You are excitedly preparing for the birth of your baby. You want to eat healthy, be prepared, and not have to rely on others to help you with cooking after the baby is born. So naturally, you cook like a mad woman and prepare oodles of freezer meals, ready to be eaten after the baby arrives.

Seems like a great idea, right? Lots of people do it – so it must be good. Think again.

Many women have a hard time postpartum. Maybe they have the baby blues, suffer from exhaustion, insomnia, constipation or have to endure the hardships of baby colic.

All of these troubles stem from a lack of proper postpartum care. Many new mothers just don’t receive the proper rejuvenation that their body needs in order to recover their balance.

Eating a rejuvenative postpartum diet is essential to avoid these postpartum problems. Eating “healthy” freezer meals, even if they are home cooked and organic, are not part of a healthy postpartum diet and can contribute to postpartum problems and a lack of vitality.

Here’s why.

    4 Reasons Why Eating “Healthy” Frozen Meals Isn’t Healthy

1. Freezer Meals Are Hard To Digest

If you want to have a problem-free postpartum recovery, do not overlook your digestion. It doesn’t matter who you are, or how strong your digestion normally is – after you deliver your baby, your digestion will be compromised. Even more so if you birthed by cesarean. It is important to realize that your digestion is just as sensitive as your newborn’s. Just as you wouldn’t give your baby frozen lasagna as their first food, you should take the same care building up your own digestive fire. Eating a simple postpartum rice porridge is a good start.

2. Fresh Food Is Nourishing – Frozen Is Just Not

Frozen food by nature is not fresh. It is inert and lacks the vital life force that only fresh food can provide. Take a potato, for example. If you leave it out on the counter, it will sprout in no time. This potato is full of life force. What happens if you put a potato in the freezer? Once it thaws, it gets all mushy and gross. It’s life force has been zapped and it will no longer be able to sprout. Frozen food that lacks life force and vitality just isn’t going to give you the nourishment your postpartum body needs. Fresh food (less than 6 hours old) is necessary to rebuild stamina as well as to regenerate healthy tissue and fluids.

3. Freezing Infuses Food With Rough, Dry and Cold Qualities

After birth, new mothers battle with increased Vata dosha, They have lost a lot of fluids, expended a tremendous amount of energy (heat) and may have painful wounds that need healing. Because of this, they are experiencing the rough, dry and cold qualities of Vata in their bodies. Eating foods that possess these same rough, dry and cold qualities, such as frozen foods, will only create a greater imbalance.

4. Frozen Food Is Degenerating In Nature

After birth, it is very important to take action to rejuvenate your body. Eating a nourishing postpartum diet that is regenerative and builds healthy tissue is a necessity for a healthy recovery. Unfortunately, frozen food falls under the category of degenerative foods, which in fact discourages the rebuilding of healthy bodily tissue. For optimum postpartum recovery, frozen food is best avoided.

Health-Promoting Alternatives to Postpartum Freezer Meals

  • A programmable slow cooker. My favorite is Vita Clay. It is made out of natural clay and is fully programmable. It also cooks food twice as fast as a regular slow cooker, as well as preserves vital nutrients.
  • Scheduling friends and family to bring you freshly cooked meals during your postpartum window. Meal Train is a great resource for organizing and scheduling your family and friends to bring fresh meals.
  • A pressure cooker – cook beans and legumes in a fraction of the time it would normally take on the stove-top. Cooking under pressure speeds up the cooking process exponentially. An asset to have in any kitchen.
  • Hire a postpartum doula (preferably with Ayurvedic training) to help prepare meals.
If you are still planning to incorporate freezer meals into your postpartum care plan, here is my advice to you: freezing simple, well-spiced soups is the best option. Even though they were frozen, once heated up, they will be soft, well cooked, hot, oily, and soupy. This will help counteract those dry, rough and cold qualities that are inherent in frozen food (and your postpartum body). In order to build up a strong digestive fire, heavy and frozen foods such as casseroles, pot pies and lasagna should be avoided at all costs. This 6 week postpartum window is such a special time, with so much potential for great healing and connection. Please honor yourself and your baby with healthy, fresh foods and excellent postpartum care. 😊

What is your greatest challenge with eating a fresh and rejuvenating postpartum diet?

