Hey Mama's!
As you have found this blog, I will assume that you’ve chosen to breastfeed and you may be experiencing some confusion about how to provide the best nutrition for you and your baby... or maybe you’re just looking to make small improvements.
Whilst you don’t have to have the PERFECT diet during breastfeeding it helps to have a healthy balanced food intake, the bottom line is what you eat contributes to the composition of your breast milk. It even affects the taste which helps to build your baby's palette![1]
But try to remember, your health is important too!
Protein..
Protein is essential to meet your baby’s growth needs [10] and to maintain your own muscle mass.[11] The main function of protein is to create, grow and repair tissues in the body. There are 20 types of amino acids which form variable chains by peptide bonds to build dipeptides (two amino acids), tripeptides (three) and polypeptides (Many!) to then assemble and create a wide range of proteins. Our bodies are unable to create 9 of these, so we must look to our diet to gain the essential amino acids. Meat products contain a complete protein profile (which basically means all 9 are there!) but good news for plant-based eaters is that so does tofu and quinoa. You can also use protein complementation to create a complete protein, for example... combining brown rice with black beans. When our bodies break down proteins, the amino acids are either used in the creation of new molecules such as DNA, hormones and neurotransmitters or our body reassembles them to create larger protein structures such as muscles.[12]
Fats..
I’ll start by making a point that you don’t need to avoid fats, you just need to choose the right ones.
There are four types of dietary fats:
Saturated
- Made up of carbon chains that are all single bonded with hydrogen
- Found in butter, ghee, coconut oil, cured meats, sausage, bacon, cheese
Trans
- made by hydrogenising unsaturated carbon chains to add hydrogen to the double bonds to saturate the molecule
- can sometimes be naturally occurring
- Found in fried food, packaged foods, frozen pizzas, crackers and margarine and some meat products.
Monounsaturated (MUFA)
- carbon chains that contain one double carbon bond
- Found in olive oil, olives, peanut oil, avocado, pumpkin seeds and pecans.
Polyunsaturated (PUFA)
- carbon chains with many double carbon bonds form complex shapes
- found in soybeans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, flaxseeds and oily fish like salmon.
Which ones do you avoid?
Saturated fat has little found benefits for your body and has been linked to obesity and cardiovascular concerns, so you should keep consumption to a minimum- less than 11% of daily intake.[13]
Trans fat has been found to have no benefits to the human body and increases LDLs- low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) along with decreasing HDLs- high-density lipoproteins (good cholesterol), this all leads to an increase in risk for stroke and cardiovascular disease. This has thankfully been removed from most products, but it is occasionally used in small amounts to extend shelf life.
What should you choose?
MUFA and PUFA have been shown to increase HDLs and decrease LDLs which decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Omega-3 and omega-6 are essential PUFAs which our bodies can’t make, which positively affect our immune system, cell growth, blood clotting and hormone production.
Dietary fat also provides insulation and aids the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K.[14]
Key Minerals..
Minerals with increased importance during lactation:
Calcium- 1000mg
Magnesium- 320mg
Iodine- 290mcg
Choline-550mg
Calcium and magnesium are both important to recover and maintain bone density, along with magnesium being important in many biochemical reactions to support the immune system and nerve function. These minerals are passed through your breast milk to support your baby's bone growth, nerve and muscle function.
Calcium can be found in dairy products and fortified alternatives, almonds, black beans and lentils. Magnesium can be found in Wholegrains such as brown rice and oats, bananas, black and kidney beans, and nuts and seeds like cashews and pumpkin seeds.[17]
Iodine helps to make thyroid hormones to maintain the health of the body cells and metabolism. This can be found in milk and eggs, fish, shellfish and some cereals and grains.[18]
Choline is used by the body as acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential to muscle control, mood, cognitive functions, cell structure, metabolism maintenance and the break down and transport of fats from the liver. Choline is important for early brain development for your little one! Sources of this include beef liver, eggs, soybeans, chicken, cod, shiitake mushrooms and brussels sprouts.[19]
Calories..
You require around 340-400 more calories than before.[2] Choosing nutrient dense foods will help to keep you in good health and prevent maternal malnutrition due to the depletion of your nutrient stores from the production of breastmilk.[3]
So, how do you do this?
