holistic healing and physical therapy to help you heal from the inside out.

Learn more and connect at: https://holisticphysiodoc.com/

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Music provided by https://mibemusic.com/

Transcript

Welcome And Show Purpose

Maria 0:01

This is the Healing Core. I'm Dr. Maria, a woman's health physical therapist, mom, and someone who's lived through chronic pain. Here we connect the dots between your body, nervous system, and what real healing actually feels like. Each week we dive into honest conversations around woman's health, chronic pain, pregnancy, and healing through the lens of the body, mind, and nervous system. So you can finally start feeling like yourself again. Heal from the inside out. Start at the core.

Postpartum Nutrition With Amanda

Maria 0:33

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode at the Healing Core. Today we're going to be talking about postpartum nutrition. I'm really biased and love postpartum, so this one is going to be a really good one. I have Amanda here and she's the expert. So she's going to dive into all the necessities of what we need to know to help our bodies during this time. But let's start the episode just introducing Amanda.

Amanda 0:58

Thanks, Maria, for having me on the podcast. I'm really excited to be here. So my name is Amanda. I'm a perineedle dietitian. So I work with women who are trying to conceive pregnancy and postpartum. It's just working with this community is my passion. I really find like it's a confusing time for a lot of women. And I think it's so important to get the support you need during such a critical time in life. And yeah, I recently went through pregnancy and postpartum myself. I have a 16-month-old, which is exciting. So now I really see pregnancy and postpartum from the whole different perspective. And specifically when it comes to postpartum, there's just so many um challenges. And yeah, like to help out this community to make people feel stronger and better about what's to come.

Maria 1:50

That's wonderful. Going through it yourself, you definitely have like a different perspective because you can empathize with your clients more. So, how did you fall into like the perinatal space like prior to getting pregnant yourself?

Amanda 2:07

Yeah. So I had to do a dietetic internship in a hospital. And what I really loved was going to the labor and delivery. And I asked if I could just be positioned there and not go anywhere else. And they were like, no, you can't do that. I'm sorry. But that really showed me like my like passion to want to be in this space. And um, so that was like definitely this the start of it all. And then just like, I think the I feel like it's so confusing in terms of nutrition in this in this time of life. And I just want to clear up all the confusion.

Maria 2:45

It really is. Yeah. I'm sure. Well, this is like more related to to pregnancy, but it really is wild as far as like the do knots that you're like not supposed to have in pregnancy, but in reality, like you might be able to, and it's just like a little bit of a different way that we go about it. So I'm so awesome that you exist so you can help guide these women. What would you say, like now that you've gone through it yourself, what is how did that like actually change the way that you treat, or has it really changed the way that you treat?

Amanda 3:21

I definitely think it has. I think I just have a whole different perspective. Like for one example, I used to tell people in the first trimester, I'm like, just eat more spinach, just eat more spinach. Like it's gonna give you that energy. And I'm like, to be honest, nothing really fights that uh first trimester uh energy slump. Um, it's just real, it's hormonal, it's the home hormonal shifts. You're growing a baby, we're growing a whole nother organ. So I feel like, yeah, you're gonna be tired, and eating spinach might not be the trick. So that being said, spinach is still great, and I want people to still eat spinach, but it might just not be the answer to the post to the beginning stages of pregnancy tiredness.

Maria 4:05

Yeah. I mean, that makes sense, and that's nice. It's nice where it's just like, okay, not that it's a bad recommendation, but I can actually like try to change out what I actually recommend. And maybe it's like gonna just help out my clients and just kind of help out how the way I advise better. So, of course, that's awesome that you have noticed that change and you have that skill

Under-Eating And Missing Postpartum Care

Maria 4:26

now. So jumping to postpartum and kind of like as you were saying, it's a confusing time. You want to be that resource for these moms. What do you think are the biggest nutritional gaps or misconceptions you see with postpartum women?

Amanda 4:42

I just think people are left with such generic advice when it comes to like postpartum nutrition, or if it's even talked about at all, honestly. I feel like it's so conversation is so involved with nutrition during pregnancy. And then it's just like, okay, not talked about. It's like, well, you the the demands you have in a healing world when you, whether you had a C-section or vaginal birth, are so high and your nutrition needs are even they're extended. We need more, especially if you are plant to or are breastfeeding. Um, we need an additional like 500 calories to nourish yourself, to nourish the baby. So I think it's just like really left off in the dark, and it needs to be more of a topic of conversation. Um, that being said, the main one I would say is uh the biggest gap would be under-eating. I think people in the postpartum world were so focused about baby and baby keeping them alive, which is makes sense, but you can't forget about yourself. And um, I find a lot of women do. They're ignoring their hunger cues, they're they're just like in they're not thinking about themselves. So I think that's the biggest one to start with.

Maria 6:00

Makes sense. Time is an illusion. You just don't, you just don't have the time, and you're very much in survival mode, but like you really can't forget about yourself because clearly, like, you've just gone through this entire journey and this controlled trauma. And so your body needs, you know, attention to as well.

