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About

Our mission is to nourish women after giving birth

When mothers are nourished, they can recover faster, thrive postpartum, and enjoy early motherhood.



After giving birth, your body enters a crucial postpartum recovery period. These next several months to years are an opportunity to heal, replenish, and fortify what was spent during child birth. The body of a new mother or birthing person needs a postpartum-focused approach to food, nourishment, and care that adequately supports her during this stage of life.

Ritual Meals cooks and delivers postpartum meals nutritionally designed to support women during her most transformational wellness journey—her postpartum recovery. Our meals help women heal faster, restore hormonal balance and emotional health, and, if she is breastfeeding, boost her supply and milk quality. We make our meals focused on her health and wellness, her nutritional needs, and her joy, so that she can experience her best postpartum recovery and better enjoy early motherhood.

Meet the Women Behind Ritual Meals

Two mission-driven women set out to nourish women together

Helen Merlin

Helen Merlin

Co-founder & CEO

Helen’s lifelong passion for food and nutrition was planted at a young age in her family kitchen. There she shared nourishing, Chinese meals steeped in healing, food is medicine traditions. As her friends got pregnant, she saw that everyone wanted meal prep or meal delivery. Yet none of the convenience-focused solutions addressed the new mother’s needs for postpartum recovery.

She started cooking postpartum meals, incorporating postpartum practices from around the world that have supported new mothers for thousands of years, including Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. After seeing the powerful impact postpartum food had on her friends’ postpartum recoveries and breastfeeding journeys, her mission for Ritual Meals was born—to help women experience the healing power of food after giving birth, so they can recover faster and better enjoy early motherhood.

Jessica Phan

Jessica Phan

Co-founder

After giving birth, Jessica moved in with her in-laws, where she enjoyed long-simmer stews and body-warming teas prepared by her mother-in-law. The Chinese postpartum meals—rich with healing herbs and superfoods like ginger, ginseng, date, burdock, goji berry, longan, and lemongrass—helped her recover quickly and feel deeply supported. She produce what seemed like an endless supply of milk for her newborn and she felt her body quickly regain physical strength in a matter of weeks.

As her friends shared postpartum stories marked by challenges of low milk supply and postpartum depression, Jessica was called to find a way to support her friends through early motherhood. She knew food had the power to support all women through postpartum; she knew food is medicine.

Our Manifesto

These manifesto guides us to empower and nourish women through their most transformational wellness journey

  • prioritize our mothers Prioritize our mothers

    "The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." -Osho Rajneesh

    This saying from an Indian mystic reminds us that after giving birth, a woman both takes on a new identity as a mother and emerges from birth in a delicate state in need of nourishment and replenishment. What a woman's body needs postpartum is different from what it needed pre-birth and pre-pregnancy. For a woman's body to give so much, so quickly to a newborn requires a patient healing process focused on her recovery, replenishment, and fortification.

    At Ritual Meals, our meals are made with the mother in mind, prioritizing her nourishment and recovery. Our healing nutrition fortifies her body and supports her transition into motherhood. After the mother is cared for, she has more to give to others.

    We cook and deliver straight to your doorstep, so you can rest assured your fridge is stocked. You'll have delicious meals and joyful snacks nutritionally designed to support your body through your postpartum recovery and early motherhood, so you never have to resort to ordering take out.

    Learn more about postpartum nutrition

  • food is medicine Food is medicine

    The food you eat is information you put into your body. It has the power to fight disease and help the organs in your body function as optimally as possible. Superfood ingredients on their own have nutritive properties, but a thoughtful pairing ingredients can unlock your body's ability to heal, rebalance, and fortify itself. It can replenish what was lost during birth. It has the power to heal and strengthen and to help your body and mind meet every challenge.

    The most powerful way to support your body is to build health from the inside out, starting with your gut. Postpartum food is easier to digest so that your gut can absorb the nutrients it needs to repair and replenish you.

    Food is medicine means our nourishing, healing food is supportive for postpartum women, new parents, and anyone experiencing hardship, from surgery to miscarriage.

  • hold integrity in ingredients Hold integrity in ingredients

    Food is more nutrient-rich and more flavorful when grown on small farms, without pesticides or antibiotics, and consumed as close as possible to when it was harvested. We believe you can taste and feel the difference.All of our food is organic, plant rich, and non-GMO. We make our soup stocks with pasture-raised chicken and grass-fed beef, because what they ate was information put into their bodies. We believe you can taste and feel the difference.

    Our food is made in small batches with fresh, whole food ingredients for the highest quality and taste, then immediately frozen to preserve the optimal nutrition content of each meal.

    Learn more about our thoughtfully selected ingredients

  • preserve global rituals Preserve global rituals

    For thousands of years, global traditions have helped new mothers recover and thrive postpartum. Around the world, new mothers don't really experience postpartum depression, due to postpartum rituals that are deeply supportive of the mother. We believe new mothers in our communities should and can thrive postpartum. The collective wisdom of generations of grandmothers have taught us that these rituals are essential for a new mother's postpartum journey:

     

    • Warmth - Keep the body warm inside and out after giving birth, so that you maintain good circulation which aids the body's healing process.
    • Rest - Make your rest a priority, so that you build more energy, strength, and clarity to care for your newborn.
    • Nutrition - Eat nourishing, easy to digest food designed for postpartum, so that you replenish what was lost during birth and strengthen your body to meet every challenge.
    • Social Rituals - Welcome help in the other areas of your life, so that you can focus on resting and bonding with your baby. Receiving support in the areas you prefer not to focus on is the greatest way to honor yourself on your motherhood journey.
  • honor mother earth Honor Mother Earth

    "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." —Native American Proverbs

    A thriving mother Earth means future generations get to experience her beauty and bounty. For no stronger reason than preserving a brighter world for our children and our children's children, we commit to using environmentally responsible practices, including:

     

    • Sustainable and eco-friendly packaging
    • Minimizing food waste
    • Sourcing from farmers who use sustainable and regenerative farming practices

    Learn more about our sustainability initiatives

    Our Sustainability Commitment

Co-founders of Ritual Meals

Mamas & parents, we are here for you.

At Ritual Meals, we want to be a part of your journey into early motherhood and parenthood. As women and mothers ourselves, we know it's the hardest, yet most beautiful transformational journey you'll embark. We know you have one of the hardest jobs in the world; we see you and we're here for you. Let us help you eat well, thrive postpartum, and enjoy early motherhood through our Postpartum Program.

If there is anything else we can do to support you in your postpartum wellness journey, please let us know at info@ritualmeals.com. In the meantime, you can follow our journey on Instagram.


In love and light,

helen and jessica

Helen Merlin & Jessica Phan, Co-founders of Ritual Meals

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!


Nourish your body. Thrive postpartum

Before your actual delivery, plan your postpartum meal delivery.

Plan Ahead
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.

Locally Sourced
Locally Sourced

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

Whole Foods
Whole Foods

We commit to using organic or pesticide-free, 100% whole food ingredients in all our products.

Sustainably Made
Sustainably Made

We commit to environmental responsibilty through our low waste practices both inside and outside of the kitchen.

Gives Back
Gives Back

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