Wherever you are in your parenting journey, from planning a pregnancy, to being pregnant, postnatal or wrangling toddlers and older kids, take this blog as inspiration to nourish yourself from the inside-out and look after yourself as you’d look after your kids.
Here are some tips for pregnancy, breastfeeding and beyond.
Please note the information in this blog is general only and our recommendation is to always seek professional medical advice when considering modifying your diet.
Pregnancy diet - the best foods to nourish you
Oftentimes, the word “diet” can feel pretty restrictive. But if we consider “diet” in its true meaning, it’s literally “the kinds of foods that a person, animal or community habitually eats.”
So, with that in mind, as for pregnancy diets, experts recommend what’s known as a Mediterranean Diet for pregnancy. There’s a focus on vegetables, whole grains, fish and good fats, like olive oil and avocado. Protein from good quality meat and poultry also plays an important role and avoiding packaged and processed foods as a general rule. Essentially, it’s a balanced, veggie-heavy diet of homemade, whole foods. And Thermomix® is ideal for that!
Our Cookidoo® recipe platform is such a great resource to use when making your pregnancy meal plans. Consider reviewing a selection with your doctor or medical professional and creating your meal plan directly in the app, with the My Week feature.
Here are some healthy pregnancy recipes to get you started:
Best post-natal foods
Getting into a flow with beautiful, whole food recipes you love while pregnant will set you in good stead for once baby arrives. As you can simply keep doing more of the same. Enjoy varied vegetables and fruit, whole grains, good quality protein and good fats. What’s more, restrictions on foods ease now. So soft-cooked eggs and undercooked meat (if you like your steak medium-rare!) are back on the menu – wahoo! As is soft cheese, sushi and any favourites of yours on the ‘foods to be avoided list’ for pregnancy (your doctor will provide you with a list).
Best breastfeeding foods are also a hot topic, and we get lots of requests for lactation cookies or cookies for breastfeeding, too. There is no evidence that lactation cookies help increase breastmilk supply and research is inconclusive as to whether certain foods (known as galactagogues) can help increase supply. So, yet again – the Mediterranean Diet, bolstered by a healthy lifestyle of exercise, vitamin D and time outdoors, self-care and as much sleep as possible (we know – this can be tricky with a new born!) are a great way to go.
That said, the Almond milk chocolate biscuits featured below include oats and almonds, which are on the galactagogue list, and are delicious and whole food snacks! If you’re concerned about your milk supply, we recommend seeking help from a lactation consultant or your doctor.
Great recipes for postnatal mothers:
High energy foods for busy parents and growing kids
Wrangling toddlers and managing the mummy/daddy-juggle is the next stage in the parenting journey. Life can suddenly get really, really busy and one of the first things to drop off the priority list are home-cooked, balanced meals for you.
Let Thermomix® and Cookidoo® look after that for you, so you can enjoy home-cooked, energy-rich meals and still free up time to do the bath and bed routine, help with homework, sit on the couch, chat with your partner, get some exercise in or do whatever else you’d like to do.
Find these recipes, including some from Gwinganna Wellness Retreat on Cookidoo®, order the shopping through the App, let Thermomix® manage the time-consuming part of the cooking and bring meals to the table to nourish you and your family (choose recipes to suit your children’s ages). We know how full life can get and we’ve got your back. Happy cooking!
Here are some nourishing recipes to get you started:
Be sure to check out more nourishing recipes for mums and babies, along with tips on feeding your baby through each stage, or shop our baby collection on TheMix Shop online! And remember to share the love over on our Facebook and Instagram.