One-Hand Meals And Smart Prep

Maria 6:20

What what piece of advice would you give for someone in the postpartum period, like an easy kind of go-to meal? Because I hear the recommendations all the time, as far as like give yourself like, you know, a very good nutritional dense stew, right? And like, I love it and we want warm foods, but I just remember having this newborn and this hot soup. And I'm like, and then and the baby wanted to be on top of me. So I'm like, how on earth am I able to eat this hot soup when I have this baby? Didn't make no sense to me. Yeah.

Amanda 6:55

Yeah, I feel like that is one of the like an advice that a lot of people get. It's like, okay, have a nourishing hot soup. And then I also experience like, okay, am I um but baby's on me all the time? When am I having this nourishing hot soup? So I think stews are a little bit easier and uh to eat than like a hot soup. So if you can make it with grains and stuff that are gonna be absorbed the broth or the bone broth or whatever you're uh making that stew with, that's probably your better bet. Kind of for those who don't know, but what I mean is like more of a chili consistency where it's chili-based. Um I find that's easier to eat when a baby's on your lap or on your boob. So trying to focus there. But in terms of other meals, because a lot of times I find people are just focusing on dinner, and I'm like, what about breakfast? What about lunch? Because like you need those meals too. Um, and a lot of people only prep for the dinner. So I'm like, okay, can we make a quiche or can you make a breakfast burrito that you freeze a bunch of breakfast burritos with eggs and beans and um that are going to be filling and quick and you can eat with one hand, or maybe it's um you make a bunch of banana walnut muffins with seeds and it's nourishing, but it's literally one hand. That's what I've realized what people need in the postpartum is things that you can grab with one hand and it takes less than 30 seconds to heat up in the microwave or on the stove, whatever you want. Um, and we can even dive into that like more specifics of what to prep because it's a lot about prep.

Maria 8:33

Yeah. Yeah. Again, a common recommendation is like try to prep now and later pregnancy so you have like the freezer stocked or around the time perhaps of due date. I mean, we never really know when baby's coming, but like maybe have the fridge stocked or just know what your resources are to make sure that when you come home, there's food there. But that's a really good point to make that most often people think about dinner, but then they don't think about breakfast. And there's also it's commonly stated that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So it's kind of funny how people like skip that. Would you agree that breakfast is probably the most important meal of the day?

Amanda 9:15

Oh, yeah. I think like you learn that naturally though through pregnancy. I think there's a lot of most women or pregnant people feel like they need to eat something right when they wake up because like that's your body's instinct, right? So I think the body still wants that in the postpartum world. We just ignore it. So, yes, I do think it's very important to eat something, especially in the earlier days of postpartum labor recovery. You're healing. We need nourishment, we need protein, we need things that are gonna make you feel good and give you energy. And we didn't even get topic of balancing blood sugar, but that's a whole nother topic that we'll get into because that's also really important to start the day to help with the balance balances of your blood sugar.

Maria 10:03

Yeah.

Beans, Breastfeeding, And Bloating Myths

Maria 10:04

What about beans or like gassy based foods, especially for those who are breastfeeding? Is it like a hard no, don't do that? Because I know you mentioned breakfast burritos with beans, and beans have fiber and a little bit of protein. So I know they're good, but like just the other day, my mom was like, I'm not gonna make escroll soup because it has the beans and you don't need that, and you plan to breastfeed. So I'm like, but wait, I feel like beans are totally fine. So can you speak on that?

Amanda 10:34

Yeah, so I feel like I get this question often, and I think there's mixed research out there, and not actually just not enough research out there. But what I've learned is that breast milk is made from your blood. And yes, there are slight chances that if you have a really, really colicky or gassy baby, it could be coming from what you're eating, but most likely it's not. And it may be the position of you feeding the baby, it may be this there's so many other reasons. So I think for the postpartum nutrition world, avoidance is not the answer. Um, I think if you like beans and you like beans in your soup and you like beans in your burrito and it's protein and it's healthy carbs, then eat beans. I'm not saying go from never eating beans in your life to eating so many beans in the early days of postpartum. I think that will not help. But I mean, if it's part of your natural diet on a day-to-day basis throughout pregnancy, then it should be part of your diet in your postpartum world.

Maria 11:38

Yeah. I think like what my mind goes to for someone who has like struggled with like gut issues and whatnot. And now that I know in pregnancy, like your gut microbiome actually changes. And I'm sure like in the postpartum time, as things are trying to like find their new way that it's still undergoing a lot of different change. And then plus the inflammation, the systemic inflammation that we have, it's sometimes it's like really tricky where it's like, I think this is why some people kind of question like, is this food good for me? Like, do I have to kind of avoid this food because I'm having some sort of bad reaction or I'm having a lot of bloating and whatnot? Is that something that's common amongst your patients when you're working with postpartum women that they'll kind of also give you some reports of side effects of that nature?

