The Do’s and Don’ts of Nourishing Your Body Postpartu
Hey, Mama! First of all, let me say this: you are incredible. Your body just created a whole human being! Whether it’s your first baby or your fourth, you’re in a season of big changes—physically, emotionally, and mentally.
And while it might feel tempting to dive into the whole “bounce back” culture, I’m here to remind you that your body deserves so much more than that. This is your time to heal, replenish, and thrive. So let’s talk about how you can use nutrition to feel your best during this postpartum chapter!
What I discuss:
Don’t even think about dieting.
Also, don’t put pressure on yourself to count your macros
Use this time of life to eat intuitively — your body needs a lot so don’t hold back from giving it what it’s asking for.
If you do count one macro, let it be protein.
Try to build all your means around protein, aiming to get 20-30g per meal to keep you more energized and satiated.
After protein, fill your diet with lots of health fats and fiber.
Make sure you’re incorporating iron and vitamin-c rich foods into your daily food intake.
HYDRATE. HYDRATE. HYDRATE!
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Get my eBook: FREE Macro Counting Ebook
Amazon Storefront: Julie Ledbetter's Amazon Page
Transcript:
Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, (0:05) a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and (0:12) actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving (0:17) your authentic self.Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get in. Let's go.(0:22)
Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. First of all, (0:33) if you are a mom, I just want to say you are absolutely incredible. Your body just created (0:37) a whole human being.And whether this is your first baby or this is your fourth baby, you are (0:42) in a season of big changes physically, emotionally, mentally. And while it might feel tempting to dive (0:49) into this whole bounce back culture, I am here to remind you that your body deserves so much (0:54) more than that. This is a time to heal.This is a time to replenish and thrive. And so I want to (0:59) talk about how you can use nutrition to feel your best during postpartum. And I'm just going to dive (1:04) right into it.I don't want any time to waste, but let's get real. After having a baby, I know that (1:10) you might have this urge to have your body bounce back, whatever that is. But this needs to be (1:15) addressed.This phrase bounce back is truly everywhere. Like I have seen it so many times (1:20) throughout the last month alone. It needs to go.
Your body just did something miraculous. (1:26) It grew and birthed an entire human being. And so now your focus shouldn't and isn't on shrinking (1:33) back to some version of yourself that you once were.Instead, it should be on giving your body (1:38) what it needs to recover and thrive as it adapts to this new wonderful season that you are in. I (1:44) want you to think of it like this. Your body right now, postpartum, is working overtime.It's healing (1:49) tissues. It's rebalancing hormones. And if you're breastfeeding, your body is producing milk to keep (1:54) your baby nourished.And this is a huge energy demand to say the least. Like this period of (2:00) your life that you are in should not be about perfection or looking a certain way. It should (2:04) be about nourishment.It should be about energy and feeling good in your skin as you navigate (2:08) this incredible and yes, very overwhelming and sometimes messy season of motherhood.
All of that (2:14) to say I know that it's tempting to want to get back to a diet or cut your calories to bounce (2:20) back or to fit into x, y, and z clothes or to be x, y, and z size. I know so badly that you might (2:26) want to jump immediately back into like a strict eating plan or tracking macros.But hear me out. (2:33) Freshly postpartum is not the time to cut calories or even count them in my opinion. You've heard me (2:39) right.Freshly postpartum should not be the time to cut calories or in my opinion even count them. (2:45) Your body is already using so much energy just to function and keep up with everything that you've (2:50) got going on. If you're hungry, your body is asking for fuel and you absolutely need to honor that.(2:56) Hunger is not the enemy. It's your body's way of telling you it needs more energy to heal. It needs (3:03) more energy to produce milk if that's applicable with you and keep up with the daily and nightly (3:08) demands of motherhood.Ignoring hunger or trying to push through it won't do you any favors in the (3:13) long run. Your body needs fuel to function period. So instead of focusing on restrictions, I want you (3:21) to focus on eating intuitively.Listen to what your body is telling you. Are you craving something (3:26) warm and hearty? Go for it. Do you need a quick snack because your baby's nap window is closing? (3:31) Grab something satisfying that will keep you energized.Maybe it's a piece of avocado toast (3:35) or even a bowl of ice cream. Whatever it is, let it nourish you and enjoy it without guilt. This (3:40) season is about trusting your body.Let me say that again. This season is about trusting your (3:45) body. It knows what it needs and your job is to give it the nourishment, care, and love and self-respect (3:52) that it deserves.I want you to treat your meals and treat your snacks as opportunities to fuel (3:58) yourself, not just physically but emotionally as well.
