In Ayurveda, food is medicine. You can get great healing benefits from the foods and spices you already have in your kitchen – you just gotta know how to use them! So let’s get you started on your way to an abundant milk supply and a healthy postpartum recovery!

Cow’s milk has developed quite the bad reputation in many health circles in recent years. That’s not too surprising considering most milk you find on the shelf is a far cry from its natural state. Homogenization, chemicals, and hormones, not to mention drinking it right out of the fridge with your dinner, all add to the reasons why A LOT of people can’t digest it very well.

In Ayurveda, cow’s milk is considered the most rejuvenative food on the planet. Goat’s milk is also good, and can be easier to digest for some people. It’s close in its properties to human milk, but doesn’t pack the same rejuvenative punch that cow’s milk does. Fresh, organic, non-homogenized cow milk has the ability to strengthen the body like no other. They key is learning how to prepare it.

Drinking properly prepared milk will assist in increasing your milk supply by delivering instant nourishment to even the deepest tissue layers of your body.

An important thing to note: almond skins contain cyanide. Not enough to poison you, but still better to peel them off. They also make the almonds harder on your digestion.

The best way to eat almonds is soaked overnight and then peeled. Blanching them in boiling water and peeling the skins can also work in a pinch.

You can also use almond flour in recipes. Almond flour is just peeled ground almonds, and is VERY handy to have. The best almond flour is kept refrigerated.

In Ayurveda, oats are considered very soothing and rejuvenative to the body, and therefore a favorable food to increase breast milk.

Oats are a great postpartum breakfast food. Try eating warm, soupy oatmeal with added almond milk, ghee, cinnamon and ginger. Eating this for breakfast will start you on the right track for increased breast milk supply and a healthy postpartum recovery.

Ghee, also known as clarified butter, is an amazing medicine for new mamas. Its most important function is that it re-hydrates and nourishes depleted tissues, down to the cellular level.

It is ultra-important for nursing mothers to stay hydrated. Drinking water for hydration after birth just isn’t enough. You need to eat lots of healthy oils, ideally ghee (sesame oil for vegans), to re-hydrate your depleted tissues ensuring a healthy breast milk supply. I recommend adding at least a teaspoon (or more!) of ghee to every meal. If you would like to learn how to make your own ghee, click here.

Fennel is a great food to add to your postpartum diet, It helps stimulate and increase the nursing mother’s breast milk supply, as well as being an excellent digestive.

It is also one of the only cooking spices with a cooling effect on the body. If mama or baby is suffering from excess heat including rashes, burning sensations and inflammation, eating some fennel can help balance these symptoms.

Fun Fact! You can ingest basically all of the fennel plant.

• Fennel bulb is a vegetable, and can be used similarly to celery (which isn’t great for postpartum). Finely chop, saute in ghee, and add to soups, stews and stir-frys.
• Consuming fennel seeds in your meals and teas is a great way to incorporate the healing benefits of fennel into your postpartum diet.
• Fennel leaves can also be used in your soups and stews, or as a garnish.

Fenugreek is one of the most well-known foods to increase breast milk production. It is a worthy spice (and vegetable) to add to your must-haves for a great postpartum recovery.

Also known as methi in India, it is regularly incorporated into every Indian mother’s healing journey.

• Dried fenugreek leaves is the vegetable of choice to add to your soups during your first days postpartum. Hard to find fresh in the US, they are easily found dried in Indian grocers and online, and can be powdered and added to soups and sauces. 😀
• Fenugreek seeds are actually tiny legumes. They have a maple-y flavor and are great in sweet, sour and savory dishes. Soak them for a few minutes to nullify the bitter flavor.

The best way to prepare garlic as a postpartum medicine is to first mince your peeled garlic, then slowly simmer it in oil, until well browned .

To maintain a healthy breast milk supply, make sure you are feeding your baby (or pumping) around the clock, drinking lots of warm fluids, eating a lot of ghee, as well as boosting your postpartum diet with foods to increase breast milk. If you do all this while nurturing your digestive fire, I have no doubt you will have an abundance of nourishing nectar to feed your baby.