Amanda 12:28

I think it depends on like where postpartum they are, like what where in their journey? Is it like the first two weeks? Is it um the next couple of months? So I think in the beginning, if it's the very early stages of postpartum, you can't judge that bloatedness or that feeling, because it it's just all part of the healing and recovery process. Um, and maybe if it was later on, let's say you're like three, four months in and you're like, oh my God, why am I experiencing this bloating that I never felt before? Then I think that's where you go get your blood work done. You know, you get your levels checked, maybe you're deficient in something to see what's going on internally. Um, and then that's where it's more of like an individual level to determine what you need or what your body could be reacting to.

Maria 13:21

That makes sense. It does. I think it's hard, as you mentioned, like to really figure out like what your body is like doing and responding to in like the first month, pretty much, because it's just like yeah, super chaotic. But I think like after three months, perhaps of what I've learned, like this is where your body goes through like another hormonal shift. Like, not that things are totally regulated three, four months out, but like you're kind of in a different place. And I think that that's like where some of those symptoms can influence someone to, okay, now let's try to make sense of this. Like things should try to be somewhat regulated. So I love that piece of advice. That that does make a lot of sense. What

Protein, Healing, And Bounce-Back Culture

Maria 14:03

about with recovery? Recovery, as in, you know, you mentioned that people are under-eating. And then I think that we hear a lot, like, make sure that you eat a lot of protein, right? So is that something that you feel like you you commonly try to emphasize when someone is like creating a meal plan for themselves? Oh, I need to have the protein to help with my inflammation for my recovery. Or sometimes some people are like scared to eat a lot, right? Because they want to lose the baby weight. So, how do you kind of navigate those those conversations?

Amanda 14:39

Yeah, so protein is very important because again, however, the baby came into this world, you need to repair and rebuild, and there's so much recovery going on. And that is when protein comes in for healing and neurotransmitters, and so yes, protein is very important in the postpartum stages. Um, but I think also making sure you're easy on yourself where it's like, okay, if you did have a meal without protein, the next meal you'll have something with protein. I do think people, there are some people who put so much pressure where it can actually affect your mental health. It's like, okay, yes, maybe that one meal didn't have protein, or and that's okay, the next meal will, or the next snack will. Um, I think that it comes down to that of just like not putting so much pressure on yourself, also when there's already a million things going on in your first postpartum world. I think the whole idea of like the bounce back culture and weight loss in the early postpartum days is dangerous, honestly. It is it's your body needs more nourishment, more calories. Um, and I think any thought of less is just dangerous. So I think focusing on more, not focusing on less is going to help your metabolism. It's going to help recovery. And if you're six, eight months down the line and you're like, okay, now I want to work on maybe more specifics of like how I can lose a little bit weight, sure. But also if you are breastfeeding, your body's going to hold on to I would say about 10 pounds. So you can that fat helps your body produce to continue producing the breast milk. So a lot of people are like, why can't I lose this 10 pounds? Why can't I lose these 10 pounds? And or whatever it may be 10, 15 pounds. And I'm like, it makes sense to me. It's like, yes, you're not your body's holding on to it because it needs it to be able to make milk for your growing baby. And I know it's hard for a lot of women, but I think that there needs to be an idea shift and a mind shift of like these 10 pounds are a good thing, not a bad thing. And yeah, so that would be my main thing. It's just like the whole idea of the bounce back is hurtful.

Maria 17:16

For sure. It's sad that this is how society has been for a long while. I mean, I grew up in the 90s, I think you did as well. And that was such skinny culture at the time. Like it was so bad. And like I was not, I was I'm Italian, so we ate and I ate and I love food. So I was definitely not a tiny girl when I was younger. Yeah. So like that definitely messed with me a lot. But I hear it constantly too. Like, even, you know, my sister-in-law, who is, you know, so petite and strong, I mean, she lifts so much weight, but she's so scared to get pregnant because of all the work that she's done, right? And how it's gonna completely change her body. And I'm like, I get it, but if you really do change your mindset and your mind frame as to what you're saying, like this is to actually benefit me as a mother and my child. Like it's not really for aesthetics right now. It doesn't mean that you're ugly. It doesn't mean that you're doing anything bad for yourself. It just means that like you're providing, and that's what we need to be doing at this time. So a lot of like work, I think, that goes into it.

Weight Loss Pressure, GLP-1s, Identity

Maria 18:28

And I think the society is like trying to change a bit, but you know, this is not a topic and or question. But of course, the use of GLP ones and that across the board for moms, I've actually heard a lot now. I don't necessarily have an opinion on it as of yet, but some moms are definitely using it to lose the last 10 to 15 pounds or to help with the inflammation and stuff. And I'm just like, yeah, I feel if we had a better habit with our food or we had a better routine, maybe that actually could help with the reduction of weight and inflammation if we have stopped breastfeeding. So it's not actually a question that I wanted to ask you, but now that we kind of mentioned it, I mean, have you kind of experienced some of your clients like telling you that they want to go on a GLP one or that it's been helpful? And how can diet kind of like support that journey if they decide to go on that medication?

