The Best Foods for Breastfeeding

The best foods for breastfeeding

By Shonelle Siegmann | Naturopath

Most breastfeeding mums find themselves searching the internet for breastfeeding-friendly foods.

A quick Google search returns millions of results, from recipes for lactation cookies and supply-boosting smoothies to lists of foods promising to cure colic and settle wind.

With so much conflicting information, it can be confusing to find the best foods for your breastfeeding journey.

And the key issue most of these online resources overlook is the importance of individualized nutrition - eating what works for you and your baby. 

If I asked a room full of breastfeeding mothers which foods trigger tummy troubles for their babies, I’d be left with an overwhelming list of foods to avoid. 

And for every list of foods claiming to increase breast milk, is another list contradicting everything on the one before it.

There are also thousands of websites promoting complicated postpartum diets measuring macros and counting calories - prioritizing weight loss over maternal health.

So instead of adding to that anxiety, I want to offer some gentle evidence-based information to help you decide on the best breastfeeding diet options for you.

As a Naturopath, I can provide personalized herbal blends, nutritional supplements and simple meal plans designed to deliver key nutrients for postpartum replenishment and nutrient-rich breast milk. 

But as a woman, mother and friend, the most important wisdom I can share is to listen to your intuition, trust your maternal instinct, and nourish your body and baby with real foods that you love and enjoy. 

Galactagogues: There’s an abundance of information online about foods and herbs to increase breast milk supply, but unfortunately, despite the significant anecdotal success and hundreds of years of traditional use, there is still very little evidence-based research to support them.

Some of the most commonly used galactagogue foods and herbs include fenugreek, fennel, lemon verbena, nettle, milk thistle, goats rue, shatavari, oats and brewer’s yeast, while some studies have shown increased breastmilk production following consumption of lesser-known galactagogues like banana flower, lemon basil, thai basil, bottle gourd, pumpkin, egg, tofu, chicken, fish and seafood. Coconut water is another favourite among breastfeeding mothers and contains potassium, magnesium, vitamin C and lauric acid.

Most breastfeeding mothers will find what works for them through trial and error. Just remember, the most important factor for milk production is supply and demand - the more milk that’s extracted, the more milk your body makes. So regular breastfeeding with a good latch, or expressing with a well-fitting pump, is key to a healthy supply.

Hydration: Breastmilk is composed mainly of water, accounting for 87% of the total volume. A lactating mother may produce up to 750ml of breastmilk daily after six months of exclusive breastfeeding, while mothers of multiples can produce as much as three litres. As a result, it’s important for maternal water intake to at least replace the fluids used in breastmilk. Australian dietary guidelines recommend lactating people drink 3.5 litres of water daily. 

Colic: Colic is an all-encompassing term used to describe a group of symptoms experienced by unsettled babies. Classically defined as crying for more than three hours a day, three days a week, over three weeks, colic affects one in five babies during the early months of life. Other symptoms include wind or trapped gas, drawing knees up to the chest, clenched fists, high pitched sounds, and often inconsolable crying.

The definitive cause of colic is unknown and there is no single colic cure, but some foods appear to trigger or worsen colic symptoms. This is another subject that no two internet articles agree on, but some of the most common culprits appear to be gluten, grains, dairy, tomatoes, broccoli, asparagus, eggplant, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Studies have found following a low-FODMAP diet can reduce crying time in colicky babies by 35% compared to a standard Australian diet. 

Allergies and intolerances: While colic is quite common for the first three to four months of life, babies that continue to show signs of pain and discomfort beyond this time could be suffering from allergies or intolerances.

Symptoms such as crying, diarrhea, constipation, blood in the stool, rashes, redness, eczema, dermatitis, hives, welts and swelling can all be signs of allergy or intolerance. This can occur as a result of exposure to allergens through breastmilk, or direct feeding following the introduction of solids. Elimination diets can be helpful for breastfeeding mothers to determine triggering foods in their breastfed babies.

Always seek urgent medical attention for any difficulty breathing or swelling of the tongue and face. 

Coffee and caffeine: Caffeine transferred to breastmilk from coffee can take more than four days to clear the body of a newborn. As a result, a lot of breastfeeding mothers have reported anecdotal evidence of their babies being unsettled after consuming coffee.

Australian guidelines recommend a maximum of 200mg of caffeine daily during breastfeeding. Many people find it best to give up entirely and try breastfeeding-safe herbal teas instead. 

Gut health: There is still a lot to learn about maternal microbiome and how it changes in pregnancy and postpartum. Studies have found postpartum hormonal shifts, sleep disturbance and dietary deficiencies can all contribute to changes in microbial composition. New mothers will often report bloating, difficulty digesting foods, slower metabolism, weight gain or weight loss, and even a flare of autoimmune symptoms such as psoriasis or arthritis.

It is not yet well understood how these changes influence the infant microbiome. Probiotics can be beneficial in supporting gut health for both mother and baby while using enzymes and cooking methods such as slow cooking can help to make foods more easily digestible. 

Key Nutrients Needed

Key nutrients: As a tired, busy, breastfeeding mum, finding time for preparing food is difficult. Many of us will find ourselves regularly reaching for a bowl of cereal, a piece of toast or pre-packaged and processed foods instead of a proper meal. But this type of eating doesn’t serve to support postpartum recovery, and can lead to nutritional deficiencies in both mother and baby.

While breastmilk provides nutrients even when a mother is malnourished, the nutrients in breastmilk increase with improved maternal diet and supplementation. Where possible, it’s important to make meals with real, wholefood ingredients, and supplement where necessary, to ensure adequate nutrient intake for the mother-baby dyad. Just some of the most important nutrients during breastfeeding are:

• Vitamin D: Vitamin D is generated through exposure to the sun, but can also be easily supplemented. Health authorities recommend supplementing Vitamin D in babies from birth with 400 IU/d. Alternatively breastfed mothers can supplement at least 6400 IU/d to provide adequate intake for themselves and their babies. 

• Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is critical to healthy brain development, and Vitamin B12 deficiency in infants can cause serious neurological compromise. Vitamin B12 is found in animal foods including meat, fish and eggs. Supplementation is recommended for breastfeeding people with a vegan or vegetarian diet, or inadequate B12 intake.

• Iron: Iron helps carry oxygen to the body's cells and tissues. Iron deficiency can occur in pregnancy as a result of increasing blood volume and inadequate iron intake - often driven by nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Maternal iron deficiency can contribute to low iron in the infant. Iron demands increase in infants from six months of age, at which point parents can introduce supplements or iron-fortified foods, in addition to offering solids high in iron such as liver, red meat, poultry, legumes, tofu and spinach.

• Choline: There is a high rate of transfer of choline through breast milk, which is why it’s so important to have choline in the maternal diet. Choline is crucial to brain development, as well as nerve and liver function, and studies have shown high choline diets during pregnancy improve lifelong memory function and learning ability. Eggs are one of the best sources, containing 10 times more choline than most vegetables.

• Iodine: Iodine is another supplement crucial to healthy growth and development. Iodine deficiency can disrupt growth and damage the nervous system. Studies have found all reserves of iodine are used to produce breastmilk so supplementation during pregnancy and lactation is recommended to support both mother and child.

• DHA: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid, essential for the growth and development of infants brains. Found in cold water fatty fish and fish oil or algae supplements, DHA intake in mothers has a direct correlation to levels in breastfed infants.

For personalised dietary recommendations and postpartum meal plans, book an appointment with Shonelle.