Mama’s Menu

Ayurvedic Recipes for Postpartum Healing

Eat Your Way To Postnatal Rejuvenation

Mama’s Menu Introduction

“When you birth a child into this world, it is not only your baby who gets a fresh start in life. Life automatically hits the reset button for you as well, as you are reborn into a mother’s body. Channeling the force of creation is a very powerful act and uses an immense amount of energy. Whether you are ready or not, you will have to start from square one to regain your vitality. For the first six weeks after birth, it is essential for you to focus not only on your newborn’s needs, but also on your own rejuvenation.

One of the most important aspects of postpartum recovery is diet. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said, “Let food be thy medicine.” Unfortunately, western medicine does not offer much insight into the practicals of food as medicine. Ayurveda, on the other hand, focuses on the qualities of the food we eat as the primary input into our state of health. Your postpartum diet will not only affect the quality of your recovery, but also the quality of the breast milk you feed your baby. Having a healthy postpartum diet is essential for your own healing, as well as your baby’s nourishment.

So, what’s the best postpartum diet?

Here in America, one luxury that we don’t have is traditional postpartum wisdom. Because of this, we must look towards other cultures and traditions for guidance on postpartum care and diet.

Ayurveda, literally meaning “the wisdom of life,” is a holistic system of healthcare that has been practiced in India for over 5,000 years. Unlike the West, which focuses almost completely on prenatal care, Ayurveda offers a complete system with more focus on postnatal care, in which a specialized postpartum diet plays the central role.

As an Ayurvedic postpartum doula, I cannot stress enough how impactful your diet is on your postpartum recovery. It affects everything: your quality of sleep, bowel movements, energy level, digestion, moods, and recovery time as well as your baby’s comfort and digestion. So many unnecessary stresses can be avoided if you simply know what to eat!

If it’s really that simple, then why don’t more people know about it?

I ask myself this question all the time. Ayurveda is still relatively new in America, and so is the practice of postpartum care. There are still very few practitioners who carry this knowledge here in the West. It is beyond time for mothers to get the care they need to regain their vitality after birth.

Drawing from my background in Ayurvedic vegetarian cooking and postpartum care, I have created this cookbook as a tool for postnatal self-healing. The recipes in Mama’s Menu ensure that you are receiving the best foods to nourish and revitalize your body during this unique time in your life. With Mama’s Menu at your fingertips, you will be well on your way to regaining your strength and vitality.

It is my sincere desire to see the rise of postpartum care practices here in the West. I pray that this book will help countless mothers regain their vitality and rest in bliss with their babies. You absolutely deserve it.”

~ Ameya Duprey
Mama’s Menu: Ayurvedic Recipes for Postpartum Healing

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