Breast milk and diet
The quality and quantity of breast milk depends on many factors including whether or not the baby was full term, time since birth, frequency of feedings and also partially on mama’s diet.
What mom needs
There are important micronutrients that are useful for mama [2]. These micronutrients will be passed on through breast milk whether or not mama is eating a diet rich in these. They are:
- folic acid
- calcium
- iron
- copper
- zinc
Baby will always get the right amount of these nutrients. Nature will take care of this, even if it means drawing from the last reserves of mama’s body. For example, excessive fatigue and even postpartum depression can result from iron deficiency and zinc deficiency. Statistically, vegan moms are more prone to postpartum depression because they are more likely to be anemic if not eating carefully [3]. To take good care of yourself, be sure to eat food rich in these micronutrients.
What baby needs
The following nutrients enter breast milk from food. And if the mother lacks them, then the baby will receive less of it [2]:
- thiamine
- riboflavin
- vitamin B6
- vitamin B12
- choline
- retinol
- vitamin D
- selenium
- iodine
- omega-3 fatty acids [4]
In short, it would be useful to eat more greens and protein, and replace grains with legumes if possible.
