Nutritional Recipes, Foods for Breastfeeding Mothers

Breast milk is nature's way of providing a newborn baby with all the nutrition he needs. And breastfeeding is a great way to build a bond with your child. Since your infant is totally dependent on you for his nutritional requirements, you, as a breastfeeding mother, need to pay special attention to your diet. While there is no need to go overboard with eating, you can continue with the healthy diet that pregnancy demanded.

What to Include In My Meals While Breastfeeding?

These nutrition tips might seem overwhelming when you read them at once, but including them in your diet is easier than you think. Here are some tips-

1. Eat small, well-spaced meals, around six to seven times a day, rather than three big meals. This ensures you get variety, and digestion becomes easier, too
2. Have nourishing fluids such as soup, milk, eggnog/lentil soup, before breastfeeding
3. In between meals, snack on nuts, dried fruits, paneer/cheese, and sprouts, instead of reaching for that namkeen

What Foods Help Increase Milk Production ?

It has been seen that certain foods help in increasing milk production, and can be included in the diet of breastfeeding mother. They are-

• Ajwain (carrom seeds), zeera (cumin), methi seeds (fenugreek), saunf (fennel seeds)
• Saunth (dried ginger) and garlic
• Seeds like til (sesame seeds), pumpkin seeds, melon seeds
• Nuts, like almond, walnuts and cashewnuts are also known to help in milk let down

But before you go on a spree, ensure your body is able to tolerate these foods well, and you are not allergic to any. These foods should be consumed in moderation. Some of these foods also help in digestion and some provide extra protein, iron, calcium, B complex vitamins to the nursing mothers.           

Recipes While Breastfeeding to Meet Your Nutritional Requirements

Here are some interesting recipes that will help meet your nutritional requirements while breastfeeding -

1.) Delicious Badam Til Ladoos Recipe

Ingredients Needed For Badam Til Ladoos

• ½ cup Sesame seeds
• ½ cup Almonds crushed
• ½ cup Jaggery
• 1 tsp Ghee

Method To Prepare Badam Til Ladoos

1. Roast the sesame seeds in a pan without oil over medium flame
2. Stop when the seeds start popping
3. Crush the almonds finely and dry roast slightly
4. Filter out the impurities from the jaggery after melting it with half a cup of water
5. Boil the filtered jaggery with a tsp of ghee until you get a soft doughy (a soft ball) consistency
6. Add the til and the badam, and mix
7. Make balls out of this mixture when it is still hot
8. Store in an airtight container

2.) Quick And Easy Lentil-Dalia Mix

Ingredients Needed Lentil-Dalia Mix

• 1 /2 cup broken wheat (Dalia)
• ¼ cup lentils (preferably sabutmasoor or moong dal. You could also mix up lentils)
• 1 onion (medium size)
• 1 cup mixed vegetables, chopped ( use any seasonal vegetables including peas, carrot, lauki, tori, etc.)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ½ cup chopped spinach
• 1 inch ginger piece finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder

For the tadka (seasoning)

• 2 tsp Ghee /clarified butter
• ¼ tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 tsp Cumin seeds/jeera
• A pinch of heeng and ajwain each

Steps To Pre-prepare Lentil Dalia Mix

1. Soak lentils and dalia for 15 minutes in water
2. Finely chop ginger, garlic, spinach, tomato and onion

Method To Prepare Lentil Dalia Mix

1. In a pressure cooker, heat ghee; add jeera, mustard seeds, heeng, ajwain, ginger and garlic
2. Add chopped onions
3. Fry, add tomatoes. Once cooked, add vegetables followed by lentils and dalia
4. Fry for few minutes
5. Add salt, turmeric powder and water to cook
6. Close the lid
7. After first whistle, let it simmer for 10 minutes
8. Once the pressure subsides, open the lid
9. Add 1/2 cup more water at this stage if it seems too thick
10. Flavor with lemon juice and chopped coriander before serving
11. A nourishing, tasty meal-in-a-bowl is ready!

What Should I Eat When Breastfeeding?

When you are breastfeeding, you need to focus on three major nutrients —protein, calcium, and iron – for your own health, and to give your baby nutritious milk. To produce milk supply that is nutritious and calorie-rich, you need those extra calories coming in from your diet. Here are some tips for healthy eating while breastfeeding-

1. Include enough cereals like dalia, bajra, ragi, oats (which are good sources of iron, calcium and vitamins) apart from regular staples like chapatti, rice
2. Extra energy from ghee/butter/oil is also given to meet the essential fat requirements. However, too much fat is not beneficial, as it just adds extra kilos
3. Include sufficient milk, curd, paneer, dals, beans, eggs, fish and poultry (if non-vegetarian). They provide the required amounts of proteins, calcium, vitamins, and minerals
4. Include loads of colorful vegetables - dark green leafy veggies, deep yellow and orange vegetables like carrots, peppers, and pumpkin, fruits like mango and papaya. These contain sufficient iron, vitamins and minerals
5. Snack on almonds, walnuts, peanuts, seeds like sesame, flax, sunflower, as they all provide for the extra protein requirement, essential fats like omega -3, and other micronutrients
6. Enough fluid is required for adequate milk production. It can be provided by milk, milkshakes, juices, buttermilk besides plain water

What Is The Importance Of Breast Milk?

A mother's milk is best for the child, as it is nutritionally adequate and easy to digest too. The milk secreted soon after the delivery, little thick and yellowish is "precious" to the newborn. This is rich in gamma globulins, a type of antibodies, which help the newborn develop her immunity. It is also rich in vitamin A, which further boosts the immunity. Breast milk is a complete food for the infant, as it has all nutrients in right amounts and proportions, needed by the infant. It also has vitamin C, and easily absorbable iron, which no other milk has.

Have a balanced diet and, importantly, stay happy. Even research has shown that a happy mother is able to breastfeed her child better than a stressed mother. Drink enough liquids during the day and especially before breastfeeding as liquids help in letdown of milk.

Do you have any diet tips for breastfeeding mothers? Let us know in the comments section!