Why Ghee is the Perfect Postpartum Food

We’ve partnered with Ayurvedic Postpartum Doula & Prenatal Yoga Instructor, Megan Cassamas, to share why ghee is one of the most nourishing foods to add to your postpartum routine.

Ghee (also known as liquid gold in the postpartum world) is an important contributor to a healthy and strong recovery after birth. Ayurveda practice recommends ghee as the first thing a new mother should consume after giving birth! Eating 2-3 tablespoons per day for the first couple of weeks after birth is ideal to ensure strong postpartum rejuvenation.

Sweet, cooling and digestive, it is a healing and nourishing medicinal food. Ayurveda teaches that the first 42 days following birth is a “sacred window” of time, and how those weeks are spent impacts the next 42 years of life. A mother’s body takes time to fully recover after delivery and by eating well-balanced meals that include healthy fats like ghee, it can help speed up the body’s natural recovery process.

In Ayurvedic lingo, labor and delivery severely affect the vata dosha. The agni (aka one’s digestive strength) lowers the body’s capacity for digesting food, having healthy bowel movements and even increases the sensitivity of the nervous system.

To nurture and heal the mother after birth, we must consider her diet before anything else!

Why is ghee the best postpartum recovery food?

NOURISH + HEAL

After birth, the mother needs grounding, juicy, nourishing good fats. Ghee deeply nourishes depleted tissues down to the cellular level and lubricates the body from the inside, out.

Ample amounts of ghee added to each meal aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals from other foods, therefore aiding in the healing of the uterus and tissues in the body.

Ghee is high in calcium, antioxidants and also a rich source of Vitamin E & A which in turn, provides lactation support for breastfeeding mothers.

MOOD SUPPORT

Consuming fatty foods during postpartum promotes a healthy mental balance. Postpartum depression is a major concern among new mamas. According to Ayurveda practice and even modern science, eating fatty foods helps to stimulate the release of oxytocin in the brain therefore promoting a calm, relaxed and clear state of mind. Keeping the hormone levels balanced by digesting healthy fats helps prevent that strung out feeling, providing protection against the “baby blues” within the mothers body.

DIGESTION

Strong digestion is the foundation of postpartum recovery. The mother is in an extreme depleted state after birth which takes a huge toll on her digestive fire (aka agni). After delivery, the mother’s liver and gut are inflamed- and that’s where ghee consumption can help! The ghee softens and protects the tissue of the large intestine and provides nourishment for the good bacteria within the stomach. The butyric acid that is in ghee plays a vital role in the absorption of nutrients and eases constipation.

Consume ghee as a cornerstone of your postpartum care and I assure, you will be happier, healthier, and have smoother moves during the postpartum period.

About the Author

Megan Cassamas, Owner & Founder of Moja Yoga
Ayurvedic Postpartum Doula & Prenatal Yoga Instructor

Megan Cassamas has a passion for women’s health and empowering women towards vibrant health and living. She is Owner & Founder of Moja Yoga where she offers online prenatal yoga, birth doula support, and Ayurvedic doula support. With a decade of experience in the yoga industry, she believes in the body’s inherent ability to heal and thrive. Megan lives in California with her husband, and two children.

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