Functional and Cultural Dimensions of Bharat’s Postpartum Nutrition in India

Postpartum is one of the most physiologically severe periods of the life of a woman, which presupposes the intake of certain nutrition to restore energy reserves, lactation, and rapid restoration. In India, Ayurvedic traditions of postpartum diet are associated with Ayurvedic traditions that are manifested in works of classical literature and encourage the dominant role of sutika kala and prescribe some nutritional measures. The paper dwells on the crossroad of the ancient Ayurvedic philosophy, particularly the use of the functional foods such as herbal food formulas, and the contemporary sciences of nutrigenomics and food science. The demographic inclinations, postpartum problems, consumer preference and product expectations were also used to perform this research with the help of a structured questionnaire that was applied to 567 women in India. The results show the presence of a significant factor, namely cultural orientation (traditional, modern, rural, urban and hybrid), which influences the practices during postpartum. The most frequent issues that are reported include fatigue, pains, and breastfeeding difficulties, as well as weight gain and weight loss. The natural, organic, affordable, and scientifically proven products rankedhigh among the preferences of the respondents because one could unite the traditional wisdom and the contemporary demands of the food. Results are discussed in the context of Ayurvedic concepts, with an emphasis on the bioactive properties of traditional ingredients (fenugreek, turmeric, jaggery) that are relevant to the modern biomarkers of maternal recovery and lactation support. The research shows that the Indian postpartum practices are models of functional nutrition, thus combining cultural traditions with technological advances, and suggests a prototype of how to develop culturally based, evidence-based maternal nutraceuticals.