Amanda 19:24

Yeah, I think it's very individualized. I do think because it's so talked about now in conversation, the GLP one, it's like I just find people are not giving themselves enough time. Yeah, you want to lose that 10 pounds, but you're still only eight months, eight months postpartum. It's like, I still don't think that's enough time. Your body, and it's individual of how much time your body needs, but I really think it it takes longer than that. And I think if you gave it appropriate time, a year and a half, and you're still like, what's going on? I still want, sure, there's things to consider. And maybe that will change my response. But my answer to that is like, how much time did this did this client give it? And most likely, it's probably not enough time in my mind.

Maria 20:15

Yeah. There are people that I even see like in Facebook groups that are asking questions of how to lose weight in there maybe like a month or two months postpartum. And I'm just like, oh, sweetheart, no. Like we need to just focus on like resting and light movement and like slowly getting back into things and really eating a good, a good diet to support you. Like you're adding stress in a very stressful time that is gonna more or less work against you. But it's very hard, I think, in that time frame. Like in your mindset is just completely so different. And like you want to feel like a version of yourself, like some people experience like identity loss and obviously overwhelm. And so, you know, is that something that you feel like you kind of like get a sense from some people? Although I know you're focusing on just like nutrition, but like I know you work with moms that are pregnant and then you see them postpartum. Like, can you actually like sometimes see that shift?

Amanda 21:16

Yeah, I think I see the shift all the time. It's like they people well, I think it's a whole new identity that people have, but they also mourn the loss of like their old identity identity, and it's uh it's a confusing time because you're a whole new person, and I think it takes time to accept becoming a whole new person, being a mom, and and also that goes with your body. Your body changes so drastically within pregnancy, and then also that takes nine months to change. It's gonna take time to change in the postpartum world, also. So I think it's just like it's a lot of change happening. Happening at once. And then I think we live in a society where we want like quick fixes and we want like our attention span is like we just want things quick. Yeah. And just that's not how the human body is meant to work or go.

Maria 22:16

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's probably also not helpful that we live in New York. And that is just like New York culture where it's go, go, go. Yes. And even in America, it's very much of like go go go. And a lot of people like return to work as early as six weeks when they're cleared. Like it's just there needs to be a lot of reframing around this time period, which some companies have, and like, you know, society has tried to, some practitioners have to, but like it really is kind of wild, I think, where where we kind of sit with this because it's not like this in other countries, at least from what is displayed on like social media or you know, different individuals that I've met that are not from here. So hopefully America kind of gets with it as well. Seriously.

Amanda 23:06

We

Bloodwork, Deficiencies, And Mental Health

Amanda 23:07

need to because I think it's hurting us. And I feel like this is such a vulnerable time in people's lives that are it just needs to be, I don't know, it just then needs to be more positive. Even when it comes to like nutrition, like when the doctor gives you a form of things not to eat, or like it's just like, okay, that's negative. Let's like, how do we make things more positive? Things you should eat that are going to make you feel good, that are gonna give you energy. Same thing with postpartum, like that six-week visit. It's like we we should be getting mandatory blood work at three months. We need to be checking our levels because some people are iron deficient and they put it off as like, oh, I'm just sleep deprived. It's nothing to do with my levels, but really their iron's so low that that's why they're feeling extreme fatigue during the day.

Maria 24:02

So I just think we need more support. For sure. There, there's a company. I don't know if you've heard of them. Have you heard of postpartum care USA? I think so. They focus obviously like on the postpartum period. And one of the things I learned a few things from them, but what stood out like in the beginning was that if you tend to be like vitamin D deficient, then that could actually lead into postpartum depression. I might have even like known that beforehand because I remember even my pediatrician saying to me, like, make sure you continue with your vitamin D, which like it's kind of crazy that my pediatrician said that rather than like my OB. But that's okay, as long as it was said somewhere. So I'm like, Yeah, while that nutrition is going to affect how we feel mentally. It is full circle, it is the whole body. That's what's just like so crazy. And I think I can't remember off top of my head, but there was something about postpartum rage. And it's something with a nutrient that is deficient. I don't know if you know either, but maybe it's zinc, I think. And so it's like you have these postpartum symptoms that are real that we shrug off as, oh, this is part of momhood, but it actually can come down to nutrition and nutrition deficiencies.

Core Nutrients For Postpartum Recovery

Maria 25:26

So since we're on this topic, what would you say is like um a good focus as far as like nutrients, like the minerals that we should probably, you know, really consider for the healing of postpartum to help with some of these like quote unquote mom symptoms? And what type of foods carry those nutrients?

