What Should a Breastfeeding Mother Eat?

You should be very careful about your nutrition during breastfeeding, so do not rush to lose the weight you gained during pregnancy. During breastfeeding, your body is ready to produce all the food your baby needs in the first 4 to 6 months. “What should a nursing mother eat?” We have prepared a detailed guide for you.

Help your body, pay attention to your diet while breastfeeding, make the most of this miraculous period that comes with breast milk!

4 principles of nutrition during breastfeeding

1. First of all, let’s say this: Of course, it is important to feed on foods that make breast milk, but it is also very effective to eat which food, how often and in what quantity.
2. During breastfeeding, you should consume the right amount of all nutrients. You should eat 6 meals a day, 3 main and 3 snacks.
3. You should stay away from foods containing additives such as salami, sausage, sausage.
4. Instead of ready-made fruit juices and acidic drinks, you should prefer freshly squeezed fruit juices.

What foods make milk?

Below are the non-gas-producing foods that increase breast milk;

• Green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach and especially dill
• Legumes such as chickpeas, beans, kidney beans,
• Nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds containing rich oils,
• Garlic,
• Cumin,
• Oat,
• Old cheese.

How should fluid intake be during lactation?

• The more water, the more energy! So, how many liters of water should a nursing mother drink per day? You should drink at least 2 liters of water a day while breastfeeding. By the way, water also increases breast milk.
• Of course, fluid intake during breastfeeding should not be limited to just water. Apricot and quince compote, you can also drink milk if it does not cause gas.
• Another drink that increases milk is fennel and chamomile tea. How to make fennel tea to increase milk, what are the benefits of fennel here: 
• What should a nursing mother drink, let’s make a final suggestion. Thanks to barley, malt beverages are also very good at increasing milk.

What should you consume during breastfeeding?

• Protein: You need 60-70 grams of protein a day. There is plenty of protein in boiled eggs, fish, chicken, red meat and legumes.
• Calcium: You need 1300 mlg of calcium per day. You can get the calcium you need from skim milk, yogurt, cheese, and green leafy vegetables.
• Carbohydrates: During this period when you need a lot of energy, wheat, bran or oat bread, pasta, rice pilaf and couscous will come to your aid.
• Iron: 20 mg of iron a day will help you fight anemia and fatigue. Include red meat and legumes in your diet.
• Healthy fats: Omega-3 and omega 6 fats are very important for the baby’s intelligence development. Fish, walnuts, keyten seeds are among the foods you should consume.
• Vitamins and minerals: It is a good idea to talk to your doctor to continue vitamin D supplementation. From which foods you can get other vitamins and minerals, check the table:

Biotin	35 mcg	Liver, vegetables and red meat
choline	550 mcg	Milk, liver, eggs, peanuts
C vitamin	120 mg	Citrus, tomatoes, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach
vitamin A	1300 mcg	Liver, dairy products, fish, leafy green vegetables
B6 vitamins	1,6 mg	Cereals and breakfast cereals, offal, fortified soy meats
Vitamin B12	2,8 mcg	Cereals and cereals, meat, fish, chicken
E vitamins	19 mg	Vegetable oils, unprocessed grains, nuts, seeds, fruit and meats
Chromium	45 mcg	Chicken, meat, fish
Copper	1300 mcg	Seafood, nuts, seeds, wheat bran, whole grains, cocoa
Iodine	290 mcg	Seafood, iodized salt
Manganese	2,6 mg	Nuts, legumes, tea, whole grains
Selenium	60 mcg	Offal, seafood
Zinc	12 mg	Cereals and cereals, meat, seafood

5 foods that should be on the nutrition list of breastfeeding mothers

1. Oily fish

Omega-3-rich fatty fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon are essential for breastfeeding mothers as well as during pregnancy. Necessary for your baby’s brain development. It is also very effective in preventing postpartum depression. To avoid exposure to excessive amounts of mercury, you’d better limit your fish consumption to 340 grams per week.

2. And

You may experience iron deficiency due to postpartum blood loss. In addition, all meats contain body-repairing proteins. This is necessary for the body to recover and strengthen after birth. Therefore, “What should breastfeeding mothers eat?” In response to the question, we can say that you should definitely include meat in your diet menu.

1 portion (50-60 gr) of beef tenderloin or 3 pieces of cutlet can make up the daily meat menu.

3. Low-fat dairy products

Eat calcium-containing foods such as yogurt, milk and cheese to keep your bones strong. You can also get the calcium you need from green leafy vegetables, which you can steam less.

4. Whole grain breakfast cereal

Newborn baby care is not easy. When you cry and sleep, you lose a lot of energy, you probably feel tired. The energy you need is in whole-grain cereals. Especially oatmeal breakfast cereal increases your milk and gives you energy.

5. Fruits and vegetables

Of course, a nutrition program is unthinkable without them. Vegetables, which are rich in vitamins, also help the digestive system to work with the fibers in them. It is beneficial to consume all fruits and vegetables during breastfeeding as long as they do not cause gas. If we answer the question of which fruits should breastfeeding mothers eat, you can consume fruits other than citrus, melon and plum.

Sample one-day nutrition program for breastfeeding mothers

Here is the menu for breastfeeding mothers in Ayşe Öner’s book Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Care.

Morning	Snack	Lunch	Snack	Dinner	Before Bed
2 glasses of warm water as soon as you wake up	5 walnuts	1 bowl of soup	1 cup of nettle tea	1 bowl of soup	1 glass of honey and cinnamon milk
2 slices of toast	12 seasonal fruit or fruit compote in a medium bowl	1 plate of spinach with meat	1 thin slice of carrot cake (baked with wholemeal flour, molasses, and half a cup of oil)	1 portion of grilled fish	Fennel tea if gas problem
1 egg		2 slices of bread		Lots of green salad (with arugula, lettuce, tomato, lemon and olive oil)
Mixture of 1 tomato, cucumber, pepper and parsley with 1 teaspoon of olive oil		1 cup of low-fat yogurt		Thin slice of tahini halva
30 g fat-free cheese, 30 g aged cheddar
1 glass of freshly squeezed juice

Can diet be done while breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding diet is on the agenda of many mothers who want to lose weight as soon as possible after giving birth. But during this period, the baby needs to be fed very well. Moreover, it requires a lot of energy. Better put weight loss on your agenda after breastfeeding. If you are going to diet, you need to proceed with a balanced diet program.