Best Foods for Breastfeeding with Delicious Recipes to Nourish You and Your Baby

The best foods for breastfeeding include those that not only provide your baby with key nutrients, but that also support your own nutrition needs postpartum. Breastfeeding is demanding. Your body requires more calories, protein, hydration, and micronutrients to sustain milk production and support postpartum recovery. In this post, we’ll share our top foods for breastfeeding moms, including delicious, easy recipes to help you thrive during this important season.

Why Nutrition Matters During Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding increases nutrient demands significantly, with energy needs increasing by roughly 400-500 calories per day. More importantly, breastfeeding moms need specific nutrients like protein, healthy fats (especially omega-3s like DHA), B vitamins, choline, iron, calcium, and iodine. The foods that combine these nutrients help fuel your energy, support hormone balance, enrich your breast milk, and even enhance your baby’s development. 

Nutrient composition in breast milk depends on maternal stores and intake of these key nutrients. Insufficient intake of choline, DHA, or iodine, for example, can reduce levels in breast milk, which are especially important for your baby’s brain development. Nutrient-dense whole foods are the best way to meet these needs and support your own healing, energy, and nutrient replenishment.

Top Foods to Support Breastfeeding

1. Oats

Oats are a breastfeeding staple thanks to their fiber content and traditional use as a galactagogue. Galactogogues are foods and substances that increase breast milk supply. Oats contain a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which supports healthy prolactin levels, a hormone essential for milk production. Oats also serve as a complex carbohydrate source, helping fuel postpartum recovery and mom life!

For a fiber-rich and satisfying meal or snack, check out this Creamy Blueberry Oat Bran Protein Porridge, which you can whip up in minutes. For a sweet treat to enjoy alongside a balanced meal that can help support milk supply, you’ll love these Gluten-Free Heart Cookies.

2. Salmon & Sardines

Fatty fish like wild-caught salmon and sardines are rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, especially DHA. DHA is an essential fatty acid that we have to get through food or supplements. DHA is critical for your baby’s brain and eye development, both in utero and during infancy. In addition to omega-3 fats, salmon and sardines are also excellent sources of protein and B vitamins. 

Protein is imperative for wound healing after labor and delivery, and balancing blood sugar levels for more sustained energy levels. B vitamins are essential nutrients for energy production and liver detoxification. Get your omega-3s in with these delicious Pineapple Salmon Skewers, paired with your favorite veggie. Sardines are an easy addition to any type of salad, or try this Sardine Spread with Cucumbers for a protein-packed snack. 

3. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens like arugula, kale, and Swiss chard are rich in calcium, magnesium, folate, and antioxidants. Vitamins and minerals like these are important to replenish, given the extent to which they can be depleted throughout pregnancy. Antioxidants that leafy greens contain help combat oxidative stress, which is especially important for those with postpartum thyroiditis.

We often hear about the importance of folate during pregnancy, but folate also plays an important role postpartum for mood, energy, and recovery. Beyond a salad, leafy greens are great to add to a smoothie for additional fiber and micronutrients. Check out our Detoxification Smoothie, packed with your dark leafy green of choice baby kale is a personal favorite), Hormone Potion inositol for thyroid support, and sunflower lecithin for a natural source of choline!

4. Eggs

Eggs (especially pasture-raised eggs) are packed with fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A and D, B vitamins, and other essential nutrients like choline. Choline is critical during pregnancy to support your baby’s brain and nervous system development, but its importance continues into infancy.

During pregnancy, women need 450 mg (milligrams) of choline per day. That requirement increases to 550 mg when breastfeeding. Unfortunately, many women are falling short of these requirements. 

One egg yolk provides about 150 mg of choline. Aim to consume 3 eggs per day to give you 450 mg of choline, and pair that with additional choline sources throughout the day, such as quinoa or animal-based proteins like beef. Prep a batch of hardboiled eggs for the week or enjoy this Avocado & Smoked Salmon Omelette paired with your fruit of choice.

5. Bone Broth

Bone broth is rich in gut-healing, hormone-supportive, and joint-loving nutrients including collagen, glycine, and hydrating minerals like sodium and potassium. Glycine is an amino acid, or protein building block, that supports tissue healing and a healthy gut lining. It also helps control inflammation, which we know naturally increases after labor and delivery. Together these nutrients support hydration, tissue repair, and digestion – all of which are key for postpartum healing. 

One of our favorite bone broth brands is Kettle & Fire (follow this link to save 20%!) if we aren’t making our own. Bone broth is wonderful to sip on as a warming beverage. It can also be used as the base of any soup, like this Lentil, Fennel, and Turkey Meatball Soup, which features two galactogogue foods: lentils and fennel!

6. Lentils & Beans

Legumes like lentils and beans are galactogogues that are great to include in your diet while breastfeeding. They also are fantastic sources of plant-based protein, fiber, iron, minerals, and the B vitamin folate. Recall just how important fiber and protein are to support healing and sustained energy levels. 

Legumes are a good source of non-heme iron, which is plant-based iron that is more difficult for our bodies to absorb compared to heme iron from animal sources. Opt for soaking and pressure cooking your legumes (or purchasing a brand that does this, like Eden Foods) to decrease the concentration of nutrients that inhibit iron absorption. Further improve the absorption of non-heme iron by combining legumes with vitamin C-rich foods like citrus. We can’t get enough of this Lemony White Bean, Quinoa & Dandelion Salad, packed with fiber and antioxidants.

7. Seaweed & Kelp

Seaweed, kelp, and other sea vegetables are among the richest natural sources of iodine. Iodine is critically important for maternal thyroid health, with needs increasing from 150 mcg (micrograms) to 290 mcg per day when breastfeeding. Iodine is also essential for your baby’s thyroid and brain development, with iodine deficiency impairing infant growth and cognition. 

That being said, we also don’t want iodine levels that are too high, as this can also pose a problem for thyroid function. Enjoy organic kelp granules or seaweed snacks in moderation. Check out our go-to Herbal Cruciferous ACV Salad, loaded with functional foods like apple cider vinegar, cruciferous vegetables, fresh garlic, and kelp flake seasoning for a savory mineral-rich boost.

8. Beef Liver & Ancestral Blend Ground Beef

Beef liver is one of the most concentrated sources of bioavailable vitamin A, B vitamins (especially B12 and folate), choline, and iron. All of these nutrients are vital for your baby’s health and for postpartum healing, energy, and hormone production. 

We totally get it if eating liver isn’t your thing – that’s where ancestral meat blends come in, like our favorite from Force of Nature. In addition to being 100% pasture-raised and regeneratively sourced, their Ancestral Blend serves as a simple swap for ground beef and tastes just like it too! Try these Gluten-Free Enchiladas with Ancestral Beef for a nutrient-dense, family-friendly dinner. 

Looking for Functional Nutrition Support Postpartum?

We know that nourishing yourself well while breastfeeding can be a challenge. Any way that you can integrate more of these nutrient-dense foods into your diet is a win for both you and your baby! 

Looking for more food-as-medicine guidance and hormone-supportive recipes for this postpartum season? Our Inflammation Hormony group program is for you! In the program, we provide you with nutrition and lifestyle tools and strategies to help calm postpartum inflammation. Join the waitlist today for our next live program in August – we can’t wait to see you!

Written by Romana Brennan, MS, RDN