And when you give your body what it's asking (4:03) for, you are setting yourself up to feel stronger, more energized, and ready to tackle this beautiful (4:09) chaos of this new chapter. Okay, so all of that might be great and fluffy and motivating, but now (4:15) you're like, okay, you're telling me that this should not be a season of getting straight, you (4:19) know, right back into the strict counting or strict meal plans, but I also want to honor my body.I just (4:25) want to fuel my body. I want to feel my best. So how can I do that? I want to get into like the (4:29) nitty-gritty of how you can fuel your body to feel like your best self during this postpartum (4:34) season.If there's one thing that you need to prioritize in your meals, let it be protein. This (4:40) is the single nutrient that can make a world of a difference in your postpartum recovery energy (4:45) levels because number one, your body needs protein to heal from delivery. Whether you gave a vaginal (4:50) birth or you had a c-section, it is like giving your body the building blocks that it needs to (4:55) stitch itself and heal itself back together and bounce forward, not back.Number two, if you're (5:01) slowly easing back into workouts, protein really does help to repair and rebuild that muscle so (5:07) that you can feel stronger. You can feel more stable and ready to handle the physical demands (5:11) of carrying and both caring for your little one. And last but not least, number three, protein (5:17) keeps you fuller longer, which is a lifesaver.When you are juggling a newborn and you can't (5:22) every few hours, it is going to provide a steady release of energy so that you are not crashing (5:28) midday when your baby is finally napping and you need to get X, Y, and Z done.
So to make life (5:33) easier, I want you to focus on simple and accessible protein sources. So what are some protein sources (5:38) that you can have on hand without taking more of your time or energy? Here's some things that I have (5:44) recommended for you.Number one, Greek yogurt. This is something that I personally always have on hand. (5:49) It's a literally a no prep necessary food.One cup has over 20 grams of protein. It's easily (5:56) one of the highest protein snacks that is the easiest that exists out there. And if you want (6:01) more than just like plain Greek yogurt, you can mix in some protein powder.You can mix in some (6:05) berries or drizzle with almond or peanut butter or honey, and you'll have yourself a super satiating (6:10) high protein snack that will keep you full for hours. The second one is hard boiled eggs. Did (6:15) you guys know that there is a hard boiled egg maker like this is something that was a total (6:19) game changer when I was pregnant.For whatever reason, second trimester, I started craving all (6:23) of these hard boiled eggs. We got this hard boiled egg maker and it is amazing. It's super cheap.(6:29) Literally all you have to do is poke the bottom with this like needle thing, add a little bit (6:33) of water, and then you put like six to eight eggs in there and they're done in 15 to 20 minutes. (6:38) It is so incredible. And eggs are so nutrient dense and they provide you with so many nutrients that (6:43) your body needs during this time of life.Don't be afraid to eat the yolk either. Like you're (6:47) going to get yourself, you know, six grams of protein per egg. And when you eat the yolk, (6:51) you're getting this balance of fat and protein.And trust me, when I say you'll feel super (6:55) satiated, you'll feel super full after eating just even two or three of those. Number three (7:00) is rotisserie chicken. So every time you go to the grocery store, get yourself just a rotisserie (7:04) chicken and you'll thank yourself.Like there's literally no cooking involved.
You'll always have (7:08) protein on hand. I eat it as snack.I eat it as lunch, dinner, whatever. Like it is so versatile (7:14) and easiest, one of the easiest ways to ensure that you're getting enough protein. If you are (7:18) not a rotisserie chicken person, if you shop at Sprouts or Whole Foods, they typically always (7:23) have like shredded meat on hand.And that's something that Josh and I have done in this (7:27) season of life where we're just trying to balance it all, trying to balance working full time and (7:31) also caring for Blake full time. We just genuinely don't have a lot of time for food prep. And so (7:37) having that shredded chicken from Sprouts, I'm sure other grocery stores, you know, they sell (7:42) it as well, but it's so simple and so easy and literally you can dress it up however you want.(7:47) It's just like how I previously talked about. If you've tuned into the podcast, I've talked about, (7:51) you know, batch chicken. It's the same concept just without you having to actually cook the (7:55) chicken.So that is definitely something that I recommend. If that option just seems, you know, (8:01) sometimes it can be really expensive to buy that. What you can do is literally buy some chicken (8:05) breast and then I would put water or chicken broth in the Instapot and then I would cook that.And (8:11) then you literally have like cooked, baked chicken basically. And then what you can do is you can (8:16) take it out and shred it. And that is an easy way for you to get that batch chicken.That's just a (8:21) little bit more affordable as well. Number four, of course, protein shakes, protein bars, all those (8:26) things. Don't be afraid to make it with one or two scoops.Also, one thing that I personally do that (8:31) I've talked about on the podcast before is I add collagen to my protein shake. And literally you (8:36) guys, my protein shake in the morning is 53 grams of protein. It's amazing.It provides me so much (8:42) protein and it's delicious. So if you go to my Instagram, Julie, a lead better and go to my (8:48) highlight story, you'll see protein shake. I walk you through what I do for the protein shake.(8:52) It is not only packed with protein, but it is delicious. And I am a sweet tooth person. Like (8:57) that's just something that I love a good sweet tooth.And so this protein shake, I'm telling you (9:03) chef's kiss. It is so, so good.
