Diet and breastfeeding: What you need to know

There’s a lot of confusion about how your diet and breastfeeding habits impact your baby’s health—and your own. Here’s what you need to know.

November 11, 2019

As a new mother, it’s common to have questions about diet and breastfeeding. Breastfeeding offers numerous benefits to you and your baby. It helps your little one grow strong, enhances their immune system, and contributes to a powerful bond between mother and child. 

That said, many breastfeeding women say they’re unclear about the recommended guidelines for nutrition and nursing. As with any topic related to pregnancy and motherhood, there are many myths about this subject. From mommy blogs to parenting magazines, it can seem like everyone has a different opinion! 

To help you understand the truth about diet and breastfeeding, we’ve compiled some of the most frequently asked questions below. 

Do nursing moms need extra calories? 

Breastfeeding can make you feel like your body (still) isn’t yours, especially when your baby is experiencing growth spurts. 

Your baseline caloric needs will vary depending on your activity level, weight, and overall health. Listen to your body—and observe your baby’s. If you’re producing enough milk for your baby and you’re not feeling hungrier than usual, there’s no need to consume extra calories. But breastfeeding alone burns 200–500 extra calories per day, so some health and nutrition experts advise breastfeeding women to increase caloric intake accordingly—or at least to maintain it. 

In general, though, the quality of your diet while you’re breastfeeding is more important than the number of calories you consume each day. Make sure you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, protein, and fiber in your diet. If you’re going to increase your calorie count, make sure you’re getting the extra calories from healthy foods. 

What foods can I eat while breastfeeding?

Good news! Unless you have food allergies or your doctor has instructed you to avoid specific foods for health reasons, new moms can eat almost whatever they want while breastfeeding. There are no foods that are outright “banned” for breastfeeding. 

However, there are certain foods that may be more beneficial during breastfeeding. The best diet for nursing includes a balance of healthy, nutritious foods such as:

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Low-fat meat and wild-caught seafood
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Fatty acid foods like eggs and avocados
  • Whole grains

You may also need to up your calcium intake, as some studies suggest that breastfeeding depletes it, and don’t forget to keep taking your prenatal vitamin! 

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, it’s OK to have other sweets or junk food items just as it’s OK to have them when you’re not breastfeeding. While they aren’t the cornerstones of a healthy diet, that’s not why they exist! 

What foods should breastfeeding moms avoid?

Often, women hear that they ought to avoid certain foods while breastfeeding, including spicy foods, “gassy” vegetables, acidic foods such as citrus, and garlic. Although foods with very strong flavors can change the taste of your milk, they won’t harm your baby, and most babes aren’t affected by these flavors. Sometimes, the foods that women are told to avoid while nursing actually have more to do with the impact on mom than on the baby! 

The proportion of babies that are allergic to something their mom consumes is actually surprisingly low (a little over 1 percent), and cow’s milk, egg, corn, and soy are the most common culprits, not the spicy or overly pungent foods many new moms instinctively avoid. 

Of course, if your child shows reluctance to nurse after you’ve consumed a particular food, that’s when you want to do a little detective work and cut that item from your diet. However, unless instructed otherwise by your doctor, there’s no medical reason to blacklist any specific food.

How will I know if my baby is allergic to something I’m eating?

If a baby is allergic to something in your milk, the most common reaction is excessive vomiting, a rash, blood in their stool, or congestion that won’t go away. If your baby experiences fussiness after eating, explosive stools, or is bringing their knees to their chest, this could be a sign that they have a food sensitivity or allergy to something you’re consuming. 

If you think something is wrong, seek professional medical attention. Chances are, a doctor will instruct you to cut certain things out of your diet before reintroducing them gradually to pinpoint exactly what’s causing your babe’s digestive issues. 

What about peanuts? 

Peanut allergies are really scary (as are many others), especially given that the incidence of peanut allergies has been rising and it’s not yet clear how to prevent them. So thinking about peanut allergies is reasonable but not something to be overly worried about. If you are, talk to your pediatrician. It’s a complicated issue, but one study showed that babies who were introduced to peanuts via breastmilk and directly introduced to peanuts again within their first year of life showed the lowest risk of peanut sensitivity when compared to all other combos of maternal and infant peanut consumption. So this is one instance where it may be OK to cave to your PB&J craving! 

Do certain foods increase milk production? 

If you’re trying to increase your milk supply, certain foods may help. First, make sure you’re drinking enough water. Then, slowly introduce more of the following foods into your diet:

  • Oats
  • Garlic
  • Carrots
  • Yams and sweet potatoes
  • Leafy greens
  • Sesame seeds

What about alcohol and caffeine? 

For many women, giving up alcohol and caffeine is one of the biggest challenges of being pregnant. Now that your baby has finally arrived, you may be very eager to finally have that cup o’ joe or glass of wine, and wondering if you can consume these substances while breastfeeding.

When it comes to caffeine, in moderation, coffee is fine. Experts generally recommend staying under 300 mg of caffeine per day while breastfeeding, or about two and a half eight-ounce cups of coffee. Remember that caffeine is also found in foods like chocolate.

As for alcohol, most doctors and other experts advise breastfeeding moms to limit their consumption to one serving of wine or beer and to wait at least two hours before breastfeeding after you’ve been drinking. 

If you’re planning to drink more, pump enough milk ahead of time so you can feed your baby while you wait for the alcohol to leave your system. The old “pump and dump” advice, while catchy, isn’t actually necessary, unless you need to wait to feed your baby and want to maintain your supply. In general, it takes about two hours for one serving of alcohol to leave your bloodstream, although factors like weight affect this rate.

Can I diet to lose weight while nursing? 

Unless your doctor has advised you to lose weight right away for health reasons, breastfeeding women shouldn’t go on a diet. Your body needs time to recover from labor and adjust to lactation. 

Kelly Mom reports that the average woman burns 200–500 extra calories per day by breastfeeding. As a result, you’re likely to begin losing weight whether or not you go on a specific diet. After the second month of breastfeeding, most women naturally lose 1.5 pounds per week.

Dieting can be physically and emotionally draining for many women, and breastfeeding is hard enough! 

However, if you do choose to diet for weight loss while nursing, go slowly and be gentle with yourself. Avoid fasting, juice cleanses, and other restrictive “fad” diets. Never consume diet pills or herbal weight loss “remedies” while breastfeeding. 

Can I remain a vegan/vegetarian and breastfeed?

Some vegans and vegetarians wonder if they’ll have to change their diet while breastfeeding, but as long as you’re consuming enough calories, carbs, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals, you should be fine. Speak with your healthcare professional to ensure you’re getting enough vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids—if you’re not getting enough through the foods you eat, your doctor may want you to start taking supplements. 

Diet and breastfeeding: Important for your health and your baby’s 

As always, if you have questions or concerns about diet and breastfeeding, talk to your doctor, midwife, baby’s pediatrician, or lactation consultant. Then, listen to your body. Eat a healthy, balanced diet but don’t stress out with too many restrictions. If you choose to diet to lose weight, wait until after the second month of breastfeeding and go slowly, avoiding fads like cleanses.


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