Top 5 foods to prioritize in your diet as a postpartum, breastfeeding parent
By Dr. Samantha Klim, ND, Trillium Naturopathic
The postpartum time is a very important chapter in the life of both Mother and Baby. Postpartum is a time of rapid physical, emotional and spiritual changes. It involves extreme energy expenditures to produce breastmilk and tons of nutrients being allocated to healing organs and tissues after giving birth- making it a time that nutrition is of utmost importance. Increased nutrient requirements continue long after the initial 6 weeks postpartum and all while breastfeeding it is essential to replete the postpartum body with nutrient dense foods that are supporting the ever changing body, producing nutrient dense breast milk that helps babies thrive, and keeps maternal nutrient stores optimal for long term health.
One of the most important aspects of nutrition while breastfeeding is optimizing blood sugar regulation. This requires regular meals, snacks and adequate fat and protein intake. The very common blood sugar roller coaster involves blood sugar dips followed by sugar and caffeine cravings, followed by blood sugar spikes, followed again by crashes that keep the cycle going and going. Breaking the cycle requires adequate meals and meal times, with plenty of fat and protein.
Fat is an overlooked but essential macronutrient for the breastfeeding parent. Human breastmilk is about 4% fat and most of those fats are originating from saturated fats in the diet. This fat is essential for babies health, but also for the nursing parent’s brain health, cellular repair and metabolic health. Fat soluble vitamins, only found in fat- specifically animal based fats- are also imperative for both Mom and Babies health. Part of optimizing nutrition for the breastfeeding parent is demystifying the common myths that fats or saturated fats are unhealthy for us. This is far from true, especially in this chapter of life.
The last point that I’d like to make before sharing some specific food recommendations is around the increased need for MANY essential Vitamins, Minerals and as already mentioned macronutrients like fat and protein. Breastmilk is rich in nutrients such as zinc, copper, selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, B vitamins including folate, iron and so much more. We need to be sure that the parent is consuming enough of these nutrients to not only make optimal breastmilk, but to also not completely drain their own stores overtime.
Now let’s explore 5 different foods (or more specific food groups) that every single postpartum and/or breastfeeding parent should be prioritizing in their diet. It goes without saying that staying well-nourished in this time does require proper support, planning and resourcing. If you are reading this while pregnant, I highly recommend taking the time to plan for and resource your postpartum journey. I work with people all the time in setting them up for success in their postpartum recovery.
1. Meat stock and/or collagenous meats
By now, we are all hip to how awesome collagen is. Our bodies need collagen to produce and repair connective tissue like ligaments, tendons, skin and mucous membranes- and it just so happens that the postpartum time requires A LOT of connective tissue/ collagen growth and repair. Consuming these foods that come from animal collagen really support this healing. Collagenous meats also contain different amino acids, more fat and more variety in nutrients compared to more lean muscle meats like chicken breast. Collagenous meats include meat that is close to or on a bone and/or has skin on it. Think things like chicken thighs or drum sticks, whole chicken, short ribs, bone in pork shoulder, oxtail, bone in roasts and more. Ideally, slow cooking them and also consuming the liquids they cook down into. Connective tissue holds skin to muscle and muscle to bone, so cooking those intact animal parts will include all those wonderful connective tissue nutrients. Similarly, meaty bones can be used to make meat stock which is tremendously nourishing and collagen rich. Meat stock is NOT bone broth and is a gelatinous stock made by slow cooking meaty bones for a few hours. You can make it as the base of your soups and stews, or simply sip the stock on its own for fantastic nourishment and hydration. Check out this blog post here to learn more about making meat stock. Making chicken noodle soup like your great grandmother will likely produce exactly what you are looking for.
2. Fermented vegetables
Everyone already knows fruits and veggies are an important part of a well balanced whole foods diet, but did you know that fermenting the vegetables makes them more nutrient dense, easier to digest AND obviously packs some health promoting probiotics! Digestion in the postpartum time is a bit sensitive and there are lots of things about the birth process that can impact gut health- so supporting the microbiome with lots of good bugs and eating more easily digestible foods is crucial. Some may find that eating raw veggies and salads leaves them feeling bloated and uncomfortable so eating fermented veggies in the form of sauerkraut, kimchee, pickled carrots and more will provide tons of good nutrients AND be more easily digested. Not to mention, the microbiome of the birthing and breastfeeding parent establishes the microbiome of the child- which research is confirming as a core foundation of lifelong health. If well tolerated, I would recommend including fermented foods with every meal!
3. Eggs
Eggs are a delicious and accessible powerhouse of nutrients that easily match the needs of a nursing parent. Egg whites provide ample protein while the egg yolks are rich in delicious and healthy omega-3 fatty acids and essential brain nutrients like choline. Eggs are a quick and easy thing to have prepared and can and should be a staple in the breastfeeding months or years. I recommend breastfeeding parents, especially in the early postpartum days to consume 3-4 whole eggs daily. A lot of people may have concerns around eggs being allergenic- and while a full discussion on that is outside the scope of this blog- I will say that often times sensitivity to eggs is a sign of an underlying gut health issue that can and should be addressed, rather than simply a food sensitivity or allergy.
4. Seafood
Seafood is such a rich source of nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere. Not all seafoods are created equal and we of course want to be reaching for the most nutrient dense, less contaminated options out there. That includes seafood like salmon, sardines, trout, cod and bivalve shellfish like mussels, clams and oysters. Those fatty fish will be a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, which are vital for brain of both baby and breastfeeding parent. These foods also contain nutrients like Selenium, Iodine and Zinc which are all essential for physical recovery, nutrient dense breastmilk and optimal thyroid function. I recommend consuming both fatty fish and shellfish every week for optimal intake of these nutrients.
5. Extra Fats
As already mentioned, fats are so pivotal to the health of both Mom and Baby postpartum. When babies are born, their brains are made of 60% fat, all of which is coming from the pregnant parent’s diet and/or tissue stores. Replenishing those fats and fat soluble vitamins will help prevent brain shrinkage, which literally happens after breastfeeding in the absence of adequate fat intake (aka, Mom brain is a real thing especially since most Women in America do not consume nearly enough fats or saturated fats!) Fat and all fat soluble nutrients are also essential for hormone production and cellular repair, not to mention they help regulate blood sugar and provide physical and emotional satiation (they are delicious!) I recommend cooking with plenty of fats and adding extra fats to almost everything else you are consuming. Especially in the early postpartum time, extra fats can provide sustained energy and a better sense of emotional stability. Some of the fats I am talking about adding more of include butter, ghee, tallow, lard, coconut oil, avocado oil, egg yolks, full fat dairy, cream, fatty fish and more.
Nutrition while breastfeeding might feel overwhelming- but a well nourished parent is foundational for a healthy, thriving family. I encourage everyone in the family system to work hard to keep the breastfeeding parent well fed and nourished at every step of the journey. Incorporating these core principles into daily eating will allow for faster recoveries after birth, healthier Moms and thriving babies.
Learn more about Dr. Samantha Klim and her work at Trillium Naturopathic
