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The Essential Nutrients You Need to Support Breastfeeding

The Essential Nutrients You Need to Support Breastfeeding

After pregnancy, it is vital for mothers to take care of their health. This is especially important when breastfeeding. It is essential for mothers to get enough nutrients in order to ensure there are sufficient nutrients to replenish and support the nutritional stores of mothers while providing optimal breast milk nutritional content for the baby. A healthy and balanced diet daily is the utmost priority and foundation. 

Once you have achieved that, it’s time to have a look at the micronutrients that mothers may need to pay closer attention to! This is because the micronutrients in your breast milk can vary depending on how a mother eats! Read on to learn about the essential nutrients that are dependent on a mother’s dietary intake and are needed to support breastfeeding.

Vitamins!

Vitamins are essential components of our diets, but what exactly are they? Vitamins are nutrients that our body needs in order to function. They help us make energy, form healthy cells and support our immune systems. 

Vitamins often come with health benefits such as improved skin health and increased energy levels. Some common vitamins everyone should consider taking include Vitamin D for strong bones and teeth, Vitamin A for good vision, B Vitamins for energy production, Vitamin C for tissue support and Vitamin E as an antioxidant. 

It’s a good thing that many of these vitamins can be obtained from our diet! Our menu ReLacto is designed and curated to provide balanced meals with a particular focus on ensuring that these vitamins and other micronutrients are available to support mothers during breastfeeding. 

Vitamin A 

Vitamin A plays a critical role in the development of bones, teeth, skin, eyesight, and immunity. Some examples of food ingredients used in Relacto that are rich in vitamin A include carrots, spinach, pumpkin, wolfberries and broccoli. Here are some of the dishes served that contain some of these ingredients

  • Tahini Carrot Soup
  • Cream of Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Vitamin B1

Breastfeeding is a crucial part of a baby’s development, providing vital nutrients and imparting many health benefits. One of these important compounds is vitamin B1, also known as thiamine. This vitamin helps the immune system of both mothers and babies to function optimally. Foods that are rich in Vitamin B1 are pork, salmon, red beans, edamame and many more. Here are some of the dishes served that contain some of these ingredients:

  • Stir-Fried Pork With Coconut
  • Roasted Pumpkin and Chickpea in Lemon Dressing

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 can be very beneficial for babies when taken during breastfeeding. Vitamin B6 helps with brain development during infancy and immune function. It can be found in poultry, fish and some starchy vegetables. Here are some of the dishes served that contain some of these ingredients:

  • Soya Chicken With Rose Wine
  • Salmon With Beetroot

Vitamin C

One nutrient that can be especially beneficial for babies when breastfeeding is Vitamin C. This water-soluble vitamin helps you absorb iron better to build healthy red blood cells, and works to support the growth of collagen, skin, teeth, bones, joint tissues and blood vessels in babies too! Vitamin C can be found to be rich in broccoli, tomatoes, pineapple, capsicum and potatoes! Here are some of the dishes served that contain some of these ingredients:

  • Stir Fried Broccoli With King Oyster Mushroom
  • Pineapple Sweet and Sour Pork

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps ensure that calcium is absorbed properly by the body. Calcium is an important mineral for bone health and muscle contraction. In recent years, it has been found that Vitamin D also plays a role in our immune function too! Vitamin D can be found in foods such as salmon, cod fish, shiitake, eggs, fortified soy, fortified margarine and fortified dairy products like dairy and yoghurt. Here are some of the dishes served that contain some of these ingredients:

  • Mint and Lemon Marinated Salmon
  • Stir Fried Snake Gourd With Egg

The Essential Nutrients You Need to Support Breastfeeding

Other Nutrients?

Iodine

Iodine is also essential for brain development and function in babies. The iodine content in breast milk is highly dependent on the mother’s dietary intake. If she lacks intake, then babies may be at risk of being iodine deficient as the breast milk may have insufficient iodine content. Some of the sources of iodine you can include in your meals are fish, seafood, seaweed, milk and even iodized salt! Here are some of the dishes served that contain some of these ingredients:

  • Steamed Fish Superior Fragrant Soya Sauce
  • Seafood Ee-fu Noodle

Omega 3-DHA

Omega 3-DHA, which can be found naturally in breast milk, is beneficial for mental development and the healthy growth of babies. It is important for nursing mothers to ensure that their breast milk is supplying adequate amounts of Omega 3-DHA during the early years of life. For nursing mums, consuming foods high in Omega 3-DHA such as fish and eggs can help ensure their baby is receiving this important nutrient essential for physical and mental development. Here are some of the dishes served that contain some of these ingredients:

  • Seafood Stir-Fried Brown Rice Bee Hoon
  • Teochew Steamed Fish Fillet

Closing Words 

It’s essential that new moms pay special attention to their nutrition when breastfeeding so they can provide their babies with all the necessary nutrients they need while still taking care of themselves too! Boosting breast milk supply is only one side of the story, we should also be looking at optimising breast milk nutritional content. Foods to support you nutritionally are as important as foods to increase breast milk, so feel free to swing by our ReLacto homepage to look through our breastfeeding menu for inspiration on healthy recipes for breastfeeding moms.

 

Conversely, you could also just sign up for a package of your own and enjoy all the aforementioned benefits for yourself!

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.