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Postpartum Philosophies: Warmth, Bowls, and Mugs

Generations of postpartum practices around the world have shown us the importance of thoughtful postpartum care. In today’s world, finding a postpartum protocol that works for and resonates with you as a modern mother is as important as ever. When done well, you receive essential rest and nourishment through food to repair, recover, and restore your body.

Western cultures tend to focus postpartum care on immediate physical recovery for the mother and infant, which often lasts for only a few days after child birth. Meanwhile, Eastern cultures tend to focus on a protracted postpartum recovery journey with social support rituals. In other words, postpartum traditions in most of the world play the long game to invest in your physical and emotional well being over the long term.

It also takes a tribe to do so, to slow cook nourishing foods and support you around your home so that you can focus on getting rest and bonding with your child. These loving rituals are essential for keeping modern conditions like postpartum depression at bay. In Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) culture, the saying goes “forty days for forty years”, signaling that a postpartum protocol that focuses on you -- the new mother --  builds the essential foundations for you to thrive for many years.

Warming the Body


Many postpartum philosophies across the world believe that warming the body is an essential element of postpartum care. The fundamental principle is that during pregnancy your body is in a warm or fortified state, while after giving birth your body (especially your uterus) is in a cold or depleted state.

The benefits to keeping your body warm, whether through heat, bundling, or consuming warm foods, after giving birth are both physical and emotional. In Latin America, your abdomen is wrapped in cloth to keep her belly warm. In India, you drink warm herbal tonics and receive warm oil massages to soothe your nerves. In many Native American tribes, you enter a “sweat lodge” after giving birth to boost circulation and help your body eliminate toxins. In East Asia, you drink slow-simmered, nutrient-dense soups that supply protein, iron, and antioxidants to aid tissue repair and rebuild your blood supply.

Whether it's through food or heat, these cultures impart the importance that warmth is important for combating blood stasis and promote healthy circulation during a key time when your body undergoes dramatic shifts.

 

Bowls of Soup

Warm soups are more likely to be made with nutrient-dense ingredients which can support physical recovery, whether after child birth or another hardship. Slow-cooked foods are more easily digestible, aiding the absorption of nutrients. Soups that incorporate meat stock further supply protein with complete amino acids, iron, and collagen, essential for repairing connective tissues and rebuilding blood supply. In postpartum tradition, they are also cooked with healthy fats and carbs to replenish your body and aid digestion. This is not the time for diets or losing weight. You will have plenty of time for that after you have regained your strength and fortified your body. More and more, doctors in North America are also imparting the importance of eating warm, digestible foods as part of postpartum recovery.


There is also a compelling anthropological reason we associate a warm bowl of soup with comfort and nourishment. Whether we feel under the weather, physically or emotionally depleted, or otherwise not ourselves, eating a warm bowl of soup feels good to your body and soul. The bowl of soup is both a powerful and timeless aid for nourishment and fortification and a loving ritual of self care.

Mugs of Tea


Sipping a mug of hot tea is an effective way to promote warmth, calm nerves, and receive additional antioxidants and minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium to aid your postpartum recovery. Steeping selected herbs and berries in hot water for extended periods of time can be especially effective for releasing medicinal properties of these ingredients. Raspberry leaves not only stop postpartum bleeding by increasing uterine tone but also is a galactagogue which increases milk supply. Jujube dates and goji berries help digestion, support spleen and blood health, and help calm the nervous system. Staying hydrated after giving birth is also crucial for supporting milk supply. Practicalities aside, a daily ritual of sipping a warm tea can be soothing, calming, and grounding, important when the often sporadic and restless demands of being a new mother can have you feeling drained.



These warming postpartum practices may sound comforting or even second nature to you. Perhaps you have heard about them from your family, friends, or neighbors. Perhaps you incorporate some of these philosophies in your daily routine. Or perhap you are familiar with these practices from a previous postpartum journey. Regardless of your situation, our hope is that after the difficult journey of birthing a child or any other hardship, you prioritize your own warming rituals of self care and love.

FAQs

Have more questions about Ritual Meals? View our frequently asked questions below.

  • What is Ritual Meals?

    Ritual Meals is a postpartum meal delivery service. Our signature postpartum meal delivery product is The Postpartum Program, which includes meals, snacks, and teas shipped weekly to your doorstep. Customers receive orders with all the fresh meals, snacks, and teas you need to enjoy nourishing postpartum food prepared by our chefs. We save you the time and energy of going to the grocery store, finding new recipes, meal planning, and portioning.

