I love my fat

Well, not exactly. Up until I gave birth to my son, I ate a very lean diet consisting of lots and lots of cooked veggies, beans, fish, chicken and on occasion, lean beef. After I gave birth, it was a different story.

During my postpartum recovery period, my Chinese sitting month doula prepared soups, which had a a good amount of fat still in them, with every meal.  She would make me pig trotter soup (full of gelatin that is great for milk production) and lots of different chicken herbal soups and bone broths all of which still had a generous layer of fat on top. She forbade me from ladling any of it off! All I could think about when I was drinking it was that I was sure to have a heart attack at any moment. As much as my brain was signaling me not to drink it, somehow my body craved it. Each and every time I drank my soups, I felt well nourished and stronger. They also made me not crave any refined carbs or sugar. Better yet, I was beginning to not shy away from the fatty, yet very nutritious, soups that I was having everyday. My doula commented on how rich the color of my breast milk looked, and I had so much, that I wound up donating it to four other babies who needed the extra nourishment.

After one month of drinking soups and eating foods rich in good fats like coconut oil, toasted sesame oil, ghee, nuts, eggs and avocado, I surprisingly was almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I also knew that my son was receiving the rich nutrients needed for his developing brain and body.

So please, eat more fat! But good fats, not french fries and pizza. The best is to give yourself a well-balanced diet full of healthy fats, whole grains and dark leafy greens.