Building a Healthy Meal Plan for Breastfeeding Moms

Nutrient-Dense Foods to Include

Nutrient-dense foods have a significant amount of vitamins and minerals relative to their calorie content. Eating a variety of these foods helps you meet your vitamin and mineral needs. Some of the best nutrient-dense foods include:

• Salmon

• Kale

• Potatoes

• Berries

• Eggs

• Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables 

• Beans and lentils

Iron-Rich Foods Like Boiled Eggs and Leafy Greens

Iron-rich foods help ensure adequate iron stores for yourself and your breastmilk. Iron needs decrease during lactation from 18mg/day to 9 mg/day. Your diet should include iron-rich foods to ensure your needs are met. These foods include:

• Tofu

• Pork

• Red meat

• Beans and lentils

• Fortified breakfast cereals

If you rely on plant-based sources of iron, eating them with vitamin C-containing foods like citrus fruits or juices, or bell peppers increases iron absorption.

Good Sources of Calcium

Calcium is important for the mother’s long-term bone health. Women, regardless of if they are lactating, should get 1,000 mg of calcium daily. The primary source of calcium is dairy products, but there are a lot of great alternatives to cow’s milk including:

• Tofu

• Cooked chard

• Cooked broccoli

• Calcium-fortified orange juice

• Plant-based milks fortified with calcium

• Dairy products like cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk

It’s possible to meet calcium needs from food if you are intentional. For reference, one eight-ounce cup of plain, low-fat yogurt contains 488 mg of calcium and a glass of two-percent milk has 350 mg of calcium. An eight-ounce glass of soy milk contains nearly 300 mg of calcium. 

When choosing a plant-based milk, the nutrition facts panel contains information on calcium. This lets you compare the options and choose one with the most calcium.

Healthy Fats: Nuts, Seeds, and Avocados

Including healthy, nutrient-dense fats in the mother’s diet provides an easy way to include additional healthy calories and nutrients. Some of the best sources of healthy fats are nuts, seeds, and avocados.

Nuts, seeds, and avocados contain healthy unsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Ground flaxseeds and chia seeds are good choices for omega-3 fatty acids, which help with the baby’s brain development. 

The Role of Hydration in Breastfeeding

Hydration helps the breastfeeding mother produce sufficient quantities of breastmilk while staying hydrated. The recommendation is 16 cups of water each day or 128 ounces. Drinking a glass of water with each meal and each time the mother breastfeeds is a simple rule to meet this goal. 

Some foods have a high water content and can help reach the goal. These foods include:

• Apples

• Celery

• Zucchini

• Peaches

• Tomatoes

• Cucumbers

• Watermelon

Sample 7-Day Meal Plan for Breastfeeding Moms

This 7-day meal plan is full of easy meal and snack ideas to help you and your baby get the nutrients you need without taking much preparation time. If you have allergies, dietary restrictions, or other medical conditions, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian about customizing this diet to your needs.

Day 1: Focus on Balanced Meals

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Fresh Berries and Chia Seeds

Breakfast is easy with Greek yogurt, berries, and chia seeds mixed in. This can also be made the night before for an even quicker breakfast.

Lunch: Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, and Feta

Mix sweet potatoes, spinach, and feta with cooked quinoa for a filling and nutritious meal. Quinoa is a whole grain with protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, and manganese.

Dinner: Baked Salmon with Brown Rice and Steamed Vegetables

Serve baked salmon with brown rice - a whole grain - and steamed vegetables for a balanced, nutrient-packed meal.

Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, protein, selenium, and B-12. Selenium helps with thyroid hormone production and DNA synthesis, while B-12 helps with red blood cell production and central nervous system regulation.

Snack: Nuts and Dried Fruit

Combine nuts and dried fruit for an easy snack. When choosing dried fruits, check the nutrition facts panel and select one with the lowest amount of added sugar, found under “Carbohydrates” on the label. 

Day 2: High Iron and Protein

Breakfast: Smoothie with Spinach, Banana, and Almond Milk

Make a filling and nutritious breakfast by blending calcium-fortified almond milk with a handful of spinach and a frozen banana. Blending rather than juicing retains the fiber in the fruits and vegetables, which helps with gastrointestinal health.

Lunch: Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew

A stew of chickpeas and sweet potatoes is filling and packed with protein, fiber, and iron. Choose low-salt chickpeas to keep your sodium under the 2,300 mg/day recommendation. 

Dinner: Grilled Chicken with Roasted Vegetables and Brown Rice

Grill a chicken breast and roast your favorite vegetables on the grill or in the oven. Serve with brown rice to add additional fiber.

