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Food and Nutrition for New Moms After Childbirth

A baby sitting amongst stuffed toys and a toy bowl filled with plush-toy fruits and vegetables.

Photo by Yuri Shirota on Unsplash

A woman and a man cooking together in front of a stove.

Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash

After childbirth, nursing mothers need around 500 additional calories in their regular diet to create a healthy lifestyle and produce adequate breast milk to feed their baby.1 So, after the incredible intensity of childbirth, it is vital that new mothers reflect upon their lifestyle and choose a balanced diet that will help them post-partum. This article will outline three things new mothers should consider when developing their nutritional plans.

Maintaining a high-protein diet:

Amongst the chaos of new motherhood, when you’re preparing baby bottles and frantically dealing with all this new responsibility, it can be hard to find time to prepare food for yourself. You will need meals that are quick and easy to make but also keep you full longer during the day. That’s where high-protein meals come in to save the day. An article by Healthline1 highlighted that eating high-protein meals will reduce your hunger levels and will keep you fuller during your busy day. Protein can come from a range of foods: fish, lean beef, chicken, but also legumes and beans if you’re eating a more plant-based diet. For example, eggs are a great source of protein, and if you’re short on time, you can always meal prep a batch of egg muffins for a quick meal. Increasing your protein intake does not have to be a complicated task, it can be easy as meal-prepping something quick and efficient that you can eat throughout the week!

The benefits of snacking:

As mentioned above, finding the time to prepare meals for yourself can feel like an impossible task for a new mother, and sometimes, it can be easier to just binge easy-access junk food instead of healthy meals. Some new families might have benefitted from gracious food donations from friends and family during the early days of life with a newborn but eventually, it’ll be time to adjust your life back to home-cooked meals.

A great way to combat this is by meal prepping quick, healthy snacks that you can eat throughout the day. This way, you can still maintain your healthy diet whilst dedicating your time to your newborn. 

Preparing snacks is not a time-consuming task, it can be as simple as having a bowl of blueberries or popcorn or indulging in chocolate peanut butter dates. These snacks are nutritious and require minimal time on your part. So, while you’re preparing baby bottles, folding laundry, or watching your baby nap, munch on these snacks and keep yourself full! 

Staying hydrated:

When you’re busy monitoring the liquid intake of your newborn and measuring the exact ounces of milk they’ve consumed, it is important to remember that monitoring your level of hydration is just as necessary after childbirth. 

Research shows that dehydration in a nursing mother can cause decreased milk production, fatigue, and frequent headaches. For new mothers, it’s best to invest in a new water bottle that you use throughout the day in intervals.

When your baby is down for a nap, take the time to have some water, or indulge in fruits or vegetables with a high-water content, such as watermelons or cucumbers. Keeping yourself hydrated is crucial for post-partum nutrition and for any balanced diet. 

Overall, food and nutrition after childbirth is something every new mother needs to take the time to consider. By setting yourself up for a healthy diet early on, you’re creating a long-term lifestyle that you and your body will benefit from and will ultimately turn you into a great role model for your child. Don’t make any drastic or sudden changes to your normal diet, or the diet you’ve adapted during your pregnancy, but these are great ways to begin looking thoughtfully at your nutrition.

1 Nutrition and Sleep Postpartum: New Mom Services at UPMC Magee-Womens in Central Pa, University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, https://www.upmc.com/services/south-central-pa/women/services/pregnancy-childbirth/new-moms/after-birth/nutrition-sleep-postpartum#:~:text=A%20Balanced%20Diet&text=Nursing%20women%20need%20about%20500,of%20fresh%20fruits%20and%20vegetables 

210 Science-Backed Reasons to Eat More Protein, Healthline, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-to-eat-more-protein#:~:text=Reduces%20Appetite%20and%20Hunger%20Levels&text=Studies%20show%20that%20protein%20is,4%20%2C%205%2C%206%20 

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Organisation and Meal Planning Tips for Busy Men

Four glass containers with meal-prepped healthy pasta and salad dishes.
Photo by S’well on Unsplash

Being organised isn’t always easy when you’ve got a hectic schedule. From early mornings to late
nights and responsibilities that take up a great deal of time, it can be hard to plan for meals or
consider adding exercise to your daily or weekly routine. But being organised doesn’t have to be
difficult. Here are some ways that you can help organise yourself, your mind, and your life, and
benefit in the long run.

