Overview: Postpartum nutrient depletion has a real effect on mental health. Targeted dietary recovery and nutrient-dense foods can help stabilize mood, ease exhaustion, and lower the risk of postpartum depression.

 

(Originally published 02/09/2019, Updated 10/20/2026)

What are the 7 biggest misconceptions in postpartum nutrition? It’s important that you know, because nutrition plays a real and overlooked part in postpartum depression.

 

Our modern world has failed to understand how radically unique the postpartum body is, and mothers are paying for it. In our busy lives, we take great pride in being able to return to the normalcy of life before baby as if having a child didn’t change a thing. The truth is, growing a life within changes us so deeply that even the cells in our body are altered: cells from our babies cross into our bodies during pregnancy and can still be found decades later (Bianchi et al., 1996).

 

While studying pregnancy, much has been done to understand nutrition and the best way to support our growing baby. The science and wisdom for postpartum, however, have been practically dismissed. Worse is that it’s assumed that one should simply continue eating as they had done before pregnancy, or better yet, as they had done during pregnancy. Nothing is further from the truth. In fact, eating in postpartum is counterintuitive to much of what you are being told right now. When you look at the symptoms of postpartum mothers and the significant amount of discomfort they experience, one has to ask the question, “Is this supposed to be difficult, or is there a far better way?”

 

In looking deeper into what postpartum mothers often experience, we see that at least one in five mothers experiences a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder (Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, 2025). That doesn’t include the women who keep silent or don’t know they are in the fog until it lifts. These mental health disruptions affect how we raise our baby, interact with our partner and the world around us, how we handle stress, and so much more. The effects are serious; they leave lasting impressions, and with rates this high, it’s a wonder it hasn’t been called a national epidemic.

 

Of further concern is autoimmune disease. Women are at higher risk of developing an autoimmune condition, where the body attacks itself, in the period after giving birth. Postpartum thyroiditis alone affects at minimum 5 to 9% of women, and likely more, because so few are tested (Stagnaro-Green et al., 2011). These conditions are life-altering, difficult, and expensive. And the immune system’s recovery after birth depends in part on the nutrients it has to work with, which means the way we nourish (or don’t nourish) our body in postpartum matters.

 

To understand why this is happening, it’s critical that you understand the seven key misconceptions of postpartum nutrition. When you see these ideas for the false information they are, you can begin the process of healing your postpartum deeply while protecting your body and your mental health.

 

1. It’s Okay to Eat “Cold” Foods, Especially Nutrient-Rich Smoothies and Some Good Ol’ Ice Water

 

At first, it sounds absolutely crazy, but I’m not the only person to tell you ice water and smoothies, and anything cold in general, should be minimized or eliminated in postpartum. Many cultures practice this today, as it’s believed that letting in cold will bring on illness and harm the postpartum body (Kim-Godwin, 2003). And here’s why those traditions make sense.

 

First and foremost, the postpartum body isn’t just healing from birth, whether vaginal or cesarean; it’s also healing from carrying a baby within the womb for nine months. For a significant amount of time, your body has literally grown another human being. Healing in postpartum is a culmination of pregnancy and birth, all rolled into one. The body is depleted and carries an open wound inside the uterus where the placenta detached. Not to mention mothers who may have torn, had a traumatic birth, or experienced a cesarean (all of which add another layer of necessary healing).

 

When we go to the doctor for a significant wound, we’re told to keep it warm and protected, which supports the blood flow that brings vital nutrients to the area for healing. In postpartum, the “wound” is practically your entire body, especially your center, which contains the uterus.

 

But that isn’t everything. Cold foods and drinks ask more of a digestive system that is already working at reduced capacity, especially when it comes to fats (which are essential in postpartum for healing and for your milk supply). Cooked, warm food does part of the work of digestion before it ever reaches your gut; in one controlled study in mice, cooked food delivered measurably more usable energy than the same food eaten raw (Carmody et al., 2011). Energy isn’t something a postpartum body has a great deal of, and it’s certainly not something you want to spend unnecessarily.

 

The moral of this misconception is to minimize cold foods and drinks. Make sure what you take in is at least room temperature, and warm whenever you can.

 

2. You Should Return to Eating Like You Were in Pregnancy. Or Even Before.

 

Eating during this time is radically different than eating in pregnancy or pre-pregnancy. And here’s why: after birth, your digestive system isn’t working at full capacity. The body is repairing tissue, replacing blood, recalibrating hormones, and often making milk, and digestion is one of the systems it deprioritizes when energy is short (Bower, 2026). Yet digestion is what breaks down food and supplies your body with the nutrients it needs for hormone balance, milk supply, and overall healing.

