Foods to eat after your delivery

Here I am sharing the foods to eat after your delivery as per traditional south Indian practice.

DISCLAIMER: All these procedures and recipes are followed by me as per my achi’s(grandmother) guidance.

My grandma used to prepare food for me with utmost care.She also makes sure that I eat at the correct time.She used to feed me also.So my only work was to sleep, eat and feed my baby boy.

After childbirth, you should continue to eat well.For the first 30 days after delivery pathiya sapadu is the must.Before having your breakfast 2 things u need to consider is,

1. Oil massage(Click here to read)
2. Hot water bath/sitz bath(Click here to read)

Foods to eat after your delivery

Best practice

• Avoid spicy, cold and oily foods.
• Among dal varieties, only moong dal is used others are believed to produce gas and a breastfeeding mother will pass on this gas in her milk resulting in gas and colic for the baby.
• Do not use tamarind for the first 10 days after 10 days tamarind can be added slightly.
• Avoid coconut, instead of red chilly and green chilly pepper is used.
• Avoid scented lotion, perfumes, soaps, powders, flowers as it may reduce baby interest while feeding.Because babies know their mother smell.Applying different fragrance products may distract the baby from feeding.

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Meal-1: Early morning

• Every morning in the empty stomach I used to drink 1 glass of garlic milk to increase milk supply.
• 4 to 5 peeled garlic is added along with boiling milk and for sweetness, either palm candy/palm jaggery/jaggery can be added.

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Meal-2: Breakfast

• I was given steamed food items like idly, idiyappam with pepper podi and ghee.

Pepper podi recipe:

Ingredients:

1. Curry leaves(1 cup)-Washed and dried
2. Pepper(2 tbsp)

Method:

Dry roast both curry leaves and pepper separately without burning it. After dry roasting allow it to cool and then grind it along with salt and a pinch of hing. Goes well with idly, dosa and rice along with ghee.

Benefits:

• Benefits of ghee-Helps to improve digestion, Gain strength, Strengthens immune system, improves eyesight.
• Curry leaves-Helps to reduce indigestion.One may experience eyesight problems after delivery.Here is where curry leaves act as a remedy which improves eyesight as it is rich in vitamin A.
• Pepper-Pepper is believed to heal internal wounds.

Meal-3: Mid-morning

Paal kanji -A magical wonder drink

Ingredients:

• Boiled rice (1 cup)
• Garlic ( 4 to 5 cloves)
• Milk (1 cup)
• Cumin seeds(1 tsp)
• Fenugreek seeds (1 tsp)
• Jaggery (1/4 cup)
• Carrot(1)

Method:

• In a pressure cooker add washed boiled rice, cumin seeds,fenugreek seeds, chopped carrot and peeled garlic cloves.
• Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Once done, mash it well.
• Then add 1 cup of milk to the mashed kanji.
• In a separate bowl powder the jaggery, melt it and filter it well.
• Now add the jaggery to the mashed kanji and enjoy drinking your paal kanji (Milk porridge)
• If you want sweeter you can always add more jaggery.

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Meal-4: Lunch

Vegetables to have along with rice:

• Avarakkai poriyal and kovaikai poriyal
• Pudalangai kottu
• chow chow kottu
• Surakai kottu
• Peerkangai kottu

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Recipe 1:

Pathiya kulambu

Ingredients Peeled garlic(1 whole) ,Tomato(1) ,Cumin seeds(1 tsp), Pepper(1 tsp) ,Gingelly oil(2 tbsp)

To Grind: Tomato, cumin seeds, pepper.

Method: Heat oil in a pan and fry the peeled garlic in oil till it slightly turns colour do not burn it. Now add the grind mixture, turmeric and salt along with water and allow it to cook few minutes. Now our pathiya kulambu is ready.

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Recipe 2:

Milagu rasam 

Ingredients Tomato(2) ,Cumin seeds( 1 tsp) ,Pepper(4 tsp) ,Garlic peeled(1 whole), Curry leaves(1 sprig) ,Salt turmeric powder(1/2 tsp), Gingelly oil(1 tbsp)

To grind: 1 tomato cumin seeds Pepper Garlic( 2 to 3 cloves) Curry leaves

Method: Take a pan add gingelly oil once it starts to heat add peeled garlic and fry them until it slightly changes colour be careful not burn it. Now add the grind mixture and fry it oil few secs. Now add water.Squeeze the remaining tomato using hand into the water add turmeric and salt. Once it starts to foam add hing and switch off the flame.[/lgc_column]

I finish my lunch with a tumbler of buttermilk.

Method:

Add a pinch of salt, hing and 1 tsp cumin powder to the buttermilk and drink.

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Meal-5: Evening

• Milk with rusk.
• Also, I used to have 1 or 2 Ellu urundai(sesame seeds ball)

Ellu urundai(sesame seeds ball)-Recipe

Ingredients:

• Black sesame Seeds – 1.5 cup
• Palm jaggery – 1 cup
• Water – 1/4 cup
• Ghee

Method:

• Take a pan and dry roast sesame seeds until they pop now switch off the flame and allow it to cool.
• Now grind the sesame seeds coarsely.
• On the other hand, take a pan, add the palm jaggery with water and allow it to melt.
• Filter the palm jaggery as it may contain sand.
• Again use the pan add the filtered palm jaggery and keep stirring it until it becomes a thick consistency.
• Add the coarsely grounded sesame seeds, mix well, add ghee and off the flame.
• Allow it to cool.
• Now you can start making them into small balls shape.

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Meal-6: Dinner

• 7 ‘o’ clock dinner will be given which is same as breakfast.

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