Amanda 25:45

Yeah, for sure. So starting with earlier in the postpartum stage, like right post-labor, we need iron. Iron is so important, iron affects our energy. Iron levels typically dip in third trimester because baby's taking a lot of your blood supply. If you weren't taking iron supplement throughout your third trimester and you are typically low in iron, something to look into. But specific sources, lentils, beans, spinach, meats are going to be higher in iron. And if you are feeling abnormally tired, which is very hard to tell in the first stages of um having a baby in prostpartum, but if you feel like it's abnormal, I mean, I even if you don't feel like it's abnormal, I think or latest three months you get your blood work tested. Um so yeah, iron, ferritin specifically, ferritin is like your stored iron in your body, and then protein, because protein is important for tissue repair, which are similar sources of iron. Again, bundles, beans, spinach, nuts, nut butters, meats, all that good stuff. And another one would be omega-3 fatty acids, really important for your brain support, your baby's brain support, which can be found in fatty fishes, flax seeds, all good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. And if you are breastfeeding, omega-3 and choline are two of the uh nutrients that are actually increased in the postpartum. So making sure you continue your prenatal vitamin. If you want to go get a postnatal vitamin, I think it's totally fine. My opinion is if you already still have your prenatal left, finish what you have of your prenatal, and then you could potentially switch to a postnatal. I find they're very similar, so you don't necessarily need to switch to postnatal. One nutrient that might be higher is iodine and omega-3, or the two that I would see is different in the postnatal vitamin.

Maria 28:00

For iodine, is it the Brazil nuts that have the iodine in it? Selenium. Yes, that one. Okay. Yeah. Okay. If you have too many Brazil nuts in a day, yes. Yes, definitely.

Amanda 28:17

So I recommend to my clients to have like two to three uh Brazil nuts during pregnancy and postpartum.

Maria 28:25

Okay.

Amanda 28:25

To help with thyroid support, thyroid health. Um, it's really important, uh, which will probably be in your prenatal or in your postnatal vitamin, but even just having the two to three a day is good.

Maria 28:37

I really like those. I feel like I can eat so much more than three, but I'm like, I can't have too many of these. Moving them away.

Amanda 28:44

Yeah, you don't want to have too much because then it could throw off your balance of your just balance of hormone hormonal balance in your thyroid gland. Yeah.

Maria 28:53

Yeah. So what sources of food have iodine?

Amanda 28:57

There's just like iodine salt, which you can get just like fresh sea salt will have iodine in it, fish, anything from the sea, seaweed and stuff like that.

Maria 29:08

I think I told you in one of our prenatal calls that I'm like scared to have seafood just because it's one of those, those food products that has parasites in them or like known to have parasites in them. So like you have to be careful of the food sources. I've yet to try out C-topia, but I have heard good things. So like I definitely need, I mean, I take an omega, but like I really feel like I need to venture back into seafood, which I love.

Amanda 29:35

Yes, venture back because it's just so important. Like having like two to three servings a week is ideal. And I just, it's a really easy way to get omega-3 fatty acids, and they're just so nutrient dense. Just to put a piece of fish on a pan in the oven with some asparagus neck next to it and many potatoes and like literally a one sheet pan meal all a day takes like 15 minutes to cook. Um, just find it super easy.

Maria 30:03

Oh, for sure. One sheet pans are like the easiest thing possible, and it's a lifesaver, especially in New York, which then kind of brings me into my next question as far as like practical implementation, right? So, like,

Meal Help, Delivery, And Snack Stations

Maria 30:18

how can we plan a good nutritional day and you know, an overwhelmed new mom's life, especially in New York City?

Amanda 30:27

Yeah, I think keeping it simple and repeatable, something that you can do on repeat. So let's say you get a baked container of Greek yogurt and you have that in your fridge, and every morning you wake up and you have your Greek yogurt with some chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, a little bit of peanut butter, and that's what you have every single morning. You know, it's nutrient dense, it's no flavorful, it's protein rich. Um, if you're dairy-free, there are dairy-free options out there as well. Number two would be um the prep, like we talked about a little bit earlier. Like when I work with clients and they're towards the end of their pregnancy, I'm all about making sure their freezer is stacked, but not only their freezer, I actually recommend clients to make things. And especially if you live in New York City and you have small freezers, to ask friends and family if they're asking you how they can help. You ask a, I'm making myself these, I don't know, turkey meatballs or breakfast burritos. Can I keep them in your freezer so you can bring them to me when I empty out my freezer and I need more things to come and I have more space? I always say that to my clients.

Maria 31:44

Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. Why not? Right. And that's like, I think again, like a top recommendation I hear often uh when it comes to like your supporting personnel, like what can I do for you? I think bringing food is like the number one thing that you can do. And what I what I love, just because again, like I've gone through the experience, about to go through the experience again, is those people who understand I love you, you're a close friend, but I really don't want a visitor, and I don't really want you in my house right now. So if you just like come by, bring a plate of food, leave it on the front doorstep and be like, there's a gift for you, those people get it, those people understand, and it really does go such a long way.