Another tip that I have for you is to kind of build all of your (9:07) meals around protein as the main event.So I know this kind of sounds funny, but trust me, protein (9:11) should be the star. So whether, you know, that's exit breakfast or that's grilled chicken at lunch (9:15) or that steak at dinner or yogurt or whatever it is, try to make it the star of your plate. (9:20) So a good goal is to have, you know, 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal.That's roughly the size of (9:25) your palm. If you don't want to track macros and you just kind of want to use your hands as a guide (9:29) and then for any snacks, try to make sure that they're anywhere between 12, 15 to 20 grams of (9:34) protein. When you have those goals, you will really get into a good place with your protein (9:39) goal.At the end of the day, aside from protein, there are other things that you can focus on that (9:44) will help you feel energized during your postpartum journey. So if you're not counting macros, which I (9:48) am not, I have no plans of doing so anytime in the, in the near future, you can focus on some (9:54) other things and some other things that you can focus on that really will help benefit you is to (9:58) eat more healthy fats. Like your hormones are doing some serious heavy lifting postpartum from (10:04) regulating your mood to supporting your milk production.Again, if you are breastfeeding, (10:08) if that is a part of your journey to helping your body, just recover your hormones are genuinely (10:12) working overtime right now. And so healthy fats do play a huge role in hormone production (10:18) and balance because they are genuinely the building blocks for so many of your body's (10:22) essential processes. Like I want you to lean into foods like avocados.Those are packed with (10:28) fat fiber, potassium, and those are going to keep you feeling fuller, longer nuts and seeds, (10:33) almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds. Those are all rich in omega threes antioxidants, (10:39) which will reduce inflammation and support that brain health. Something every sleep deprived (10:44) parent could use shout out to all of us who are just making it through.Right.
And the last but (10:51) not least fatty fish. So this is salmon sardines.Those are going to provide some DHS or DHA, (10:57) excuse me, which is a type of omega three that supports your brain, your heart and mood regulation. (11:02) Plus DHA is beneficial for your baby's brain development. If you are breastfeeding as well.(11:07) Number two is fiber. So let's be real postpartum constipation. That is literally no joke.Like (11:13) between the hormonal shifts and the physical toll of your delivery, whatever that was, (11:18) your digestion just might feel very out of whack. And so fiber is here to save the day, (11:22) soluble fiber, which is found in oats and apples that absorbs water to form a gel softening your (11:30) stool. So that is soluble fiber.Insoluble fiber is found in veggies and whole grains, (11:35) and that's going to add bulk helping things to move along. So you want to make sure that you're (11:39) getting both. Think of any fruits, any vegetables, any whole grains like oats, quinoa, brown rice, (11:45) sourdough, like lentils, chickpeas, black beans.Those are things that are going to help you so (11:51) much in terms of your fiber intake. And just a quick pro tip, pair your fiber rich foods with (11:56) plenty of water to keep that digestion smooth and keep it going and to avoid bloating overall. Just (12:03) remember that if you are eating too much fiber and you're not drinking enough water, too much fiber (12:08) is actually going to lead to bloating, which sounds like it's an oxymoron because I'm telling (12:13) you that fiber gets things moving, which it does.But if you have too much fiber in your system, (12:17) that can also lead to bloating and constipation. So just kind of that happy medium for me, (12:22) that's about anywhere from 20 to 25 grams of protein per day, or I'm sorry, fiber per day. (12:27) If I creep up into like 35, 40 grams of fiber, that's when I can get very, very constipated.So (12:32) kind of keep that in check and count your fiber to just see personally where you are at in kind of (12:37) your target for fiber intake on a daily basis that makes you feel your best. Number three, (12:42) iron and vitamin C.