The benefits of meal-planning:

Meal planning can sound daunting, but in reality, it is a very easy practice to adopt that will become
second nature in no time. Meal planning essentially involves prepping meals for the rest of the
week. For example, on Sunday you could meal plan for the following week by preparing five to seven
portions of overnight oats, or pasta salads that can be kept in the fridge, or freezer. Then when the
time comes, all you have to do is grab your meal, heat it up if needed, and go on with the rest of
your day.


The benefit of this type of organisation is that it makes the rest of your busy week more manageable
and less stressful in the kitchen. When meal planning, you don’t have to worry about preparing daily
breakfast, lunch, or dinner for yourself. It’s less stressful and less time-consuming.

Meal planning also doesn’t have to be for all three meals of the day.

If you’re the type who always
struggles to get breakfast in time, then meal prepping breakfast for the following week will solve
that problem. Similarly, if you don’t have time during the day to prepare lunch or dinner, having
ready-made meals is a quick and easy solution to make sure your diet is nutritious and filling even
during busy times.


If you’re in need of some inspiration for what healthy recipe you could meal prep, check out this
video on homemade egg muffins. These can be stored up to three days in the fridge and you can
customise the recipe for whatever vegetables you prefer.

Scheduling in exercise:

Once you begin meal planning, the next life organisation area you could focus on is your physical
(and ultimately also your mental) health and fitness. Now that you’re managing your food intake
through meal planning, organising your exercise routine is equally important, and helpful, to
maintain a healthy lifestyle.

First, you need to have a routine that isn’t overly taxing. You need energy to go on with the rest of
your day and you don’t want to spend it all on intense fitness routines. So, this means finding a quick
twenty-to-thirty-minute workout that you can schedule into your day. This can be running, morning
spin classes, weightlifting, or whatever makes you feel energised for the rest of your day.

If working out in a gym or going to classes isn’t your thing, why not try regular walks on your lunch
break or before or after work. Maybe you can also think about splitting your commute into partially
public transport and a walk to get your daily steps in.

But where do you schedule in any additional exercise? It will probably seem unappealing at first, but
research shows that waking up early is beneficial for your daily routine. Waking up early, before your
work or responsibilities require your time, gives you extra time to spend on yourself. So, much like
meal planning, you should prepare yourself a gym bag—with a portable electric shaver, your work
clothes, and your essentials—and wake up just an hour earlier to squeeze in that morning routine.

Taking time for self-care:

An important part of being organised is taking time out for self-care – to reflect, ground yourself and
take care of your mental health. Meal planning, and exercising are aimed at improving wellness, as is
self-care. For men with busy schedules, it can sometimes be difficult to prioritise self-care. And it’s
often not on the top of the priority list for many men. However, an article by BetterUp shows that
self-care benefits those experiencing burnout and who want to improve their mental health. 1
Thereby making self-care vital when organising your week.

Self-care will look different for each person. For some, it can be meal planning or exercising such as
working out or going for a refreshing walk in nature, and for others, it can be treating yourself to the
latest grooming kits, electric shavers, cologne, or more. Self-care is about finding something that not
only appeals to you, but that you can fit into your busy work week, and that ultimately makes you
feel at your best!

Overall, organising yourself and your life is all about making small, flexible changes which can
hopefully improve your well-being. Three great ways to add this structure to your busy lifestyle are:
meal planning, scheduled exercise, and self-care.

https://www.betterup.com/blog/self-care-tips-for-mental-health

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5th Sep 2022

Bosco with some ingredients for cooking up a healthy meal in Peebles – teaching others in communities to do the same along with other community cooks.

This week Bosco Santimano founder and executive director of social enterprise You Can Cook, shares his thoughts in his final column on the Scottish governments plans to make it mandatory for restaurants, pubs and takeaways in Scotland to include the number of calories in our food and drinks.

