Pregnancy/Childbirth/Nursing
Foods to Eat More Of:
Pregnancy in General:
Foods to Avoid or Minimize:
Essential Oils:
*If additional information or precautions are available, the links below will direct you that information. If not, you will be directed to Amazon for purchasing options.
Natural/Herbal:
*If additional information or precautions are available, the links below will direct you that information. If not, you will be directed to Amazon for purchasing options.
Yoga Therapy:
Recipes - Food Medicine:
*Note: Not all recipes are nutritionally perfect, but the options below are a great way to start incorporating beneficial foods into your diet in delicious ways. Always try to buy organic, and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate gluten-free, vegan, etc diets. Recipes naturally Vegan and Gluten-Free are marked as such (V=Vegan; GF=Gluten-Free).
Smoothies/Beverages:
Meals:
Sides & Salads:
Pregnancy in General:
- Fruits: avocado, bananas, cantaloupe, clementines, grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, strawberries, tangerines
- Vegetables: arugula, cabbage, carrots, collard greens, kale, peas, romaine lettuce, spinach, sweet potatoes, watercress
- Dulse, seeds (especially flax & sunflower), kelp, beans, blackstrap molasses, nuts (especially almonds), olive oil, soy products, wheat germ, whole grains, yogurt
- Fruits: avocado, bananas
- Vegetables: arugula, cabbage, carrots, celery, collard greens, green beans, kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, sweet potatoes, watercress
- Sea herbs, almonds, blackstrap molasses, beans, seeds, yogurt, whole grains
- To prevent infant colic: Add fennel, dill or anise to food or tea.
Foods to Avoid or Minimize:
- Garlic, onions and hot peppers
- White sugar & flour
- Artificial food additives
- Caffeine & alcohol
- Bran, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers
Essential Oils:
*If additional information or precautions are available, the links below will direct you that information. If not, you will be directed to Amazon for purchasing options.
- Morning sickness: Ginger, nutmeg, peppermint (behind ears, jaw bone, bottom of feet, diffuse)
- To increase lactation: Fennel (bottom of feet, breasts)
- General nursing: Clary sage, fennel, geranium (bottom of feet, breasts).
- After Miscarriage: Roman chamomile, geranium, frankincense, grapefruit (bottom of feet, abdomen, diffuse)
- Childbirth: Massage abdomen with well-diluted clove or sage oils
Natural/Herbal:
*If additional information or precautions are available, the links below will direct you that information. If not, you will be directed to Amazon for purchasing options.
- In General: Alfalfa, dandelion root & leaf, lemon balm, red raspberry leaf, rose hips, stinging nettle
- Morning sickness:
- Fennel, cardamom, lemon balm, galangal, chamomile and peppermint (best kept as tinctures and used before rising)
- Eat dry crackers before getting out of bed in the morning and drink and eat separately from one another (breaks between).
- Try up to 4 cups of ginger tea daily
- Indigestion/Heartburn: Slippery Elm, Marsh mallow
- Constipation: yellow dock, dandelion root
- To stop bleeding after miscarriage: Cinnamon tea (1 teaspoon ground cinnamon per cup of hot water).
- Childbirth:
- Anise to speed delivery.
- Raspberry leaf to strengthen the womb (should be taken only the last 8 weeks of pregnancy).
- Early Labor: Wood Betony, chamomile and basil
- Late Labor: Rose petal, raspberry leaf and clove
- Excessive Postpartum bleeding: Golden seal
- Nursing:
- Alfalfa, borage leaves & flowers, dandelion leaf and root, fennel seeds, German chamomile, red raspberry leaves, stinging nettle
- Sore nipples: Marigold and Chamomile Cream
- To encourage milk flow: anise, fennel, fenugreek, turmeric
- To dry up milk: Sage tea; Can also try a poultice made of parsley leaves applied to the breasts
- To prevent infant colic: Add fennel, dill or anise to food or tea
Yoga Therapy:
- Pregnancy Yoga | Episode 1 (11 minutes - Tonic)
- Prenatal Yoga - 5 Poses for All Trimesters (34 minutes - Yoga with Adriene)
- Prenatal Morning Yoga Routine (15 minutes - SarahBethYoga)
- Morning sickness:
- Vitamin B6: 10-25 mg 3 times daily
- Ginger: Up to 1g daily
- Vitamin K with Vitamin C: 5 mg of Vitamin K and 500-1,000 mg of Vitamin C daily
- Sepia 30c
- Ipecac 6c
- Phosphorus 6c
Recipes - Food Medicine:
*Note: Not all recipes are nutritionally perfect, but the options below are a great way to start incorporating beneficial foods into your diet in delicious ways. Always try to buy organic, and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate gluten-free, vegan, etc diets. Recipes naturally Vegan and Gluten-Free are marked as such (V=Vegan; GF=Gluten-Free).
Smoothies/Beverages:
- Apple-Orange Smoothie (GF)
- Banana-Blueberry Smoothie (GF)
- Kiwi-Pineapple Smoothie (GF)
- Mango-Banana Smoothie (GF)
- Mega-Greens Smoothie (GF)
- PB & Jelly Sandwich Smoothie (V)
- Peach-Banana Smoothie (GF)
- Pineapple Kale Smoothie (V, GF)
- Soothing Elixir (V, GF)
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Tropical Smoothie (V, GF)
Meals:
- Avocado & Egg Toast
- Broth (Veggie/Chicken/Beef) - (V, GF)
- Buddha Bowl (V, GF) - Omit garlic
- Edamame Rice Bowl (V) - Omit onion
- Healthy Scrambled Eggs (GF) - Omit garlic
- Miso Soup (V, GF) - Omit onion
- Quinoa Oatmeal (V)
- Turkey BLT with Avocado & Sprouts - Omit tomato
Sides & Salads:
- Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice (V, GF) - Omit garlic
- Caraway Brussels Sprouts (V, GF)
- Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing (V, GF) - Omit onion & garlic
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes (V, GF)
- Roasted Asparagus or Green Beans (V, GF)
- Sesame Green Beans (V, GF)
- Smoked Almonds (V, GF)
- Spinach & Strawberry Salad (V) - Omit onion
- Steamed Edamame (V, GF)