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kimberleyjdunk

Earlier this week I talked about postpartum hair loss and why I don’t love reducing it down to one nutrient, one deficiency or one magic supplement.

But obviously that raises the question…Okay Kimberley, so what CAN I actually do to support my body?

And this is where I think postpartum nutrition gets massively overcomplicated. Because yes, we can talk about iron and protein and vitamin C and all the lovely science-y stuff I could happily go on about.But if the meal requires 20 bougie ingredients, three pans and an hour standing in the kitchen while you’ve got a baby attached to you, it’s not going to work.So we need highly nutritious, chuck it all in, make in a big batch, cook once kind of meals. Like my slow beef + lentil ragu.

Beef + Lentil Ragu Recipe

Why I like it postpartum:

1. Beef gives you a solid source of iron + protein.
Iron is particularly worth thinking about after birth because blood loss and lochia can affect iron stores (especially if you were already running low during pregnancy). Beef provides the more readily absorbed haem form of iron.

2. The lentils aren’t just there to bulk it out.
They’re another source of iron, this time non-haem, plant-based iron as well as making this a really satisfying meal.

3. And this is why I love the tomato-y base.
Vitamin C helps increase the absorption of iron, particularly the non-haem iron we’re getting from the lentils. I think tomato bases seem to get dismissed as “just a base” but they’re really doing the work here!

But possibly my favourite nutritional benefit? It can be batched and kept in the freezer.Because knowing which nutrients your postpartum body needs is only going to be useful if we can figure out how the hell you’re actually going to eat them.And that’s really how I want you to think about postpartum nutrition. Not: How can I eat perfectly?

More: What does my body need and what’s the easiest way I can actually give it some of that today?And that’s exactly what I’ll help you do inside the Nourished Village launching 1st October! (more on that this week!)

P.S. Double it. Freeze half. You will feel unbelieeeevably smug when you remember it’s there on a day when cooking is an absolute struggle!

I’m Kimberley

Hiii, I’m Kimberley.

Certified Nutrition Consultant. Mum. History geek. Terrible cook. And someone who thinks we’ve got postpartum preparation completely backwards.

I knew a lot about looking after myself before I became a mum.

And then I became one.

Knowing what would probably be good for you and actually managing to do it when you’re exhausted, recovering and responsible for a tiny human are two very different things.

That’s a huge part of why this work exists.

My background is in nutrition, but I don’t believe postpartum wellbeing starts and ends with what’s on your plate.

Food is important..but so is sleep, recovery, movement, stress, support, your relationships and the enormous identity shift that happens when you become somebody’s mum.

I also don’t believe there’s one correct version of motherhood.

Breastfeed. Bottle feed. Mix feed.

Have the epidural.

Don’t have the epidural.

Live a bit crunchy.

Get the Botox.

Buy the good coffee.

I want you to have good information, understand your options and feel confident making the decisions that are right for you.

And when something sits outside my scope?

I’ll tell you.

Let’s connect

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