Figuring out how to feed a new baby is an undeniable challenge as a first-time mother. Feeding yourself? Well, that’s an entirely different obstacle.

In the weeks and months following the birth of my daughter, I’d sometimes forget to eat (new problem), reach for less-than-healthy comfort foods when I did eat (old problem), and was constantly hung up on “my supply” (a fluctuating problem).

This only intensified when I returned to work and then, five months later, switched jobs and unexpectedly found myself traveling for work. Despite the fact that I was employed by a wellness brand, I was at a loss—out of exhaustion and busyness—for how to manage my diet while pumping on the job. It was a breakneck blur of movement, repeated in three daily cycles: meetings, head-down work, walking to the pumping room, pumping for 20 minutes, cleaning the pump materials, packing everything up, and then back to meetings and work. Pumping took every free second. My meals became fewer and farther between, yet larger and heavier—especially while on cross-country treks. As my stress increased, the baby weight remained and my supply, crushingly, diminished.

I knew I had take action, but where to start? The short answer: Snacks.

“As a nursing mother you need to keep up with your energy needs [from continually producing milk], but you’re always pressed for time. Focus on foods that are quick and satisfying, nourishing, and add essential nutrients to your diet,” recommends clinical nutrition and wellness expert Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, LD.

A brief search for “what to eat while nursing” will inevitably steer you toward the term lactogenic, which means inducing the secretion of milk. But what makes certain foods lactogenic depends on whom you ask and what you read.

“The foods you eat while breastfeeding can have a significant impact on both the quantity and quality of your milk supply,” says Carley Mendes, holistic nutritionist and founder of Hello, Motherhood and Oh Baby Nutrition. “I love studies, and there are some available on lactogenic foods, but I’ve found that the best advice comes from mothers themselves,” says Mendes. “I've had firsthand experience using various galactolouges [a substance that increases milk supply] and it’s a topic I discuss often with both clients and friends.”

Smoothies are the perfect snack for nursing moms: super-hydrating, packed with nutrients, and can be consumed one-handed. Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks

Moore agrees that most recommendations are anecdotal. “There are a lot of theories, old wives’ tales …certain substances are believed to help improve [lactation], but unfortunately there’s not a ton of research.” The closest we’ve come to any science-based lactogenic ingredient is iron. “Some studies show that possibly if you have a lower iron count, which is pretty common after childbirth, it could be associated with lower milk production,” Moore says. “A lot of foods you’ll find that are said to be lactation-promoting will have a higher iron level.”