So after delivery, your body needs to replenish the blood and nutrients that it (12:47) lost during labor. And iron is essential for rebuilding your red blood cells, which actually (12:53) transport oxygen throughout your body, keeping you energized and helping you recover.Vitamin C, (12:58) on the other hand, boosts the iron absorption and helps support your immune system, which is an (13:03) added extra benefit when you are sleep deprived because that when your body is sleep deprived, (13:08) you are more susceptible to getting run down. So for me, more iron, consider putting into your diet (13:15) more animal based foods like red meat, poultry, eggs. Those things are going to be great.If you (13:20) are plant based foods like spinach, lentils, tofu, quinoa pair with vitamin C for better absorption. (13:27) So for that, that's very, very important. And in terms of getting more vitamin C, (13:33) you know, oranges, orange juice, bell peppers, strawberries, kiwi, those are all going to be (13:37) packed with vitamin C for you, or you could just also get a supplement.But I want you to chat (13:41) with your physician before adding anything new into your routine, especially if you are breastfeeding (13:45) or postpartum. And last but not least, you know that I have to talk about hydration. Hydration is (13:50) absolutely essential postpartum, whether you are breastfeeding or not.Again, your body is working (13:56) over time and staying hydrated is key to supporting every function from energy levels to digestion to (14:02) even milk production. So how much should you be aiming for? Well, personally, I aim for anywhere (14:08) between 80 to 100 ounces, 100 to 120 ounces of water per day. So I track mine in my HydroJug, (14:17) which is 40 ounces each HydroJug.So I aim for at least two and a half to three HydroJugs a day. (14:23) So that's how I kind of aim it. I try to get at least one to one and a half done before 12.So (14:29) that way, you know, I have one to one and a half left for the remainder of the day. That just kind (14:33) of keeps me on track. One thing that I was doing freshly, freshly postpartum was setting alarms (14:38) on my phone.I did this prior to getting pregnant as well, just to make sure that I'm keeping my (14:42) hydration in check. But, you know, setting alarms every couple hours on your phone, not just for, (14:47) you know, reminders if you are freshly postpartum to like wake up your baby and feed your baby, (14:51) but also to hydrate yourself or what you could do is even habit stack it. So when you go to feed (14:56) your baby, whether you're breastfeeding or bottle feeding, pair that with you drinking as well so (15:01) that you are keeping yourself accountable to drinking every time you're feeding your baby as (15:06) well.If you are breastfeeding, again, you, you might want to creep up into that 120 to 130 ounces (15:12) of water per day.
That's just personally, um, I found that that helps with my milk production. (15:17) It also helps with just feeling hydrated because I don't know about you, but like I get so dehydrated (15:22) and some other things that really can help with hydration is electrolytes.Um, that's going to be (15:27) so, so important, especially postpartum, um, herbal teas like chamomile or ginger, (15:33) also coconut water. I have personally, instead of electrolytes, I have been drinking coconut (15:39) water every single day for like the last four and a half, five months. And I'm telling you, (15:44) it has kept me so hydrated.I absolutely love it. But the thing about coconut water is it is (15:49) expensive. Like, especially if you're getting the coconut water in the box, like the box drinks, (15:54) like the box bottle drinks, those are expensive.So again, there's, there's so many other ways to (15:58) get hydrated, but if you want to incorporate coconut water, even a few times a week in your (16:03) weekly intake, that's going to help so much with hydration. And then just trying to keep (16:08) a water bottle handy at all times, like by your nursing station, in your car, on the kitchen (16:11) counter, wherever you work out, just to remind you to hydrate throughout the day. So there you (16:16) have it.Let me quickly recap what I talked about in today's episode. Number one, postpartum, (16:21) please just don't even think about dieting. Like it's not the time to do that.And number two, (16:25) I don't want you to put pressure on yourself to even count your macros. Like don't even (16:29) try that right now. Like don't even try, especially freshly postpartum.I'm not talking about, (16:34) you know, as you get, you know, the six, seven, eight, or even a year postpartum, whatever it is. (16:39) Personally, I'm not counting macros.