Snack: Boiled Eggs

Hardboiled eggs make a quick and easy protein-filled snack. They can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

Day 3: Plant-Based Options

Breakfast: Oatmeal with Dried Fruit and Nuts

Oatmeal provides a fiber and protein-packed start to your day. Look for ones with the most fiber on the nutrition facts panel, like quick-cooking rolled oats or steel-cut oats. Top with dried fruit and nuts.

Lunch: Lentil Soup with Whole Wheat Bread

One cup of lentils provides 18 grams of plant-based protein. They also provide 16 grams of fiber. That’s almost ⅔ of your daily fiber requirements. 

Dinner: Stir-Fried Tofu with Broccoli and Quinoa

Tofu and quinoa are plant-based complete proteins - they provide all the essential amino acids the body needs.

Snack: Apple Slices with Nut Butter

Adding your favorite nut butter to apple slices provides protein and fat that will help you feel satisfied for longer.

Day 4: Boosting Calcium and Protein

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt Parfait with Granola and Chia Seeds

When choosing Greek yogurt, check the nutrition facts panel for one with minimal added sugar. Adding chia seeds and granola also adds protein, fiber, and flavor.

Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwich on Whole Grain Bread

Thanks to the cheese, a grilled cheese sandwich is another way to get protein and calcium. Using whole-grain bread helps you achieve the goal of making half your grains whole each day.

Dinner: Baked Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Corn

Combining sweet potatoes and black beans provides a complete protein. When choosing canned black beans, check the nutrition facts panel and choose one low in sodium. 

Snack: Smoothie with Greek Yogurt and Mixed Berries

Make a quick smoothie with Greek yogurt, mixed berries, and milk for a sweet, filling, protein and calcium-packed snack.

Day 5: Iron-Rich and Calorie-Dense Foods

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Whole Grain Toast

The combination of eggs scrambled with spinach and whole-grain toast makes a balanced and filling breakfast. Adding some salsa, tomatoes, or a glass of orange juice will help increase the iron absorption from the spinach.

Lunch: Mixed Green Salad with Dried Fruit, Nuts, and a Vinaigrette

Mixed greens, including spinach, give you protein, iron and fiber. Adding in some orange slices provides Vitamin C, which helps increase iron absorption.

Dinner: Beef Stir-Fry with Bell Peppers and Brown Rice

Beef contains a type of iron that is highly absorbable by the body. Stir-frying it with bell peppers adds color, Vitamins C and B-6, potassium, and folate.

Snack: Handful of Almonds

Almonds are a calorie-dense food that provides protein, fiber, and monounsaturated fats. They have Vitamin E and antioxidants that help protect against oxidative stress.

Day 6: Maintaining Variety

Breakfast: Whole Wheat Pancakes with Sliced Banana

Whole wheat pancakes help make half of your daily grains from whole-grain sources. Bananas provide some sweetness along with potassium to help meet the slightly increased needs when breastfeeding.

Lunch: Brown Rice Bowl with Chickpeas and Veggies

Combining chickpeas and brown rice creates a complete protein while providing fiber from whole-grain brown rice. Choose your favorite vegetables to add to the rice bowl. 

Dinner: Baked Cod with Sweet Potato Mash

Bake some cod and serve it with mashed sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. The sweet potatoes add some iron and fiber to the meal.

Snack: Cottage Cheese with Dried Apricots

Cottage cheese mixed with dried apricots is a quick and easy way to get calcium and protein for a snack.

Day 7: Comfort and Nourishment

Breakfast: Smoothie Bowl with Chia Seeds, Mixed Berries, and Almond Butter

Blend mixed berries, chia seeds, and almond butter with some milk of your choice for a balanced, nutritious smoothie.

Lunch: Turkey Wrap with Spinach, Avocado, and Tomato

A whole-wheat tortilla provides a twist on a turkey sandwich. Add some spinach, avocado, and tomato to round out the lunch.

Dinner: Lentil Curry with Brown Rice

A dinner of lentil curry served over brown rice gives you a meal with a complete protein, fiber, potassium, and iron.

Snack: Greek Yogurt with Honey and Walnuts

Mixing some walnuts and honey into Greek yogurt makes a quick, filling snack.

Working with a Registered Dietitian

A Season dietitian can provide guidance and help you craft a personalized plan to manage your nutrition while breastfeeding. Season dietitians can help you identify what foods and nutrients to prioritize while nursing. Get started today.