In April this year, Maree Todd MSP – Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport in the Scottish Government launched a public consultation on plans to make calorie labelling on menus mandatory in restaurants, takeaways, cafes and even hospitals. This consultation fulfils a pledge made in the SNP’s 2021 Out of Home Action Plan. The Plan builds on the commitments made in the 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan and recommendations made by Food Standards Scotland (FSS) to Scottish Ministers in 2019. Mandating calorie labelling at the point of choice was one potential way to support the Out of Home (OOH) sector to make a key contribution in improving the dietary health of all Scottish citizens. Pre-packed food is not within the scope of these proposals as there are already requirements to provide nutrition information for pre-packed food. Pre-packed food for direct sale (PPDS) is within the scope of these proposals. Similar legislation is already in place in England, where any food serving outlet with over 250 employees have been legally required to display calories since April 2022.

In a recent survey Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity found 95% of Scots affected by eating disorders would be negatively impacted by calorie labelling on menus, with many worried it would increase feelings of fear and guilt.  So, what happens now? Will this add fuel to the fire? There has been an increase of people suffering from various eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia since the last decade. Young people have been facing the brunt of this epidemic as peer pressure and constant shaming on social media has led to some even resorting to suicide. This policy of the Scottish government has the potential to wreak havoc with people’s lives and exacerbate the problem even more. As an organisation, we believe focus should be on informing and educating people about the positive or negative impact about the food and drinks they consume on a daily basis. Young people should be exposed to cooking from a very young age eg. Primary and secondary schools. 

Consultant Psychiatrist in eating disorders Dr Stephen Anderson, said: “There is no good evidence that this kind of calorie labelling is effective in reducing obesity. We also hear from people with eating disorders that this would have a detrimental effect on their eating disorder. Calories are one aspect of nutritional information but on its own this figure is not particularly helpful”.

“Suggesting that people need a specific number of calories does not take into account the individual’s physiology, gender, race and activity. This could be particularly harmful for children and young people where limiting calorie and nutritional intake can have significant impacts on development. A wider public health initiative looking at social and economic determinants of obesity and improving the population’s nutrition is likely to be more beneficial than listing calorie content on menus”.

We completely agree with the above statement as this is not how food should be consumed. Cooking and eating should be a joy and is meant to be spontaneous and inspiring for all who indulge in this life sustaining activity. It does not make sense to have people removing their calculators or apps to decide what they can and cannot have depending on the total calories highlighted on the menu. This will have a negligible impact on the very issue the government is trying to address and eradicate.

Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Peeblesshire News and readers of my column for supporting my personal and organisations views and opinions over the years. Thank You.

Published in The Peeblesshire News on Friday 26th August 2022

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8th July 2022

This week Bosco Santimano founder and executive director of social enterprise You Can Cook, shares his thoughts on the UK governments easing of regulations around gene editing and has asked Scottish ministers to consider allowing gene-edited crops to be grown in Scotland.

Corporations and scientists in the pockets of big pharma are always on the lookout for a perfect opportunity to peddle their creations on an unsuspecting public. Brexit and the pandemic have given these capitalist opportunists a perfect situation to push for the loosening of legislation controlling the quality and safety of our food; both locally grown and imported from abroad. Westminster is hell bent on removing environmental and health safeguards that environmentalists fought for in this country for decades. So, what is happening now at Westminster? The Tory government in London has introduced a Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill which would set different rules from the EU following Brexit and has asked all devolved nations including Scotland to allow gene-edited crops to be grown. The Scottish governments environment secretary MSP Mairi McAllan dismissed the idea saying that Scotland will set its own food standards under devolution and will not accept any constraint placed on its food policies.


What is gene-editing? Gene editing basically allows scientists to change a plant or animal’s DNA. Many experts would consider it one step before GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organism) which is currently banned in Europe and the UK as a whole. Since Brexit, the UK government is hell bent on eroding all our food and environment safety laws that we as a country fought so hard to achieve over the past many decades. I have previously in my columns highlighted citizens to be vigilant against corporations, lobbyists and greedy politicians who are now convinced that the only way to grow and feed the population in the UK post-Brexit is via gene-edited or GMO foods!