I have no plan to count macros in the near future, (16:43) but just keep that in mind that this is, you know, freshly postpartum at the very bare minimum, (16:47) at the very least, is not the time to count macros.Number three, use this time to really (16:53) eat intuitively. Try to listen to your body and just know that your body knows what it needs, (16:58) and try to use this time to see how you can intuitively eat during this season of your life. (17:05) Number four, if there is macros, if that is something that you want to do, or if there is (17:10) one macro that I would suggest that you, at least at the very least, like keep an eye on, that would (17:14) be protein.Number five, try to build your meals around protein. So try to aim to get, you know, (17:19) 20 to 30 grams of protein to just keep you more energized, satiated throughout the day, (17:24) give you more energy. Number six, after protein, fill your diet with lots of healthy fats and (17:29) fiber.That's going to be key, right? So don't focus so much on, you know, counting the fats and (17:35) carbs, but instead try to focus on just filling the rest of your day with those healthy fats and (17:40) fiber. Number seven, make sure that you are incorporating iron and vitamin C rich foods (17:45) into your daily intake. And last but not least, number eight, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, whatever (17:49) that is, whether it's water, it's coconut water, it's herbal teas, you know, adding fruits to that (17:54) water to sweeten it naturally, that's going to help as well.Just overall, please, please, please know (17:59) that this postpartum season is not about bouncing back. It's about moving forward with intention, (18:04) and your body needs time. It needs love and proper nutrition to recover and thrive.And I want you to (18:10) focus on fueling your body with nutrient dense foods, honoring your hunger and giving yourself (18:15) grace every step of the way. You don't need to track every macro or follow a rigid plan. Instead, (18:20) I want you to listen to your body and focus on the essentials, those proteins, those healthy fats, (18:25) fiber, hydration, and by prioritizing nourishment over restriction, you're going to feel stronger, (18:30) you're going to feel more energized and ready to tackle this new chapter with confidence.(18:34) I am so excited to announce that this quarter, we by spring are going to have our postpartum (18:41) program inside the Movement With Julie app. We are so, so excited. We are actually working with (18:47) a pelvic floor specialist for both pregnancy and postpartum.That's why pregnancy program (18:51) has taken a little bit longer. I really wanted to work with a specialist to give you guys and all (18:57) of the ladies inside my Movement With Julie community an amazing resource at no additional (19:01) cost to you, just so that you can have these resources because I don't know about you, but (19:06) personally, I have been seeing a pelvic floor therapist myself, and I know that that's not (19:11) accessible to everybody. And so I wanted to try to make everything that I've learned and even more (19:17) available to you.Because if there's one thing that I would do differently in my next postpartum (19:22) or pregnancy journey, excuse me, pregnancy and postpartum journey is to work with a pelvic (19:27) floor therapist, as well as just incorporate some of the tips and tricks that I personally have (19:33) learned.
And so that is what we are going to be bringing to you inside this program. It's going (19:37) to be two separate programs.So we're going to have a pregnancy program that will be all three (19:40) trimesters. And then we're going to have a postpartum program. And that will really cover (19:44) everything from C-section scar recovery to, you know, if you had a vaginal delivery.So there is (19:50) going to be so many resources. And I'm so excited to introduce you guys to our pelvic floor therapist (19:55) that we have been working with. She is incredible.She has so much knowledge and expertise. She's one (20:00) of the top leading pelvic floor specialists in her area. And she is a mom herself.And I just (20:06) could not be more thrilled to bring this to my community. So stay tuned for that. If you are a (20:11) subscriber inside the Movement with Julie app, that will just be added to the app at no additional (20:15) cost to you.And if you are new, you can always join the Movement with Julie app. In the meantime, (20:20) we have dumbbell workouts for women. And inside there, you get five brand new workouts every (20:25) single week.And then once you are, if you are an active subscriber, once that pregnancy and (20:29) postpartum program launches, you'll just have access to that. So you can go to sale. That's (20:34) sale.movementwithjulie.com. Again, I am so, so excited to be able to bring this to you guys.So (20:40) again, sale.movementwithjulie.com. So be on the lookout for that. Super, super pumped about that. (20:46) But that is all that I have for today's episode.I hope that you found this helpful. I love you so (20:50) much, and I'll talk to you in the next one.
All right, sister, that's all I got for you today.(20:59) But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following (21:04) me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A. Ledbetter, yes, it's with an A in the middle, (21:09) for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to (21:14) keep your mind and heart in check.The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts (21:20) to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, (21:26) and I'm going to leave you with one last thought.The most beautiful women that I have met in my (21:30) life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. (21:37) Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, (21:43) because you're worth it.