    Our talented chefs work with our Wellness Team to create new menus each week for you, based on what’s seasonally available from our community of local farms and ranches. We use the highest quality ingredients which are organic or pesticide free produce and grass-fed or pasture-raised animals.

  • What are the benefits of postpartum food and Ritual Meals?

    We understand that, as a new mom, you've got one of the hardest jobs in the world—so we created The Postpartum Program to help you heal and feel your best after giving birth. Our postpartum meals are nutritionally designed to support your physical recovery, energy levels, hormonal balance, milk supply and quality, and mood. At Ritual Meals, we are serious about supporting your postpartum nourishment and postpartum wellness journey. Everything we cook is made with the highest quality, whole food ingredients, good for you and your baby, whether or not you are breastfeeding.

    Our postpartum nutrition philosophy is focused on food as medicine.

    Our postpartum meals include both plated food and soups and stews which are more easily digestible and improve absorption of essential minerals and vitamins that the body needs to repair, restore, and fortify after birth or surgery. Grass-fed and pasture-raised animal stock are the base of all of our soups and stews, supplying essential nutrients, lean protein, and collagen to boost energy, support and heal connective tissues, and support healthy metabolism.

    If you are breastfeeding, our postpartum meals can provide measurable benefits for your milk supply and quality. Our postpartum meals often include galactagogues (ingredients which support milk supply and quality), including flax seeds, oats, tahini, brewer’s yeast, and more. We also avoid ingredients that could be associated with colic or sensitivities for breastfed babies, including cruciferous vegetables, garlic, and hot peppers.

    * This program is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. We recommend that you consult with your doctor prior to starting this program if you have a medical condition or are taking any prescription medication or nutritional supplements.

  • How much does Ritual Meals Cost?

    The Postpartum Program at Ritual Meals is priced starting at $176 per week. Meal frequency per week can be customized, which changes the cost of the program. As well, if you opted into our Subscription option, you can save up to 10% each week and receive free delivery with promo code FREESHIPPING.  Customize your postpartum plan to view prices.

  • What kinds of ingredients does Ritual Meals use?

    All meals are made to order and made from scratch with the highest quality ingredients. We prioritize local and organic produce and use only meat sourced from local farms that sustainably and humanely raise their animals. Our animals are always grass-fed or pasture-raised. Our produce is plant rich, organic or pesticide-free, low gluten, no refined sugars, and non-GMO.

    Organic or pesticide-free, whole, unprocessed foods are both more nutritive and more flavorful. We thoughtfully pair ingredients based on complementary benefits. For example, these pairings—lentils and red bell pepper, sesame and salmon, pasture-raised eggs and leafy greens, and chicken and quinoa—allow you to absorb more nutrients and experience their healing benefits.

  • What if I have allergy or dietary needs?

    Due to the small size of our culinary team, we are currently unable to offer substitutions in our menus, which are set weekly. To receive weekly email notifications about our upcoming menus which lists our full ingredients, please subscribe to our newsletter below.

    Please note: our Postpartum Program is not intended for severe allergies. If you have any questions about how we can support your dietary needs, please reach out to our Wellness Team at info@ritualmeals.com

  • How do you keep food fresh in transit? What if I am not home?

    We pack the postpartum meals fresh with care using 100% recyclable, insulated boxes and drain safe gel packs designed to keep your food refrigerated on the way to your doorstep.

    We understand that when it comes to birth, timing may not always happen according to plan. We highly recommend recruiting the help of a friend, neighbor, or family member so that if you aren’t able to get to your food when it arrives at your doorstep, they can help you store it in the fridge until you're ready to enjoy them.

    The delivery driver should leave the package for you at your door with no signature required. We package our postpartum meals in 100% recyclable insulated liners with drain-safe gel packs, so that your food stays refrigerated in transit. If you have any concerns with the temperature or condition of your meals once delivered, please contact our Wellness Team at info@ritualmeals.com.

  • Where does Ritual Meals deliver?

    We ship across the continental US to your doorstep! If you have any additional questions, you can contact our Wellness Team at info@ritualmeals.com.

  • How do I get started with Ritual Meals?

    You can get started by selecting your program options on the Postpartum Program page

    If you would like any help choosing a program that works best for you, please email our Wellness Team at info@ritualmeals.com and we’d be happy to help!


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Postpartum Meal Delivery
Women-owned Business
Women-Owned

Founded and created by two women of color, our goal is to create more opportunities to other women.

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Locally Sourced

We source as locally as possible from our community of local farms and ranches.

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We donate 2% of our sales to organizations that support and empower women or work to reduce food insecurity.