It isn’t always easy to get all the nutrition that you need. When you’re a mom, whether you have a newborn or toddler, you’re busy and tired. Plus, if you don’t have much help, it can be tough to take care of all you have to do in a day.

The thought of cooking healthy meals and taking care of yourself can easily fall by the wayside.

It’s understandable. But taking care of yourself is important. If you skip meals or don’t eat well, you’re likely to become more exhausted, lose excessive amounts of weight, and not feel well at all. But, if you do take the time to eat well and care for yourself.

you’ll feel healthier and stronger. That’s better for you and your baby. So, here are some healthy eating tips for breastfeeding moms.



Try to maintain a well-balanced diet. If you can, eat at least three full meals along with a variety of healthy foods and snacks each day. You may find that eating six smaller meals works better for you. Try to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.

lean proteins, and whole grains while limiting empty calorie snacks. Keep healthy snacks, fruit, and already cut-up veggies readily available, so you’ll be more likely to grab them as a snack instead of a cookie or a bag of chips.

Add some fish to your weekly meal plans. If you enjoy eating fish, seafood is a healthy source of protein that also provides you with essential omega-3 fatty acids.



You can safely enjoy different types of low-mercury seafood such as salmon, light canned tuna, catfish, tilapia, cod, shrimp, crab, squid, and clams two to three times a week.

Get enough calories each day Breastfeeding and making breast milk uses up a lot of energy. So, while you’re breastfeeding, you should take in about 500 extra calories a day.

Now, what kind of calories are we talking about here? Junk food has lots of calories, but those calories aren’t nutritious.

So that’s not the kind you need. You can still have some junk food once in a while, but try to get most of your extra calories through healthier meals and snacks.



Eat some milk-making foods. Many of the healthy foods and snacks that you can choose during the day also promote a healthy supply of breast milk.

Oatmeal, chickpeas (hummus), dark green vegetables, and almonds all have properties that support milk production while being an excellent addition to your healthy breastfeeding diet.

Stay hydrated.

Breast milk is made mostly of water. And, breastfeeding—specifically the let-down reflex—can make you feel thirsty. So, you need to drink plenty of fluids.

Drink enough to quench your thirst and try to get in at least eight glasses of water or other healthy beverages every day. A good rule of thumb is to have a drink of water each time you breastfeed your baby.

That should be about 8 to 12 times a day, so you’re sure to be covered. If you don’t take in enough fluids, it can lead to dehydration and constipation. It can also cause a decrease in your breast milk supply.

Take your vitamins. While a healthy breastfeeding diet contains all the vitamins and nutrients that you need, you can still continue to take your prenatal vitamin.

However, you should keep in mind that vitamins cannot replace a healthy diet, they can only add to it.

On the other hand, vitamins may be necessary if you have a vitamin deficiency, you’re breastfeeding on a vegetarian or vegan diet, or you’ve had weight loss surgery.

Your doctor will let you know which additional vitamins you should be taking.

Consider any history of allergies in your family. If there is a strong history of food allergies, eczema, or asthma in your family, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian.

There may be some food items such as dairy products, peanuts, or shellfish that you should put off eating to prevent diarrhea, colic-like symptoms, rashes, and allergic reactions in your baby.

Be careful about dieting. If you’re worried about losing weight after the birth of your child, you’re not alone. It’s a common concern among mothers. However, you shouldn’t start a diet program too soon if you’re breastfeeding.

It’s not healthy to go on a strict calorie-reducing diet or to take diet pills and weight loss herbs while you’re breastfeeding. Doing so can be harmful to you and your baby.



But, once your body heals from childbirth and your breast milk supply is established, your doctor may recommend a healthy diet and exercise program to help you get to your target weight.

Of course, you need to be reasonable and remember that it took you nine months to get to where you are now, so be sure to give yourself at least that long to get back to where you want to be.

When it comes to breastfeeding, your baby will get everything compulsory for congruous magnification from your breast milk.

What you victual matters and breastfeeding superfoods should be your go-to. Good pabulum will avail increase your milk supply, give you more energy and avail you take off baby weight.

APRICOTS

Eating apricots can increase prolactin, which is the hormone that tells your body to produce milk. Apricots contain essential nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. Fresh is better than canned.

SALMON AND SARDINES

An excellent source of protein, salmon is rich in vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids. It is also one of only a few sources that has natural vitamin D, and many women have vitamin D deficiencies. B12 and omega-3 are thought to help ward off postpartum depression. Salmon is great for breastfeeding moms because it contains large amounts of DHA, a type of fat important for the development of a baby’s nervous system. Wild-caught, farm-raised or canned salmon is good for you. Both salmon and sardines can increase breast milk production.

BEEF

Breastfeeding moms have more need for the mineral zinc. Choose grass-fed beef when you can because it has more omega-3 fatty acids and doesn’t have added antibiotics and hormones.

EGGS

Eggs are rich in protein, choline, lutein, vitamins B12 and D, riboflavin and folate. They are a quick, easy meal or snack.

VEGETABLES

Leafy greens are rich in vitamins A, C, E and K as well as fiber, antioxidants and minerals including calcium. Plus — drum roll — they are so low in calories you can eat them all day long and not have to worry about how many calories you have consumed.

SWEET POTATOES

Just one medium sweet potato meets the daily recommendation of vitamin A for breast-feeding moms. Vitamin A is important for vision, bone growth, immune function and cell specialization. Your baby is dependent on your dietary intake to get the vitamin A required for growth and development. That’s another advantage of breast-feeding. Breast-fed babies are very rarely found to be deficient in vitamin A. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of potassium too.

BEANS

As great sources of protein, iron and fiber, legumes and beans belong in your diet. They also have lots of minerals and phytochemicals — naturally, non-nutrient chemicals a plant produces. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, studies on phytochemicals have shown they can stimulate the immune system, block bad substances we eat, drink and breathe from becoming carcinogens (cancer causing), reduce the kind of inflammation that makes cancer growth more likely.

NUTS AND SEEDS

(Breastfeeding moms should have 1,000 mg of calcium daily.)

Nuts and seeds contain protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

On the seeds side, try sesame seeds. They also are packed with calcium as well as fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese. Toast and sprinkle them over a salad or veggies.

WHOLE GRAINS

Breads

Rice

Pasta

Oatmeal

Brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and oatmeal are all complex carbohydrates

YOGURT

We’ve told you that calcium is important. Get some of the required 1,000 mg a day from low-fat or Greek yogurt. It’s also a good source of protein. There are so many flavors available that you are sure to find ones you like. Add fruit or granola for an even yummier yogurt. (Caution: If your baby has been diagnosed with milk protein intolerance, dairy products like yogurt should not be part of your diet.)