Snacks for Lactating Women

Breastfeeding women need an extra 500 calories than they normally take in. And it makes sense! When you breastfeed your child, your body is doing a tremendous job producing “liquid gold” to sustain your child. If you do not consume adequate calories to maintain this work, your body will start tapping into “reserves” and you will find yourself:

• Fatigued - making it hard to take care of your home and baby
• Having a hard time producing enough milk
• Losing too much weight too quickly

In order to maintain your energy and milk supply you need to drink adequate amounts of water and eat nutritious foods (just like you did while you were pregnant).

A good way to get the extra calories is snacking . I remember when I first started breastfeeding being particularly thirsty and needing to snack throughout the day. I made sure to keep a bottle of water and a snack (be it cheese cubes, dried fruit or a granola bar) by my “nursing station” to keep my energy going.

When snacking, choose foods full of nutrients and packed with protein in order to provide you with the energy and nutrition that you need throughout the day. Don’t indulge yourself with junk food – this will only increase your fatigue and irritability.

Here are some power-packed snacks for lactating women:

• Yogurt
• Cup of Berries
• Baked Sweet Potato (simply bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees F in casserole dish)
• Healthy Granola bars (full of nuts and grains)
• Handful of Nuts
• Bowl of Whole Grain Cereal
• Multi-Grain Crackers with Cheese
• Guacamole and Corn Chips
• Fruit Smoothie
• Avocado Slices with Whole Grain Crackers
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Whole Wheat Pita with Hummus
• Bagel with Cream Cheese
• Veggies and Dip
• Apples slices with Peanut Butter
• Salads – colorful and full of variety
• Fresh fruit
• Orange juice
• Dried Fruit

If you’re like me, you’ll forget to snack, or because you haven’t prepared a snack ahead of time for quick grabbing, you’ll grab for something easier…like junk food. So here are a few helpful tips to make healthful snacking possible:

• Make a list of snack ideas and stick it on your fridge so that if you need a snack, you won’t be lost for an idea!
• Stock up on healthy snack foods.
• Prepare your snacks ahead of time (like chopping fruits or veggies, etc.) and put them in convenient containers.

Happy snacking!