Amanda 32:29

Yes, and uh it going even further by telling people what you want them to bring, because I think I just happened to myself and I heard I two people brought me a lasagna. It's like, okay, well, how much lasagna am I gonna have? Thank you for bringing it. First of all, they take up a lot of space, and I just don't need. I literally feel like I ate lasagna for days in my early postpartum days, which is fine. If you and I'm like nutrient dense, it was veggie lasagna and had a lot of things in it, but I was just like, all right, I next time in round two, I'm definitely telling people specifically what I want them to bring. It just makes it more balanced, I think, when you're open.

Maria 33:11

I love my mom, and my mom is like such an amazing cook, right? So she can make a variety, variety types of foods. And so this time I very much specifically said to her, I want you to make chicken noodle soup, escarol soup, meatballs, just because it can be warm and I love the pasta. The first time she brought potato salad, she brought sausage and peppers, she brought, I don't even remember, but it was like something completely that I did not want. I'm like, I didn't even really know this at the time, but I'm like, I don't want anything cold. She brought, oh, it was like um, she got one of those like rotisserie chickens, and then she made like a salad with like avocados and stuff. And she said that this time, she's like, Oh, I'll make you that too. And I'm like, I don't want anything cold. Even right now in the end phase of pregnancy, like and it's about to be warm outside. I need something that's warm that like literally just like I could feel it go through my entire body. So it's very funny that you say that, where it's like specific, like have a menu and just be like, this is what I want.

Amanda 34:18

And some people have like food chains or like family like chains, um, which I love. And and I feel like if you have access to that, like really hone in and like be a part of that because meal meal, I think they're called like meal chains or something. But so, or or get a meal delivery service. There are so many amazing postpartum meal delivery services now that are putting together full, well-balanced meals that are nourishing to the body. And I highly recommend and typically don't recommend right in the beginning. I think if you are gonna have a lot of family and friends coming in the beginning, a lot of times we need it when the partner goes back to work and you are home with the baby and you can't cook, but you want a home cooked meal or you want something fresh. Um, I so I always say, like, if you don't want it in the beginning, like wait a few weeks and then get the meal delivery service because it found it so helpful.

Maria 35:14

Yeah. I know of Chio. I know we know of Chio. I try I tested them out. I did like a trial with them, and their food is really good. It is, I mean, it's not, I mean, I think you would probably know better than me, but it's not only just like eastern medicine, not medicine, but like eastern flavor, right? Like, do they have more variety of like meals and stuff, or is it just more of that type of cuisine?

Amanda 35:39

Um, I think they have there's a mix now. Like I I think you can select what you're what you like and what you don't like. And yeah, there's a few other ones out on out there, but I'm forgiving names right now in terms of I've been seeing them.

Maria 35:53

I think the algorithm is obviously picking up what I'm saying. Uh, I do want to dive more into them. I mean, this is not these two things are not meal services, but I do know that, you know, and you actually mentioned this to me, farm to people, which is really cool. Like they they do have like a subscription where you can get these boxes of like seasonal veggies. So if you have someone who can cook for you, that's that's really awesome because they come in rotation. You can kind of set the the not the tone, but the frequency of the deliveries. And then they do actually have already some like pre-cooked meals. So the the ones that I actually really liked are some variation of like a turkey spinach feta burger. And I'm like, this is so perfect, especially when like, you know, just as a busy person, I don't always have time to prep. So having that in my refrigerator when I'm about to go out to work, pack it in my bag has been a lifesaver. So obviously for postpartum, that's another good one. And then um I learned them, learned about this company called Nunona, which I think you know Nunona too, which I guess, you know, you can share your opinion on them because they're primarily known, I think, as just like a prenatal company, but they don't, it's not like a prenatal supplement. It's almost as if it's like an energy ball. And their claim is that like you're actually eating real food and getting the same nutritional content as you would from a pill. So it's better well absorbed. And they have different flavors. So I'm sure that that is just as good to have in the postpartum time as it is in the prenatal time, no?

Amanda 37:27

Yeah, I think the any type of energy ball, protein ball, uh, make in abundance. If you make or buy, you can buy from them if you want, or you can make them. And those are were probably like my number one um snack or things to have throughout the day for my personal self, but also what I recommend to clients is make an easy protein ball with seeds, chia seeds, black seeds, hemp seeds, peanut butter, oats. So powerful, so nutrient dense and easy to grab with one hand. You can even make a bunch and keep them in your freezer and just take one out, wait like five minutes and just eat it. But yeah, the that company was making those protein balls, which are really great and tasty. I think they do also have a version of a prenatal vitamin, though, where they did put additives in it, meaning more more nutrients in it for a replacing of a prenatal vitamin, if I remember correctly. But they might have both where they just have like ones which is made with whole foods and then ones made with like more vitamin.

Maria 38:30

That's cool. I mean, obviously, more options the better.

