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What to Eat While Breastfeeding: Foods to Boost Milk Production

January 6, 2025  
When you start breastfeeding, ensuring your baby receives the best nutrition from breast milk is always a top priority. And what you eat daily can help improve your baby's milk amount and quality. A nutritious food will help ensure an abundant supply of breast milk, which is high quality and rich in essential minerals for your baby. The right food also increases energy for mothers and prevents long-term health problems.

Therefore, a mother's daily meal is important, directly affecting the health of both mother and baby. But what to eat while breastfeeding? How to choose the right foods to ensure both the mother's health and boost the milk supply fast? Let's explore the list of foods that will help you quickly achieve this goal!

Top Foods to Boost Milk Production 

A nutritious and healthy diet will help increase breast milk supply, ensuring adequate nutrition for both mother and baby. You can consider using some of the following foods to increase milk supply.


1.Whole Grains

Whole grains such as barley, brown rice, oats, or quinoa are great foods to boost milk supply. Whole grains can increase the production of prolactin - the main hormone that stimulates mammary gland cells to boost milk supply fast. This substance will help maintain a stable milk supply and create comfort, reducing mothers' stress. Whole grains are also rich in B vitamins, minerals, and fiber source. These nutrients will help you feel full longer, maintain stable blood sugar levels, and support digestion.

2.Lean Proteins

Lean proteins, also known as lean meat, include foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, etc. These foods are high in protein and low in fat, providing mothers with more energy and supporting milk production. Protein is an essential nutrient for the body and the main component of breast milk. Consuming enough protein helps the mother's body have enough raw materials to produce quality milk, ensuring adequate nutrition for the child's development.

You may not know that breastfeeding every day makes mothers burn more than 500 calories. Therefore, adding lean meat to the daily diet is extremely necessary, helping mothers have more energy to take care of their babies.

 (Wambach & Riordan, 2016) 


3.Healthy Fats

One of the most common answers when you search for what to eat while breastfeeding is healthy fats. You can use foods like avocado, nuts, seeds, and olive oil to increase the amount of good fats in your breast milk. Healthy fats like omega-3 and omega-6 are great for your baby's development. These fats will enhance the baby's brain, vision, and overall growth.

In addition, healthy fats also include DHA and ARA - two types of long-chain polyunsaturated fats (LCPUFAs) that are especially important for brain and eye development in infants. Healthy fats also help provide energy for mothers to produce more milk.


4.Leafy Greens and Vegetables

Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, carrots, and broccoli are rich in essential vitamins and minerals and are also effective foods to boost milk supply. Green leafy vegetables often contain iron, calcium, and folate. These nutrients will help increase milk production, and supply nutrition for the mother's body and the development of the baby. The groups of vitamins in green vegetables will help improve the immune system, protect eye health, and support the development of infants.


5.Lactation-Boosting Foods

In addition to the above food to boost milk supply, you can also add some lactation-boosting foods such as fenugreek, fennel, brewer's yeast, ginger, and garlic. Fenugreek contains many nutrients such as beta-carotene, Vitamin B, iron, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids to support your baby's development. Fennel contains many phytoestrogens - active ingredients that help improve blood circulation and stimulate milk production. Ginger root is used as a lactation remedy in many cultures, and has the effect of supporting digestion and treating morning sickness. 

Foods and Habits to Avoid

Besides healthy foods to increase your milk supply, you should also avoid foods such as coffee, beer, alcohol, foods that cause bloating, spicy foods, or foods that cause allergies. These foods can affect the quality of milk and affect the baby. Caffeine in coffee can pass into the milk, making the baby irritable or sleepless. Some sensitive babies may vomit or have diarrhea if the mother eats foods that are too spicy or cause allergies.



However, limit, not cut out completely. It's okay to indulge a little occasionally-the key is balance. Eating in moderation allows you to enjoy your favorite foods while ensuring your baby's health. Prioritize nutrition and drinking enough water. And don't hesitate to consult a lactation consultant if you're concerned about your diet and how it may affect your breastfeeding.

Increase Your Milk Supply by Adding Pumping

In addition to nutritious and healthy food to boost milk supply, you can also combine a manual/ electric breast pump to increase milk production. An electric breast pump will create a sucking motion similar to when a baby sucks, from which the brain will receive a signal and increase the production of the hormone prolactin. Prolactin will go deep into the blood and stimulate the mammary glands to produce more milk.

Electric pumps offer adjustable suction speeds and massage modes, making them less tiring than manual options. The best breast pump features should include customizable settings to find your ideal pumping routine, hospital-grade suction strength, and comfortable flanges that fit correctly. For moms in the UK, there are several popular brands, such as LolaLykke, Medela, Elvie, and more.

Wrap Up 

Taking care of your diet is key to staying healthy and boosting your milk supply. Focus on including breastfeeding-friendly foods like whole grains, lean meats, healthy fats, leafy greens, and vegetables. You can also try lactation-boosting options to support milk production. These choices help increase milk supply, give you the energy you need, and contribute to your baby's healthy development.

Breastfeeding can be both challenging and deeply rewarding. Remember, motherhood isn't a race-it's a beautiful journey. Cherish every moment with your baby, and care for yourself. You deserve it!

Ref: 

Kominiarek, M. A., & Rajan, P. (2016). Nutrition recommendations in pregnancy and lactation. The Medical Clinics of North America, 100(6), 1199-1215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2016.06.004 


By Team: Lolalykke


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