81 Tagore Lane, TAG A, #01-11 Singapore 787502 ♦ Booking : +65 6360 1000

Foods That Help Breastfeeding: Lactation Diet & Recipes

Foods That Help Breastfeeding_ Lactation Diet & Recipes - ReLacto

We don’t have to tell you that nursing is difficult, do we? You’ve probably already realised this already. You’re also probably acutely aware that your body needs sufficient nutrition to keep your milk production going.

However, it may be difficult to find the time (or energy!) to prepare a fast lunch or snack. And, let’s be honest, eating healthy may be the last thing from your thoughts right now. Still, it’s critical to nourish yourself on a regular basis if you want to feel your best.

Furthermore, eating nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day is the greatest method to ensure your baby has a healthy milk supply.

Fortunately, there are several quick and simple recipes that use items that may help increase your milk supply. Furthermore, these meals are high in nutrients that breastfeeding parents require.

Here are some yummy dishes to keep you motivated and possibly increase your milk production. Also, we’ve thrown in some trivia about breastfeeding foods just to make this an enlightening experience for you too!

Always stay hydrated!

Let’s start off with our first little trivia fact…well, this one isn’t so little, actually. It’s really important to remember that breastmilk is still a liquid at the end of the day. Therefore, liquid begets liquid and staying hydrated will help you keep that baby elixir flowing on tap.

You can stay hydrated by drinking water, juice, or milk. However, limit your intake of soda, coffee, and other caffeinated beverages. Caffeine overdose might cause irritability and disrupt your baby’s sleep. If you choose to consume alcohol on occasion, avoid breastfeeding for at least two hours afterwards.

Nosmo-king!

This bit of trivia refers to some old British no smoking signs which were painted on doors which were separated on two halves into “No smo” and “king” when the doors opened. This, while a bit amusing to watch and hear pronounced, is actually quite a serious tip that we have to put in as smoking can diminish your milk supply, alter the taste of your milk, and disrupt your baby’s sleep.

Secondhand smoking is also an issue. The risk of sudden infant death syndrome and respiratory diseases is increased by secondhand smoke. If you smoke, consult your doctor about quitting methods.

Ingredients

Yes, now, we’re cutting right into the meat of it…pun not intended. The ingredients you use in your cooking may improve your breastmilk supply, did you know that?

There are special ingredients called Galactogogues which only the most dextrous and agile-tongued of us can ever hope to pronounce. While the correct pronunciation is not exactly vital to its effectiveness as a milk supply-boosting food item, actually using them in your cooking can be.

Some Galactogogues that we use in our cooking here at ReLacto are as follows (along with their benefits):

  • Ginger
      • Improves blood flow
      • Boosts milk production through increased blood supply
  • Garlic
      • Gives a pleasant flavour to milk
      • Improves breast milk odour
      • Eases introduction of breast milk to baby
      • Encourages baby to stay latched on longer
  • Papaya
      • Promotes milk production
      • Stimulates smooth muscles that work to express breast milk
  • Fennel
      • Reduces inhibitory effects of other hormones (dopamine) on breast milk production
      • Ensures smooth milk flow
  • Fenugreek
      • Boosts milk production
  • Moringa Oleifera
    • Promotes milk secretion
    • Stimulates milk production hormones

Let’s look at ReLacto’s finest chefs’ recommendations from among all the great meals we offer for you which contain these ingredients in some configuration and permutation.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!

Steamed Prawns with Garlic Vermicelli & Broccoli

Foods That Help Breastfeeding_ Lactation Diet & Recipes (2) - ReLacto.png

Bask your taste buds in these juicy and succulent steamed prawns complemented by vermicelli, broccoli, and garlic to satisfy your cravings! Broccoli is high in vitamin C, which helps with improving collagen formation to promote wound healing around the genital and caesarean area after childbirth.

Furthermore, prawns contain vitamin B12 and vitamin E. Vitamin B12 helps to keep your red blood cells and nerve cells healthy, while Vitamin E helps reduce tissue damage from the natural free radical formation in your body.

This dish is one of the healthy recipes for breastfeeding moms as it features garlic. Garlic is a lactation-friendly ingredient which helps in giving a pleasant taste to your milk. Consuming garlic would also help in easing the introduction of breast milk to your baby and encourages your baby to stay latched on longer! What better way to do so than to pamper yourself with this meal?

Moroccan Chicken Stew

Tasty, gravy and savoury. But most importantly, our Moroccan chicken stew is healthy! Mainly made of broccoli and chicken, this dish uses chicken as lean meat instead of red meat so it contains lower fat compared to other types of meat, which makes it the perfect dish to be included in a diet plan for breastfeeding mothers to lose weight.

Moreover, our chicken stew is packed with natural goodness such as vitamin C and vitamin B6 to aid your recovery. Vitamin B6 is great for your health as it can improve your immune system. Plus, this dish is also laced with garlic to support breast milk supply. Everyone loves a well-prepared chicken dish!

Fish Fillet with Celery Sauce

It’s the rainy season these days and what better way to keep your body warm than a good helping of our freshly steamed Fish Fillet with Celery Sauce? This healthy meal has a nice and sweet scent that eases your moods and stimulates your senses for an enjoyable meal.

It is rich in protein, a nutrient that is important in developing your antibodies which is key in building a good immune system. Plus, protein also provides building blocks for the cells in your body and promotes wound healing.

This dish contains garlic which helps your newborn to stay latched on longer during breastfeeding and improves your breast milk taste. That’s a very neat perk to have!

Closing words

We know that this article is about food, but we’ll put in a little tip here – Remember earlier, how we talked about the need to stay hydrated? Well, this is where we recommend our line of lactation drinks that not only help keep you awesomely hydrated, but also contain ingredients that will help support you in your breastfeeding journey!

There’s the Black Bean Black Sesame Drink, Lemongrass Fenugreek Drink, Roselle Black Dates Drink, and Mulberry Herbal Drink. Also, there’s another drink we have as a bonus on request – the legendary and iconic Red Dates Tea Drink. So, to wrap things up, those were our lactation meals which you could so easily add to your lactation diet plan by swinging over to our homepage and signing up for our lactation food delivery service today!

Author

  • ReLacto

    We are a team behind the leading lactation meal provider and we believe proper nutrition during breastfeeding is not just something to be experienced, but also worth learning about. On top of preparing nutritious meals for mothers, we’re passionate about researching and sharing useful information on nutrition for lactation and recovery, and occasionally tips on baby weaning through our blogs.