Amanda 38:33

Yes. One other thing I want to say though is like having those quick, easy grab snacky things, protein balls, energy balls, trail mix is so important to be in your surroundings. So not only is it in the fridge, but if you have a station where you're constantly feeding or your baby, there should be a trail mix right next to you, and another water bottle right next to you in this room, and then in the other room, it needs to be uh I mean, New York City apartment, there's not many rooms, but it just needs to be around you and easily accessible. I think there are so many times in my personal postpartum journey where I was ravished, like I was so hungry while feeding my baby. And uh thankfully I did put the trail mix right next to my feeding station and I was able to eat while she was eating. Baby's eating, you're eating. Baby's drinking, you're drinking, is the way I really think about it because it just kind of gives you a reminder. Otherwise, you might not think about eating or drinking. So if the baby's eating, you're eating, baby's drinking, you're drinking.

Maria 39:43

That advice is gold because you also told me to do that. And I'm in my car a lot because I travel to people. I swear, my husband makes fun of me because I carry my two Aguala water bottles, as we talked about. I right, I specifically bought two of them and I have them in my car. And then now, for whatever other job my husband does, they get like, I don't know, sometimes boxes of avocado. And so they had like a whole box of water bottles. And I don't want to drink out of plastic, but now it's in the trunk of my car. So I'm like, I have no excuse. I am stacked with water, I'm good. I have like three separate bags of trail mix of just like this is perfect. So the same concept applies, obviously, when you're home and you're breastfeeding and you need all that stuff, which I think is a perfect segue into like two other questions I have. Where

Hydration, Electrolytes, Blood Sugar, Stress

Maria 40:36

when it comes to breastfeeding, is there a link between like when like milk supply comes in and how relative that is to like nutritional uptake? As far as like if you're under-eating or you're under drinking, then perhaps maybe like your milk supply will be low and we don't always need to follow these like specific recommendations of like oats and these oat cookies or these lactation, you know, specific foods. Like, is it more of like just make sure you eat and make sure you hydrate, make sure you rest? That's probably gonna help more of your milk supply than anything.

Amanda 41:15

Oh, a hundred percent. I think like when it comes to breastfeeding and I mean, there could be medical issues where like your supply isn't working and that's a whole other scenario. But the majority is if you're not drinking enough water, you're not gonna be able to produce enough milk for your baby. So if you weren't using an electrolyte packet during your pregnancy, I highly recommend using an electrolyte packet during your postpartum because it helps your body absorb the water. Whereas if you feel like you're just drinking, drinking and having to pee, pee, pee, your body might not actually be absorbing the water. So we need some sodium magnesium to help your body uptake the water and then to help you produce milk. So, yes, correlation between eating enough milk supply, drinking enough milk supply, and the nourishment of that milk, right? We so not to put too much pressure on what we're specifically eating, but we want to keep it simple, but nourishing. So, like those protein balls, simple, but super nutrient dense, like filled with protein and and and fiber and magnesium and vitamin, like just all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. So simplicity is important, but also nutrient-dense simplicity. If that makes sense.

Maria 42:37

Yes, yes, yeah. I mean, I think sometimes some people are like, okay, I need to eat so much, they eat so consistently, but sometimes it's what you're actually selecting is not giving you the best supply. So not that you have to eat less, but if you choose specifically and specific foods that are tenfold from what you were choosing prior, you're probably gonna feel more satiated. It's just gonna go a longer way. And again, like you said, simplicity, like trail mix has protein and fiber, I think, right? Healthy fats. Okay, so like that is simple, that's easy, and we're good. So love that.

Amanda 43:19

I'm a big cheerleader for trail mix. If you're not allergic to nuts, specifically walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids and just easy to add into the mix. You can buy one, you can make your own, whatever you want to do. Um, you can put mini dark chocolate chips in there if you want it to be sweet. You can put little dried cranberries or whatever you want. But I think like having it often and around your house is important. Um, maybe you'll take yours from your car and bring them to your home when baby arrives, or definitely bring it to the hospital. Yeah, close baby, snacking on some trailbacks.

Maria 43:56

Oh, for sure. For sure. I think you you already said that. But it just like reminds me of, you know, those first early days when I had my first daughter when I was breastfeeding. And I don't think I actually was eating when she was eating. I don't, I don't know why that would be a foreign concept to me, but I just remember like that late night or early feed, whether it was like 3 a.m., 4 a.m. And I breastfed her and then she went back to sleep. I went back to sleep. It was so hard for me to wake up after that feed. I would wake up. I had the ability to wake up, but I just felt so like heavy and just so groggy. I mean, it's hard to obviously pinpoint like what the reason was specifically for me. But I feel like the point is that perhaps maybe like when you're breastfeeding or when you're done, is it beneficial then to kind of have some sort of snack, even if it is in the middle of the night and you're going to bed right away?

Amanda 44:54

Definitely. I think we need to listen to our bodies. I think like I personally never experience as much hunger as I did as I was breastfeeding. Like I was hungry during pregnancy, but then I was very hungry during breastfeeding. So yeah, if in the middle of the night, like even if it's like you having that protein bar, sure, it's convenient and it's easy. And it's maybe it's like, you know, I think just like having something with protein probably would be ideal, um, instead of just having like pretzels or crackers, um, going back to the trail mix or going back to even just like a banana if you want to eat that, or like with a little bit of peanut butter, or I think even just a granola bar, like a protein bar in the middle of the night is the most convenient. And if that's what you you're hungry and you want, yes.

