When you are a new mom and you are breastfeeding, sometimes eating is the last thing on your mind, however, in order to keep a healthy breastmilk flow, it is of huge importance to eat a healthy and balanced diet. Doing so will reflect on your health, your breastmilk, and your baby’s development.
As we mentioned in our blog post if you are breastfeeding, you will burn an extra 500 calories a day, which is great if you are looking to shed some pounds but can easily cause malnutrition if you are not providing yourself with the nutrients you need.
A Balanced diet for breastfeeding moms includes:
Wholegrain organic starchy foods such as: Potatoes, Brown Rice, Cereals and a small amount of organic wholegrain Bread
Protein: Lean organic mean, such as free-range organic chicken, fish ( wild caught if possible), organic eggs.
Fruit and vegetables: Your diet should be made 50% or more of fruit and vegetables. Especially recommended are leafy greens such as lettuce, kale, spinach, so make sure to include at least two portions of these greens in your daily meal plan. Remember: Always keep your fruit and vegetables organic!
Cooking can become an impossible task if you are a mom, that's why we recommend planning ahead. When your baby is having a nap, make a weekly plan of what your meals will look like so you can buy the ingredients accordingly and food prep ahead so that you and your family always have a nutritious fast meal available. No time to grocery shop? Try using a service like Instacart or Amazon Prime Now to have your groceries delivered! Your food plan can look anything like this:
Monday
Start your day with a green smoothie. Green smoothies are a great ally when talking about lactation-boosting foods. They are easy to be prepared ahead so you can simply throw the ingredients in the blender and consume it in less than two minutes. Here is a great recipe for a green lactation smoothie: https://detoxinista.com/green-lactation-smoothie/ It will boost your metabolism, help you stay healthy, provide you with lots of great nutrition!
Breakfast: Organic Oatmeal with blueberries and organic yogurt ( no prep needed and done in less than 5 minutes). Many nursing moms go to Oatmeal to help boost breastmilk supply, but this can get a bit boring after a while so we suggest to switch it up a bit and also try alternatives such as whole grain toast with cream cheese, fruit, and nuts.
If you get hungry before lunch, snack on anything like: Organic Yogurt, nuts, fruit, string cheese or anything healthy that your body is craving!
Lunch: Organic lean chicken breast marinated in lemon and herbs with a side garden green salad. Again, the salads can be prepared ahead and stored safely in mason jars and will stay fresh in your fridge up to 7 days. Here are some great salad ideas in a mason jar: https://hurrythefoodup.com/how-to-pack-a-salad-in-a-jar/
Snack: Homemade ( or store-bought) hummus with baby carrots and cucumber or celery sticks with almond butter. You can prepare the vegetables ahead also, and store them in the fridge. An easy small meal that you can snack on all afternoon.
Dinner: The lean protein of your choice with steamed vegetables such as Broccoli and potatoes. An easy dinner is also to simply put your protein and your vegetables in the oven with some seasoning and organic olive oil and bake until ready.
Once you have your weekly meal plan ready, you just need to plan 1-2 hours food preparation and you will be all set for quick meals during the week. Remember to always listen to your body, and give in to healthy cravings and most importantly drink plenty of water.
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