 

Because of the energy it takes to break down food, it’s simply easier for the body to receive foods that are easy to digest. Foods that are easy to digest (soups, stews, broths, slow-cooked meats) also tend to be nutrient-dense. When you eat these foods, your body gets what it needs faster, without spending extra energy to get there.

 

This is one reason so many women experience intense gas and bloating in postpartum. Many times that extends to indigestion, hemorrhoids post-birth, and a host of other gut issues. When you can’t fully break down the foods you’re eating, they sit and ferment, which causes gas, bloating, and so on. If it continues without correction, the lining of the gut can become more permeable (often called “leaky gut”), which researchers have linked to food sensitivities and immune activation (Bischoff et al., 2014).

 

Many women ask, “Well, I can just take digestive enzymes then, right?” The answer is sure, but I don’t recommend starting there. It’s important to allow the body to regulate itself first before adding anything additional. Often, adding herbs, essential oils, or gut-stimulating supplements, such as enzymes, can create an imbalance. Until it becomes a problem that needs correcting, give your digestion the support it needs. Eat warm foods that are very easy to digest and nutrient-dense.

 

3. It’s Okay if You Don’t Want Any Food at All in Postpartum.

 

In my work, I often run into a mother who just had a baby but has little to no appetite. If this is you, there is a problem at hand.

 

When breastfeeding, you’re typically told you need 300 to 500 extra calories a day, and that number already assumes you’ll lose weight. The international estimate takes the cost of making milk, about 675 calories a day, and subtracts 170 calories a day for the pregnancy fat you’re expected to burn (FAO/WHO/UNU, 2004). There’s nothing in that number for healing. For many mothers, this results in an insatiable appetite, especially after feeling so limited in the third trimester.

 

Although a lack of appetite is often related to postpartum depression, that’s not the only cause. First and foremost, make sure that you are eating warm foods that are easy to digest. If you aren’t, this could cause a multitude of gut issues that can make food less than desirable. Sometimes if you’ve been eating a diet that doesn’t support your body’s needs for some time, including foods that you may be sensitive to and may not know about, your nutrient levels could already be suffering. Thyroid problems are also common after birth and frequently missed (Stagnaro-Green et al., 2011).

 

Another common reason for not wanting to eat in postpartum is to gain a certain level of control in the midst of chaos. If you are someone who needs to feel in control, postpartum can often leave you feeling powerless. Whether conscious or unconscious, some mothers use food as a way to gain whatever control they feel they need.

 

Whatever the issue is, not eating in postpartum may be common, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay in the least. Make sure you are eating enough, check in on your mood and your need for control, and get your thyroid checked if you’re unsure.

 

4. Breastfeeding Will Help You Lose Those Pregnancy Pounds, Especially if You Diet.

 

This often has the opposite effect. If you aren’t following the warm, nutrient-dense approach above, you aren’t getting enough nutrients into your body, and you’re likely feeling sluggish, exhausted, and like a hormonal hot mess. It’s easy to blame the newborn in your life for all of this. And to some degree, that’s certainly true. But nutrition is one piece you can change.

 

When your body is lacking, it lives in a state of stress. Research on lactating women has found that when food intake falls short, milk volume is largely protected while the mother’s own reserves are drawn down (Prentice et al., 1983). Your baby is fed; you pay for it. When you aren’t getting the right nutrients, it also becomes harder to sleep, and nutrients and sleep are both essential for hormone regulation. Without that balance, milk supply and weight regulation both suffer.

 

As a side note, weight loss in postpartum should be the LAST thing on a mother’s agenda. Instead, focus on building a healthy body and a solid foundation. Postpartum is a time when every layer of your being is shed. You have the power to heal your deepest wounds and reconnect with your truest self. When you care for and nourish yourself thoroughly, you can walk away feeling stronger than you did before pregnancy.

 

5. Not Eating Meat Is Fine, as Long as You Supplement.

 

Living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle has real environmental and ethical meaning for many women, and I respect that. But when it comes to nutrition in postpartum, meat isn’t something you can just forgo, even if you supplement with pills.

 

Your body is meant to eat meat. You have teeth designed to eat it, a gut to process it, and a body that requires certain nutrients from it. I’m not here to berate you about why you need to eat meat (I’m the first to tell you everybody has different needs), but in the case of postpartum nutrition, it’s essential.

