Post-pregnancy health and diet tips

London: Post delivery, the new mothers need to take proper care of themselves. Experts advise them to have light and digestable food and go for oily massage.

There has been a baby fever last week with the Duchess of Cambridge giving birth to her first son, George Alexander Louis with Prince William, and other celebrities like Penelope Cruz and Nancy Juvonen also joining the run. With the new-born, these mothers need a lot of attention and Anjum Anand, TV chef-food writer and mother of two, shares her top health and diet tips for the new mums. "For Kate, eating well and looking after herself in the next few weeks and months will be really important," femalefirst.co.uk quoted Anand as saying. "After childbirth, the body is depleted and according to Ayurveda, the digestive system is weak as there is a vata imbalance which is aggravated with lack of sleep and erratic eating patterns. This needs to be rebalanced. As well as healing the body`s tissues and balancing the energy levels, it is also important for new mums like Kate to eat the right foods for breastfeeding," she added. Here are some tips for an ideal post pregnancy routine by Anand: 1. Daily oil massages for both mum and baby are not only great for skin but are also good for bringing mum`s energy back into balance and for strengthening the baby. 2. Cook with a little ghee instead of oil - this is good for restoring depleted energy and strengthening tissue.3. Try eating really simple and easy to digest foods like soups, stews, porridges, rice and lentil dishes. What a mother eats when she breastfeeds is also what the baby has to digest, so keep it simple and light. 4. Drink a lot of fluids, ideally water. I would boil two litres of water with a table spoon of fennel seeds in the morning, leave to cool and strain into a bottle and sip throughout the day. Fennel seeds are known to help with breast milk production. 5. Rest is considered very important. Traditionally, it is thought that the body takes 40 days to heal properly. 6. Dairy products will help with breast milk and balancing the body. 7. Try adding turmeric to your food as it is very healing on so many levels. 8. Ginger is considered very good for the body post labour, so include lots of ginger in your food, soups and tea. 9. Try to avoid eating foods that are too spicy, especially if you are breastfeeding. 10. Nuts are great for nourishing the body and producing breast milk. 12. Also, dried fruits contain a good amount of iron and are good for breast milk production so add these into your diet. 13. Call in favours with supportive friends and family. Support is so important during the first few months for proper healing, both physical and mental. IANS