Diet of a breastfeeding mother – what should it look like?

For years, young mothers have been encouraged to exclusively breastfeed . We hear that "a mother's milk is the perfect food for her baby." Of course, the benefits of this type of feeding are numerous, ranging from health and psychological aspects to convenience and economic aspects. Breast milk is the best immunomodulator , which due to the ingredients it contains, such as: immune cells, antibodies, oligosaccharides, live bacteria and biologically active ingredients, including postbiotics, supports the construction of the still imperfect immune system of the infant.

However, as it turns out, although breast milk is highly nutritious, its quality depends largely on the woman's diet. We can therefore be tempted to say that mother's milk is an ideal food when a woman follows a varied and balanced diet and supplementation. So let's take a look at the diet.

What to eat during lactation to provide your baby with the perfect food?

First of all, there's good news for all sushi and tartare lovers - raw fish and meat can return to the menu. Unpasteurized milk and cheese made from it are also coming back , and if you want kogel mogel, you can definitely afford it. The diet of a breastfeeding woman is no different from the proper diet of a healthy person. The only thing that increases is the energy demand. The calorie content of a breastfeeding mother's diet should be 500 kcal higher than in the pre-pregnancy period.

If you made sure your diet was as nutritious as possible during pregnancy , you can easily enter the next period of being a mother. Habits will pay off. Here's what should be on your plate and in what proportions:

Carbohydrates.

They should constitute the source of half of the total energy demand . Where to get them? Vegetables and fruit, but also whole grain bread, coarse grain groats, brown rice and wholemeal pasta. They provide the new mother with a source of energy for the whole day.

Protein.

About 20% of the calories in your diet each day should come from protein. Sources should be found in poultry, fish, milk and milk products, eggs and plant products: legume seeds (lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, peas), cereals and nuts. Ideally, animal sources provide no more than 60% of your total intake.

Fats.

They complement a woman's diet, but cannot be omitted due to their significant impact on the infant's development . How a mother eats has a direct impact on the fats her food contains (and healthy fats are critically important, among others, for the development of the child's brain and nervous system). The recommendations therefore precisely specify that the consumption of products containing trans isomers (fast food, ultra-processed instant food, cakes and cookies) should be as low as possible. However, the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g. Omega-3) should be higher.

The most important ingredients of the lactation diet:

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

DHA acid is necessary for the proper development of the child's brain, nervous system, immune system and retina. The most common source of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is fish, but it may be contaminated with heavy metals and dioxins . Therefore, it is recommended to eat oily sea fish (e.g. mackerel, herring, halibut) no more than twice a week . You should avoid predatory and long-living fish due to the risk of consuming harmful metals (mercury) or dioxins. It is also worth considering supplementing these acids - among the safest options (recommended to breastfeeding women by the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians) are DHA acids from algae or small fish.

Iron.

Products of animal origin - such as beef, veal and fish - have the highest bioavailability for this element . However, if you limit meat in your diet, it is worth consuming as many plant sources of iron as possible ( find tips here ) . Additionally, iron absorption is increased by vitamin C present in the meal (e.g. in vegetables and fruits).

Calcium.

Since calcium loss from bones is greater during lactation , attention should be paid to the adequate supply of this ingredient. Its rich source is dairy products, but not only. You can also find calcium in poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, beans, parsley and even white cabbage. However, in the case of calcium, it is worth ensuring not only its sufficient supply, but also its good absorption. More on this topic you can read here .

Fluids.

This is an extremely important component of the diet, a woman should drink about 3 liters of fluids every day during lactation . The best source is, of course, medium-mineralized, low-sodium or spring water .

Are there any products prohibited in the diet of a breastfeeding mother?

There is often a stereotype that foods considered to cause flatulence should not be eaten during lactation because they may cause colic in the baby. However, it is worth remembering that breast milk is produced from molecules contained in the mother's blood, not in the stomach or intestines. This means that what a woman eats is digested first. There is no possibility for cabbage, legumes or onion to reach the child through food unchanged and cause flatulence. ¹ .

Bloating and colic occur in most infants in the first six months of life , regardless of the mother's diet. However, sometimes they can be one of the symptoms of allergies in a toddler. Other signs of a food allergy include: red, itchy rash, swelling of the lips, face and around the eyes, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, runny or stuffy nose ² . These symptoms may be caused by, for example, an allergy to cow's milk protein , although it is worth mentioning that this is not a very common phenomenon. According to According to some estimates, such an allergy occurs only in approximately 1% of breastfed babies ³ .

Allergens can pass into breast milk, but this does not mean that during lactation you should preventively avoid "allergenic" products, such as dairy products, wheat, eggs, nuts, strawberries, citrus fruits or chocolate. Excluding these products from your diet not only does not help you avoid allergies, but may have the opposite effect and cause them ⁴ . Therefore, if you suspect your child has an allergy or other disturbing symptoms, consult your doctor before excluding any group of products from your diet .

When it comes to products that are prohibited during breastfeeding, there is the respected American Mayo Clinic ⁵ , British National Health Service ⁶ and other centers recommend giving up alcohol , significantly reducing caffeine consumption (you can read more about this in the article " Can you drink coffee during lactation ?") and being careful with the consumption of fish, especially large and predatory ones, due to the content of heavy metals and pollution. It is recommended to eat oily fish no more than twice a week .

What to eat when caring for a child takes up all your time?

New responsibilities can be a source of fatigue. Thinking about your needs seems abstract. When you feel like you don't have time for any meal, a nutritious cocktail will come in handy. Choose whatever flavor you want using the table below.

Cocktail 1:

milk/plant drink + buckwheat flakes + natural cocoa + a pinch of cinnamon + a teaspoon of linseed + a teaspoon of peanut butter + banana + optionally water.

Cocktail 2:

kefir/ plant drink + oatmeal + linseed + medjol date + raspberries + optionally water

Cocktail 3:

natural yogurt + cooked brown rice + medjol date + a teaspoon of linseed oil + mango + optionally water

Bibliography:

1. Jeong G, Park SW, Lee YK, Ko SY, Shin SM. Maternal food restrictions during breastfeeding. Korean J Pediatr. 2017 Mar;60(3):70-76. doi: 10.3345/kjp.2017.60.3.70.
2. “Healthy breastfeeding diet”, Public Health England, National Health Service, nhs.uk, accessed September 9, 2022.
3.  Sambrook J. Incidence of cow's milk protein allergy. Br J Gen Pract. 2016 Oct;66(651):512. doi: 10.3399/bjgp16X687277.
4. Järvinen KM et al. Role of Materna elimination diets and human milk IgA in the development of cow's milk allergy in the infants. Clin Exp Allergy, 2014, 44, 1, pp. 69-78.
5. “Breastfeeding nutrition: Tips for moms”, Mayo Clinic, mayoclinic.org, accessed September 9, 2022.
6. “Healthy breastfeeding diet”, op.cit.