Nutrition and Breastfeeding: Does your diet affect the milk you make?

Posted August 3, 2016

Working with families in the postpartum period, I get many questions about how a mother’s diet can affect breastfeeding. Some of the most common questions I get are: What should I eat and what should I avoid? I often witness a wave of relief rush over mothers when I respond with, there are no rules!

Food Guidelines?

Many moms are told that eating certain foods will result in a fussier baby. Some of these include chocolate, cabbage, broccoli, and citrus fruits. The cases where a mother’s diet causes negative outcomes in her baby, are not very common. That said, it doesn’t make sense to create a set of rules for all breastfeeding mothers to abide by. Many cultures have traditional ways of supporting new mothers in the postpartum period and food often plays a big part of that care. Having lived in South East Asia, I can say I have worked with families from a wide variety of backgrounds and have come to appreciate the different traditions that exist to nourish new moms as they nourish their infants. It is fine if a mother chooses to honour recommendations passed down within her culture, as long as she is comfortable and doesn’t feel restricted. But for those who are happy to hear it- eat what you want from a variety of foods!

Milk Production and Quality

I am also frequently asked: What foods should I eat to increase my milk production and quality? The recommendation I give my breastfeeding patients is the same I give all my patients. Do your best to eat a rainbow of colours from fruits and vegetables each day, include protein in your snacks and meals and limit refined sugar intake. If you are getting a variety of foods, then there is usually no question that you’ll be meeting your needs and will make nutrient rich breast milk. While breastfeeding, your appetite is likely to go up as your caloric needs increase but understand that significantly increasing your food or drink intake will not influence your milk supply unless you were malnourished to begin with.

Nutrients

While your body takes from you what it needs to make quality breast milk, there are some nutrients to consider that are affected by diet and nutritional status.

B Vitamins: B Vitamins are water-soluble and can potentially be deficient in breast milk if a mother’s diet is low in them. For those who are not continuing to take a prenatal vitamin, B vitamins can be obtained through from leafy greens, legumes, oats, walnuts and eggs to name a few.

Vitamin D: The level of Vitamin D in breast milk is also influenced by the mother and her levels. Many factors affect Vitamin D levels including where one lives, time spent outdoors in the sun, and skin pigmentation. Given this, many pediatric societies recommend supplementation to breastfeeding infants to make sure they are getting adequate amounts. High doses of vitamin D to the mother have also been shown to increase the levels in her breast milk.

Fats: The type of fat in breast milk, not the amount of fat, is influenced by the food a mother is eating. When one consumes more saturated and trans fats from the diet, the breast milk will reflect this. However when one consumes unsaturated fats, which should make up the majority of fats we consume, those will be the dominant fats in the breast milk.

Boosting Milk Supply

A follow-up question I often hear is, What foods can I eat to boost my milk supply? Well, this is an area of growing interest. While there are a lack of scientific studies, the use of herbs and foods to increase milk supply have been used since ancient times and certainly cultures all over the world have made contributions to this body of knowledge. Common cooking herbs that are believed to help in milk production include anise, caraway, coriander, dill, fennel, and fenugreek. Papaya, ginger, garlic, oatmeal, and soups made with mullungay leaves are foods traditionally believed to increase milk supply but there are many others!

More often, its the factors other than nutrition, such as stress levels, that can have a greater affect on the milk supply. I always emphasize eating foods that make you feel relaxed and nourished as the best place to start.

Of course if you have any concerns about your diet and if it is causing issues for your little one, reach out for support from your local lactation consultant!

Laura’s passion for the environment, global health, and maternal and newborn care led her down her path to become a Naturopathic Doctor and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). After completing a Bachelors degree in psychology, she went on study Natruopathic Medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) in Toronto. It was during that time she was introduced to Dr. Jack Newman’s International Breastfeeding Centre and the amazing work they do to help families achieve their breastfeeding goals. Realizing Lactation medicine was the missing piece she was looking for in her training and understanding the value of qualified lactation support, she decided to enrol and complete the necessary steps to become an IBCLC.

Laura sees herself as a community mobilizer and humanitarian. While at CCNM, she was very fortunate to complete a clinical externship in Haiti at a birth centre through Naturopaths Without Borders. It was there that her desire to serve moms and babies grew, and where she saw the power of breastfeeding in decreasing infant morbidity and mortality. The clinical focus in her private practise is with women in the postpartum period, supporting their transition into motherhood, guiding them with feeding support, and promoting infant mental health. She has worked in Thailand as a private consultant and with the Bangkok Child Protection project, a UNHCR funded initiative through Jesuit Refugee Services, where she provided case work support, needs assessments, and health education to unaccompanied minors.

Laura currently calls Toronto home where she lives with her husband and their two young children. She sees patients part-time and is developing online courses for new parents. Her current course, Prenatal Breastfeeding Companion, is an introductory breastfeeding course for parents-to-be which goes over all the essentials and includes a Facebook support group for members. 15% of the profits made on the course are currently going toward an amazing NGO called Nurture Project International who are working in Greece to support safe infant feeding with refugee families.