The average adult female requires around 2000kcals a day. This puts your energy needs at around 2340-2400kcals a day.[4] Calories provide energy to enable your body to function correctly.[5]
Now let's break that down into the amounts of macronutrients you need from your food...
Keeping in mind that carbohydrates provide 4kcals per gram, protein provide 4kcals per gram and fats provide 9kcals per gram [6]. The daily carbohydrate recommendations are 342g (1368kcals), with a 35g fibre intake. Protein recommendations are 86g(344kcals), Fats are 76g(684kcals)- this figure relates to the healthy fats only as saturated fats are recommended to be as low as possible.[7]
Fibre..
Soluble fibre can be dissolved in water and forms a gel like substance which softens the stool whereas insoluble fibre can only be partially digested, this aids in moving content along within the digestive tract. This prevents constipation, slows digestion, regulates blood sugar, increases satiety (Keeps us fuller for longer) and it also reduces the cholesterol that is absorbed by the body. Fibre is found in the skins and seeds of fruit and veg, whole grains, legumes and pulses.
Resistant starches can't be broken down in the small intestine and are instead fermented in the large intestine by bacteria, this produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which can improve the immune system function, gut lining and mental health, this is found in cooked and cooled rice/potatoes, barley, oats and legumes.[8]
Carbohydrates..
Carbohydrates are the preferred energy source by most of your cells, and they are essential to the functioning of your brain as its only energy source is glucose.
There are 3 types of carbohydrates these are monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.[8]
I know, you're thinking why are you telling me this. I just want to know what foods are good for me and my baby?!
These different types of carbohydrates affect your blood glucose levels and ultimately your overall health and function. Simple carbohydrates consist of a singular molecule (Monosaccharides) in the form of glucose-which comes from grains and pasta, fructose- which comes from fruit, veg and honey and galactose- which comes from dairy. Disaccharides are also classified as simple carbs, these are lactose (dairy), sucrose (sugar beet, cane sugar) and maltose (molasses, beer). They provide a rapid release of energy and quickly causes an increase in blood sugar due to how easy they are to break down. Complex carbs are polysaccharides and include starch and fibre, they’re found in whole grain foods, legumes and vegetables and are often more nutritious. As they take longer to break down, there’s a gradual release of energy and a steadier rise in blood sugar. Carbs are broken down in the small intestine and converted into glucose and either used immediately or transported to the liver to be stored as glycogen for future use.[9]
Key Vitamins..
Some vitamins are recommended to be increased during breastfeeding:
Vitamin A (retinol)- 950µg
Vitamin B1 (thiamin) - 1mg
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)- 1.6mg
Vitamin B3 (niacin)- 15mg
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)- 2µg
Folate- 260µg
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)- 70mg
Vitamin D- 10µg
Vitamin A aids in healthy structure and function of the skin, vision, growth and the immune system. Sources of this are: liver, cheese, butter, green leafy vegetable, orange-coloured fruits and vegetables such as carrots and apricots.
The B vitamins have similar roles as they all contribute to the healthy functioning of the nervous system and help the body to release energy from foods. Good sources of these are mainly animal products such as meat, dairy and fish. They can also be found in fortified cereals, some nuts, wholegrains and fruits such as bananas.
Extra folate is required as your folate reserves are depleted by the breastmilk requirements. Folate has an important role in the formation of healthy blood cells. It can be found in leafy green vegetables, broccoli, brussels sprouts, peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, liver and fortified cereals.
Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium an contributes to bones health, along with increasing immune function and aiding in the prevention of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Sources of this include oily fish, eggs and fortified cereals.[15]
Vitamin C maintains cellular health, promotes wound healing and helps in the absorption of iron. Found in citrus fruit. Research has shown that dietary sources of vitamin C has more influence on the levels of this vitamin in breastmilk than supplements.[16]
Hydration..
Water regulates temperature, facilitates waste removal and is vital to keeping our cell function healthy.[20] Your need for water increases to be around 3.8 Litres per day, this keeps you hydrated and replaces the extra fluid used to create the breast milk. Of course, not everybody likes to drink water so you can always add fruit juices and other fluids into the mix but make sure to keep them as low in sugar as you can![21]
Hopefully, this blog has given you some food for thought and you now can build a nutritious plate and improve you and your family’s health! Just for ease, I added a plan for you below![22]
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