Eating well while breastfeeding is more about a healthy mom than a healthy baby. A breastfeeding mom's body prioritizes the production of high-quality breast milk and will deprive the mother's body of nutrients she needs in order to keep up with demand. The additional calorie demand on breastfeeding mothers can actually be higher than it is during pregnancy proper---about 500 extra calories a day.
Don't Diet
Remember, your calorie needs are going up, not down, while breastfeeding. So skip the weight-loss regimen for now, and work on stepping up to a moderate exercise routine instead if you're concerned about getting rid of your baby weight. It's not uncommon to feel hungry often during breastfeeding, and eating a couple small snacks a day, much as you did while you were pregnant, can help.
Avoid Environmental Contaminants
Certain substances that you ingest can be passed through your breast milk to your child. These include certain pesticides, heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and plasticizers such as phthalates and BPA. Now is a good time to go organic and eat a variety of foods so as to minimize your exposure to any one chemical. Also, avoid drinking water from hard plastic bottles---look for those that are BPA-free.
Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine
Alcohol is another substance that can pass through your system into your breast milk, so while the occasional glass of wine or other single drink is probably fine, you don't want to be drinking regularly at this time. If you must imbibe, consider doing it just after you've fed your baby; this will give your body time to flush out the alcohol. Meanwhile, you probably want to continue avoiding caffeine too---babies cannot metabolize it, so it accumulates in their system.
Stay Hydrated
You use---and lose---a lot of fluids when you're breastfeeding, and it's easy to get dehydrated. Keep a water bottle handy, and drink whenever you feel thirsty. Also, drink extra water if you think you're having problems with your milk supply. Sometimes simply an extra glass of water a day will solve this problem.
Mind Your Vitamins
It's a good idea to keep taking your prenatal supplement while you're breastfeeding. But keep in mind that while a supplement is a good backup, you shouldn't assume it covers all your nutritional needs. Nursing mothers need extra calcium and vitamin D. Try to eat three servings a day of calcium-rich foods such as milk and yogurt, canned salmon and sardines, leafy green vegetables and vitamin-fortified cereal. Most of these foods are also rich in vitamin D. Moderate exposure to sunlight will also help your body synthesize its own vitamin D.
DHA and Omega-3
Two other nutrients that nursing mothers should try to incorporate into their diets are DHA and Omega-3 fatty acids. Both help with their child's neurological development. The best source of these compounds is fish. Unfortunately, much fish caught these days is also contaminated with mercury, so eating too much can be a problem as well. The lower on the food chain the fish you're eating is, the lower its levels of mercury are likely to be. Thus, tuna and salmon consumption should be limited to once a week.
