BY SANDRA GUY

A busy new mom learns quickly how to take a four-minute shower, so she has no time to whip up elaborate meals.

Yet she must keep up her energy and calcium levels by eating 450 to 500 extra calories daily, or about 2,500 total, and focus on supplements such as Vitamins A, C, D and B complex, as well as zinc, elderberry and probiotics, health experts say.

If she’s breastfeeding, she should also focus on essential nutrients such as calcium, folic acid, iodine, iron and DHA — docosahexaenoic acid, a type of omega-3 fat.

It’s also important to eat fruits and vegetables and whole grains such as oats, brown rice and cereals and breads labelled ‘whole grain,’ ‘whole meal’ or ‘whole wheat.’

You need lean protein, too. The best sources comprise eggs, fish, lentils, chicken and lean beef, as well as healthy fats found in nuts, seeds, avocados and oily fish such as salmon or mackerel.

Other highly recommended foods are the good-for-you standards, including eggs, milk, almonds, asparagus, ginger, berries, salmon, kale or spinach, sweet potatoes, oatmeal to keep iron levels at optimal levels, and whole-wheat pasta for its high levels of iron and fiber.