Under the UK’s internal market legislation, introduced by the Tory government at Westminster, anything approved for sale in one part of the UK must be available across the whole of the UK. This legislation basically undermines “Devolution” in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are already seeing the chaos caused by the “Northern Ireland Protocol Bill” and its hasty signing off as an election promise in their manifesto by the Tories in the 2019 general elections. MSP Mairi McAllan has written to her Westminster counterpart saying: “If the UK government is determined to press ahead with this legislation, it must take steps to ensure that its revisions to the definition of a GMO (genetically modified organism) do not force products on Scotland which do not meet standards here without the consent of the Scottish Parliament”. Simultaneously, also raising concerns about the impact of the bill on Scotland’s food exports to the European Union which currently still has a ban in place for GMO’s.


So, what can we do in Scotland to stop this mad onslaught on our food and its impact on Scottish soil and water in the coming decades if this bill is passed? Once again be informed about the technology that is being promoted, ask questions to your elected MSP/MP and try to understand the link between corporations like Monsanto, politicians and large-scale food producers. The citizens always pay the price when things go wrong, let’s make sure this does not happen to Scotland’s land, water, air and health of its population.

*Originally written & published in the Peeblesshire News and WION.

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6th May 2022

This week Bosco Santimano founder and executive director of social enterprise You Can Cook, shares his thoughts on the cost-of-living crisis in the 5th richest country in the world according to GDP.

In my previous columns I have tackled specific aspects of the state of this country since 2010 and the deliberate and callous attitude by the Tories at Westminster to undermine and reduce the welfare state, first created by Labour after World War II. Since the pandemic began and lockdowns were first initiated in March 2020, we at You Can Cook were stopped right in our tracks by the inability to deliver any of our services to communities locally and across Scotland. A huge loss to many that relied on our services and the nutritious and delicious food that many accessed and enjoyed while learning to cook and eat healthy meals daily for themselves and their families.

We have seen a consistent rise in people and children going hungry because of benefit cuts and sanctions imposed via the DWP on parents; that due to unemployment, disability and lack of opportunities had their only source of income abruptly cut. Add the rise in energy costs since April and we are now in a perfect storm. In many cases we stepped in to provide extra food through our cookery classes so that participants could take home with them meals to share with their families. As an organisation we have been at the forefront of this crisis helping support struggling children and their parents who could not afford to buy food. I will never forget seeing children feeling tired and coming to school hungry because their parents could not feed them breakfast in the morning or even worse dinner the night before!

Since Brexit this problem only got worse due to rising costs of basic foods and putting a huge financial strain on many working-class families and those that have to rely on benefits for no fault of their own. The pandemic, job loses, reduction of benefits and now the unfolding energy crisis has already pushed millions into debt, poverty, homelessness and mental health problems. We have just started to deliver our cookery sessions this year and have already seen a huge increase in the prices of essential commodities like milk, bread, fresh vegetable and fruits, meats, and many other staple foods. The ability to provide extra support has been jeopardised due to high price increases. Children unfortunately are facing the brunt of this situation as they are left feeling vulnerable, hungry and desperate for some relief. The Scottish government is doing it best to mitigate the shambolic rolling out of Universal Credit which is the root of the problem and forcing even more citizens on to foodbanks like never before.

As an organisation we have been in a unique position to help and support the most vulnerable in our community and we have spoken truth to power. Our organisation is not funded by local or national governments. This gives us leverage to raise difficult issues with politicians and bureaucrats albeit at a financial cost to ourselves. Trying to raise awareness about nutritious foods and how to access fresh produce is in jeopardy as the massive price increases in the last few years is making it impossible to convince and motivate people to swap their ready meals for some fresh home cooked meal. Foodbanks are here to stay and have become part of the welfare state.

A sad state of affairs in modern Britain.

*Originally written & published in the Peeblesshire News.