It is surely not surprising that pregnancy depletes us of our reserves and that the demands of the postnatal period are equally important to recognise and fulfil.
I like to break the requirements of the postnatal recovery period (which is however long it takes you to repair and replete!) into four important requirements
#1 Replace the lost blood and nutrients with an understanding that the placenta will literally extract everything it needs to feed bubs (and this is a lot!), even at the expense of a mothers wellbeing.
#2 Repair damaged tissue (heal the vagina and uterus) and rebuild hormones. This is where gelatine rich foods like broths comes in handy as well as an increased need for protein and vitamin C in the diet, and healthy fats for hormone production.
#3 Support breastfeeding (and sleep deprivation) as breastfeeding is the next process by which strain is put on a mother’s resources and add in sleep deprivation, this make a carefully planned energy focused diet imperative to a healthy postnatal recovery.
#4 Provide warmth for the body by predominantly consuming slow cooked and warm foods so the body doesn’t have to work as hard to break it down and to absorb what it needs.
With these requirements in mind, I thought I would build on my previous post on the importance on macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat) in the postnatal diet and give a little more information on the intricacies of some of our micronutrient deficiencies and needs for extra consumption.
The best place to start for most women is iron.
Iron is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies, particularly in women with 40% of women starting pregnancy with iron deficiency. The issue of iron deficiency is also further complicated by the fact that it is an extremely hard nutrient to absorb. So take....
deficiency or subclinical deficiency
+ issues with absorption
+ increased needs in pregnancy for development of bubs and placenta
+ blood loss during labour
+ loss of placenta following labour
+ increased demands when breastfeeding
= iron is absolutely critical to maternal health and supplementation or an infusion (as well as a good diet for ongoing maintenance) is often the best way forward.
Iron in the diet, good sources include:
Animal foods: meat, fish and poultry, with organ meats being a particularly good source
Plant foods: green leafy vegetables, dark apricots, molasses, almonds, sesame seeds, wholegrain, dahl. Be sure to include vitamin C with these plant sources for better absorption.
Copper:Zinc Ratio is really an interesting discussion. Copper commonly goes together with oestrogen oil the body's physiology, and zinc commonly goes together with progesterone. During pregnancy heightened levels of oestrogen retain copper in the body so levels of copper commonly increase, especially if adequate levels of zinc haven’t been met during pregnancy. This is mainly due to the competing relationship of these two minerals, whose ratio should ideally be 1:1, so when copper increases without a steady supply of zinc in the diet or through supplementation, the levels of zinc decrease.
Also, the placenta is rich in zinc but after the placenta is discharged (along with the zinc and other minerals) there is an even further relative imbalance of zinc in favour of copper which starts to play into the postnatal maternal health.The effects are that low levels of zinc are a risk factor for depression and also infertility and a copper excess can manifest as anxiety, phobias and further depression
A thorough holistic investigation coupled with pathology testing can really help understand the underlying mechanisms behind impaired Copper:Zinc ratio as well as provide an appropriate treatment plan for repletion and in the case of future pregnancies. Care must also be taken when supplementing because too much zinc will throw copper back out of balance.
Zinc in the diet, good sources include:
Animal foods: meat, particularly red meat, dark chicken meat and pork, and also seafood like oysters and crab meat
Plant foods: legumes like chickpeas, lentils and black beans also sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, walnuts and almonds, ginger root and cacao
Diet and lifestyle likely to deplete zinc includes: the pill, fertility drugs, miscarriage, surgery, illness, stress, sugars, refined carbs, pesticides, impaired digestion (due to zinc's reliance and role in the production of stomach acid)
In times of high nutrient demand like pregnancy combined with the fact that soil quality is very much diminished these days - with severe loss of nutrient dense top soil – supplementation is almost always essential and some nutrients are more likely to be depleted, and need supplementation on top of a good diet, than others....
Other nutrients to consider in a postnatal focused care plan:
Vitamin D - depending on where you live and how you expose yourself to the sun, think of supplementation or else 20mins full sun on your thighs and tummy is ideal a few days per week.
Magnesium – due to the depreciated levels of Mg in our soil combined with it’s wide spread role in the body, supplementation is almost always vital.
Magnesium in the diet, good sources include: whole grains (brown rice, oats, barley), green leafy vegetables, nuts (hazelnuts, cashew, almonds)
B Vitamins – because of the role they play as cofactors to increase nutrient bioavailability and in healthy mood and energy production, plus their increased requirements during times of demand like sleep deprivation and lactation plus rebuilding post labour. A good B Vitamin supplement will have them as a complex, in their activated form and with the presence of trace minerals which are necessary for their absorption.
B Vitamins in the diet, good sources include:
Vitamin B1 (thiamine): legumes, whole grains (oats, barley), pork
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): dairy, meat (beef, poultry, fish), eggs Vitamin B3 (niacin): meat (beef, poultry, fish), legumes
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): dairy, meat (organ meat, beef, fish), sunflower seeds Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): fish (salmon, tuna, halibut), poultry (turkey, chicken, duck), nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachio) Vitamin B7 (Biotin): yeast, avocado, egg yolk, salmon and liver
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid): legumes, green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach)
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin): seafood (shellfish, fish), poultry, red meat
Vitamin C – as the body is under more stress during recovery and lactation + sleep deprivation, it makes sense to increase Vit C intake and/or supplement and it is also a vital nutrient for adrenal function, as well as building collagen.
Vitamin C in the diet, good sources include: kiwifruit, strawberries, broccoli, kale, tomatoes, capsicum
Fish oil – depending on whether you are meeting your requirement of omega 3 and DHA through diet. Algae oil is a good choice for vegans.
Omega 3 and DHA in the diet, good sources include:
Fish: salmon, rainbow trout, sardines, mackerel, anchovies
Vegetarian: flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, walnuts, algae
On a final note.
Understanding exact deficiencies is unique to each individual and to avoid supplementing unnecessarily (which has detrimental follow on effects) and to supplement correctly – individualised treatment plans should be obtained from a trained specialist.
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