 

There are certain nutrients, such as B12, that are vital for red blood cell formation and nerve repair, both of which matter as your body heals. B12 comes almost entirely from animal foods; plant sources like spirulina and seaweed mostly contain forms the body can’t use (Watanabe et al., 2014). And taking a B12 supplement doesn’t solve everything. A supplement only contains the nutrient itself. What’s missing are the other components offered in meat: creatine for energy, carnosine for muscle function, heme iron, which the body absorbs far more easily than the iron in plants (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2023), and more that science has yet to fully understand. Animal protein is also easier to digest and requires less energy than many other protein sources.

 

Nearly every traditional culture has a specific way of eating in postpartum, and animal foods are part of it, even in cultures that otherwise eat little meat (Kim-Godwin, 2003). These nutrients matter for breast milk too: milk from vegetarian and vegan mothers carries less DHA, the fat that builds a baby’s brain and eyes (Ureta-Velasco et al., 2023).

 

It’s also important to note that the meat you eat plays a role in your health, just as everything you put in your body does. Whenever possible, eat organic, grass-fed animals, preferably from a local source, to ensure quality and freshness.

 

6. Vitamins Will Cover the Imbalances.

 

Our food doesn’t carry the nutrient levels it once did. When researchers compared U.S. government nutrient data for 43 garden crops between 1950 and 1999, they found measurable declines in protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin, and vitamin C (Davis et al., 2004). Because of this, and the difficulty of getting what our body needs even outside of postpartum, we’ve come to rely on supplements.

 

Supplements play a major role in pregnancy and, as every provider will tell you, are an important part of growing a healthy baby. However, there are real problems with relying on them. First, they aren’t all created equal. Supplements aren’t approved by the FDA before they’re sold, and the quality of products on the market varies widely. How your body responds to a vitamin is individual, and finding the right one often means spending a lot of money, especially on higher-quality brands.

 

The research on supplements for postpartum mood is also more mixed than most people expect. A 2023 review of 28 randomized trials found that vitamin D helped modestly, iron helped women who were actually iron-deficient, and omega-3s and other minerals showed little effect on their own (Tsai et al., 2023). Nutrients work together inside food. In postpartum, the body changes rapidly, and what worked in pregnancy may not work as well after the baby.

 

Never rely on vitamins alone to get the essential nutrients your postpartum body needs. Instead, use nutrient-dense food, being careful not to leave behind any gaps. Traditionally, this was handled by a community of women who took on the care of a new mother. As that time in our history lapses, it’s important to plan your postpartum nutrition during pregnancy, so you aren’t left carrying it alone.

 

7. You Should Simply Follow the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances), Science, and Your Doctor’s Advice.

 

Want to know a little secret? The RDA (the measure used to determine what your daily nutrient intake should be) is a set of numbers chosen by expert panels as the levels we should be getting. Although most of it is based on science, it’s a difficult subject, and it’s constantly under review and change.

 

And the science behind it wasn’t built around women. In 1977, U.S. federal guidance recommended excluding women of childbearing potential from early drug trials, and research funded by the National Institutes of Health wasn’t required to include women until 1993 (NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health). The equations used internationally to estimate how much energy adults need drew almost half of their adult data from studies of Italian men (FAO/WHO/UNU, 2004). Where women’s nutrient requirements differ from men’s, the difference mostly comes from scaling by body weight rather than measuring female physiology (Prentice, 2021). Postpartum isn’t treated as its own physiological state at all; it shows up as an add-on for breastfeeding.

 

There’s another problem. Science breaks nutrition down to study one component at a time. The whole of nutrition is so complex that it rarely gets studied as a whole. So although we learn a lot from isolating specific nutrients, there is a significant gap in how they relate to the whole body.

 

Not only is the science limited and still evolving, but your doctor’s education in nutrition is limited too. Even in prenatal care, many providers have had very little nutrition training.

 

What does this mean for you? It means the way you nourish your body after birth matters more than anyone has told you, and it shouldn’t all be on you. For most of history, it wasn’t. As our cultures have shifted to become more individual and less community-oriented, the weight has fallen on mothers. Pay special attention to how your body responds to food, adjust accordingly, plan ahead, and ask for the support you were always meant to have.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maranda Bower is a researcher, educator, and author, and the founder of Postpartum University®. She is the pioneering educator in postpartum functional nutrition, a field she has spent 15 years building from the ground up. Her book, Everything You Know About Postpartum Is Wrong: The Science, the Sacred, and the Future of Maternal Care (Wiley), releases November 24, 2026. She lives on a homestead in Alaska with her husband, four children, and entirely too many chickens.

 

REFERENCES

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