10 Comments

  1. Jincy
    Jincy on September 25, 2018 at 4:26 PM

    Hi Ameya,
    Thank you for sharing your experience, knowledge and insight.
    I live in San Jose, CA. I’m currently 12 weeks postpartum after my 2nd delivery.
    This time I did not have my mom/mom in law or any immediate relatives to assist me postpartum.
    So I had made my own postpartum plan on an excel sheet and hired a live-in nanny to help with cooking and taking care of my older kid.
    The resources you provided were extremely useful for me and I sincerely thank you for putting this out there.

    I have so much learning to share from my 2 birth experiences.. but this email is not for that.
    I just want to express my sincere thanks to you for your work and passion.
    Having learnt what I now know, I am sharing your website with my friends at work and in church.
    Please continue what you do.. this community really needs healing!

    Many Blessings,
    Jincy

    Reply
    • Ameya
      Ameya on September 25, 2018 at 5:28 PM

      Wow Jincy,
      Thank you for taking the time to share your experience (I’m trying not to tear up!). It makes me indescribably happy to know this much-needed knowledge is hitting home. Thank you for taking care of yourself, and therefore your family and beyond. Blessings on your healing and your new little honey!

      Reply
  2. mercury87436
    mercury87436 on October 9, 2019 at 6:58 PM

    I don’t understand how a mama is supposed to rest and cook everything fresh!

    Reply
    • Ameya
      Ameya on October 19, 2019 at 9:50 AM

      Yes, this is very true. That is why a support system is needed and should be planned and prioritized. If mama is truly alone with no possible support options, than frozen soups are the best frozen option. I also highly recommend a programmable slow cooker/Vita Clay/Instapot so you can make easy nutritious meals with minimal effort.

      Reply
  3. Bunny
    Bunny on April 28, 2020 at 11:40 PM

    Hooray!! I’m so glad I found this great article. I’m currently 30 weeks pregnant and spent the second trimester not being vegetarian, I do think some of this is due to my heritage background coming into play. But since I hit the 3rd trimester I’ve automatically fallen straight back into a vegetarian diet and craving more of a postpartum diet already.

    My question from this is : is it safe to eat post partum at this stage?

    Thank you and many blessings
    Bunny

    Reply
    • Ameya
      Ameya on April 30, 2020 at 8:57 AM

      Hi Bunny!
      At this stage it is best to follow your cravings since they are really your baby’s cravings! As a vegetarian make sure you are eating a lot of Kitchari, dals and lentils and not just tofu. Feel free to use my postpartum recipes, and if you feel they are too heating, you can always substitute with ingredients like coconut, coconut oil, fennel, coriander, cilantro, vanilla and rose water.

      Reply
  4. Shobana Raghava
    Shobana Raghava on April 29, 2021 at 11:48 AM

    Can we eat frozen garlic bread during breastfeeding

    Reply
    • Ameya
      Ameya on May 3, 2021 at 8:36 AM

      I wouldn’t. It’s best to stay away from frozen foods after birth, because they increase dryness in your body and are hard to digest. It’s also best to stay away from any leavened bread. Also, garlic is only a medicine after birth if it is prepared properly, which is browning it in oil.

      Reply
  5. Christina
    Christina on January 25, 2022 at 3:15 AM

    how about chicken soup? the easiest way for me really is to cook it from a chicken that was frozen before. we could slaughter the chicken once the baby is born- but it would be nice not having to do that then.

    Reply
    • Ameya
      Ameya on March 25, 2022 at 4:03 PM

      Chicken soup works. First start with the broth only. Frozen is not idea. Fresh is best if possible.

      Reply

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