Maria 45:43

Yeah, makes sense. Definitely. I think that's also like a good segue for perhaps like one of my last questions, as far as like deeper healing or nervous system tie-in, which I think we can also kind of relate that to like blood sugar regulation, because if our blood sugar isn't isn't regulated, then our cortisol goes up and that's our stress hormone. So, can we talk a little bit about that as far as like how do you see nutrition supporting the connection between like stress, metabolism, and overall postpartum recovery?

Amanda 46:15

So I think postpartum recovery or just postpartum in general, your nutrients demands are the highest they are ever throughout the whole journey. So I think nourishing your body and having well-balanced meals is important in the sense of to balance your sugar, to help your nervous system, to help your cortisol levels. And what I mean by balance is just if there's a I try to say like a trying to reduce naked carbs. So if you are going to have those pretzels, maybe you have them with some hummus because then there's some protein involved in that, or if you're gonna have that banana or apple, maybe you have it with some peanut butter. So there's protein and healthy fats involved. Um, I just think if you don't eat at all, your blood sugar is gonna crash and you're going to feel more fatigued, you're gonna feel more stressed, you're gonna feel tired, your your mood, everything is going to change for the worse. So that's why it goes back to even the beginning of our conversation of just like make sure you're eating. And I think the main line from our conversation today should be like baby's eating, mama's eating. Baby's drinking, mama's drinking. And I really, really mean that. So yeah, baby's eating every two hours and drinking every two hours, mama. It should be eating and just every two hours, just to keep your blood sugar stable. So you're helping your mood, so you're helping your fatigue, so you're helping your recovery, specifically in the earlier postpartum days.

Maria 47:52

Yeah. And I would even say, too, that cortisol is a hormone. And if we don't have regulation of our cortisol, it kind of throws off the rest of our hormones, too. So it's this, this, the base, the foundation of like nutrition kind of like really ties in into all of it, especially, especially what we feel in postpartum, like mentally, spiritually, and physically. And I I touched on this very briefly, like in my postpartum episode, and then with another um guest of mine. But like there's not that much evidence to support like postpartum thyroiditis, but I really do think, like in my case specifically, because I'm such an undereater and it's wild that I am, given that I love food, but like that's gonna put stress on the body and it's gonna put stress on the thyroid, your metabolism, and it can make things go a little crazy. And it's like one of those symptoms that aren't that that is not screened because we don't get the blood work, as you were saying, at least by month three, to kind of see where things are going. So it's like all of this ties into each other, and we should just support our bodies with the simple foundation of food because it just ties into all aspects. I

Digestion Tips And Final Takeaways

Maria 49:07

think the last question that I have for you, still tying into like nervous system regulation with this, is sometimes I also hear too to like better support digestion, to make sure that like you're not sitting and eating like in front of a screen or on your phone, or that you take some like deep belly breaths before you eat to kind of help calm your nervous system and improve digestion. Is this something that you often recommend or that you agree with?

Amanda 49:34

Yeah, no, I definitely agree with that. But I think it depends where you are in your postpartum journey. In the beginning, very beginning of your postpartum journey. Like, I think that might not be on top of mind. But if you can remember to take a deep breath before you eat, sure, definitely. In an ideal world, a little bit later on in postpartum, we should be eating a meal and going for a walk because that will help your blood sugar stabilization or moving your body, even like eating a meal and going for doing a little stretches or moving about your apartment or your home, or that's an ideal scenario. But in the very beginning, I think my main thing is making sure you're eating is even if you don't take that deep breath before. But but if you can remember, I love that idea, and I do think it would help your digestion and help with that.

Maria 50:26

Awesome. I mean, I really appreciate your time. I really appreciate this conversation. I think everyone should listen to it, obviously, which is why we're doing it. So thank you, Amanda. And I hope to have you come back on for another episode, maybe talking about pregnancy and nutrition.

Amanda 50:43

Yeah, definitely. Well, thank you so much for having me, Maria. And um, always a pleasure connecting. And yeah, if you want to reach out, I'm on Instagram at Lifestyle NutritionNow. And again, I'm a perinatal dietitian, so work with women trying to conceive pregnancy and postpartum, and I'd be happy to connect.

Maria 51:02

I love it. Thank you.

Amanda 51:05

Bye.

Maria 51:06

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend, a fellow mom, or someone who needs to hear that their body isn't broken. It's communicating. And if you're enjoying the podcast, it would mean so much if you subscribed and left a review. It helps more women find this space and start their own healing journey. If you're ready to go deeper, you can connect with me at Holistic Physio. You can book a consultation or explore my resources in the show notes. Remember, healing isn't about doing more. It's about understanding your body and supporting it from the inside out. Until next time, keep listening to your body. Start at the core.