The nearly-perfect postnatal dhal recipe…
Postnatal bodies are both sustaining life and recovering from birth; they need the right nutrients to do both properly. That’s why I make my clients this…
Discovering ‘postnatal depletion’ changed everything for me…
Previously, I’d just thought life as a new mum was hard because of the baby.
But now I knew it was far more than that… and, more importantly, there were ways to really help.
My postnatal doula training featured a module on postnatal nutrition. Listening to Dr Oscar Serrallach’s explanation of the huge voids so many postnatal women have in their nutrient stores, lightbulbs didn’t just go on in my head, they exploded.
It just made so much sense.
Of course, life with a newborn is hard, but when your body doesn’t have the right nutrients and minerals it’s virtually impossible. And that rang very true when I thought back to my own first postpartum journey, fuelled on a combo of coffee and mars bars.
On that day, I knew nutrition would be a huge part of my postnatal doula practice….
As a postnatal doula, I know the food I make matters…
Whether I am prepping sweet treats for the mums who come to ‘The Nest’, or filling a slow cooker for a postnatal doula client, my mind always focuses on four things…
Nutrients: is it (predominantly) fuelled by foods that are helping the postnatal body and mind find its strength? Because this is the whole blimmin’ point, quite frankly.
Digestion: it is going to get where it needs to go smoothly, and help the gut (and the pelvic floor) do its thing? Because if it’s making recovery harder, I’m wasting my time.
Ease: can my client eat it with a babe in arms, one handed? Because if they can’t eat it easily, it’ll create more hassle than help.
Appealing: is it tempting enough to interrupt the list of jobs that need to be done in a day, or to distract them from another slice of brownie? Because if they don’t want to eat it, it’s useless.
This dhal is an absolute win on every single level; so much so that it’s now a bit of a staple in my home life too. I am not sharing this because I am a wannabe-chef or nutritionist guru. I am simply sharing it because so many people - clients and friends - have asked me for it!
How does this dhal tackle postnatal depletion…
Postnatal depletion is essentially the state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that can happen after birth.
Alongside things like sleep deprivation, increased stress and social isolation, one of the key factors in postnatal depletion is a lack of certain nutrients in the body.
Iron
Copper
Zinc
Calcium
Magnesium
Vitamin B12
Vitamin D
Omega 3
This recipe has been a work in progress since I started postnatal doula life: it is an amalgamation of different recipes here and there, along with some bits and bobs thrown-in once, but which worked and stayed. It hits virtually all of them in one bowl, and has the additional bonus of being easy to digest, as well as having a base warming, healing spices.
Lentils: iron, magnesium & vitamin D
Coconut milk: copper & magnesium
Tomatoes: iron, calcium
Sweet potato: magnesium
Spinach: iron, magnesium & calcium
There are a few key nutrients that aren’t covered by the recipe below; for these, I suggest side dishes to make up the shortfall.
Boiled eggs: vitamin B12, zinc
Salmon (or another oily fish): omega-3s
The nearly-perfect postnatal dhal…
Disclaimer: I am not a chef, a nutritionist or a food scientist. I am a humble doula, sharing this tried and tested recipe, which has evolved over years, because so many people have asked for it!
Try it, enjoy it and share it :)
Ingredients:
1 chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 inch of ginger (grated or finely chopped)
Chilli flakes to taste
200g red lentils
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tin of coconut milk
1 large sweet potato (chopped into small chunks)
1 carrot (peeled and chopped)
1 bag of spinach
1 chicken stock cube
Sea salt & black pepper to taste
Method:
Heat a large pan with some oil and fry the onions until soft.
Add the ginger and garlic: cook for 1 minute
Add all remaining spices and cook for around 30 seconds until they are fragrant.
Add the sweet potato and carrot into the pan and mix well until they’re coated with the spices.
Add coconut milk, tomatoes and lentils: stir well until it’s mixed evenly.
Crumble the stock cube into the mix and dilute with around a tomato-can full of water.
Simmer for around 30 minutes, until the vegetables and lentils are soft and it has reached a creamy, soft consistency.
Remove from the heat.
Add in three to four handfuls of spinach and stir through the mix. The heat of the dhal should wilt the spinach nicely within a few minutes.
Season with sea salt, pepper and chilli flakes to taste.
Eat warm, either by itself or as a side-dish.
It goes without saying that we treat our pregnant bodies with complete reverence: the food, the sleep, the massages… But the fact is that postnatal bodies rarely recieve the same treatment, even though they’re working just as hard.
As a postnatal doula, this is my focus. When I come into your space, it’s all about giving you the time, the space and the opportunity to do what you need to do for you. That might be sleeping, eating, resting or caring for your baby totally guilt free because you know that everything else has been taken care of.
Sound good? Check out my postnatal doula offerings and get in touch: we’ll create a package that gives you what you need.
