What type of food should you eat when breastfeeding? Although it can be difficult to prioritise yourself and your own food intake between breastfeeding and nappy changes, it is so important that you eat well and nutritiously. Your child gets its nourishment from you! Here are some simple tips on how to eat well while breastfeeding.

Breast milk contains all the nutrients your baby needs (except vitamin D) to grow and develop during their first six months. Your baby gets the nutrition it needs from you, so it is important that you choose good, nutritious food so that you don’t get too little nutrition yourself.

A basic rule of thumb to get all the nutrients you need is to eat according to all the colours of the rainbow and vary your foods.

Ideally eat:

• 500 grams of fruit and vegetables every day, for example two portions of vegetables and three fruits
• Fish 2-3 times a week, see dietary advice for more information regarding fish
• Milk, natural milk or natural yogurt, about 500 ml per day
• Keyhole-labelled cooking fat for sandwiches and cooking
• Meat, chicken, eggs, beans, lentils or peas every day
• Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, bulgur or similar every day, ideally whole grain alternatives (which contain a lot of fibre which is good for digestion)

You need a little more of most nutrients when you’re breastfeeding. In particular, choose foods that are high in vitamin D, omega-3 fats and folate (folic acid). It is also good to replenish your store of iron after pregnancy by eating iron-rich foods.

Some good sources:

• DHA, an omega-3 fat:
  Fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring
• Vitamin D:
  Fish and eggs contain vitamin D. Likewise, foods with a high vitamin D content such as many milk products and most margarines. Sunlight is also an important source.
• Folate/folic acid:
  Vegetables, beans, chickpeas, lentils, fruit and berries, whole grain products.
• Iron:
  Meat, liver pate, black pudding and whole grain products. Lentils, peas, beans, green leafy vegetables, pumpkin seeds and nuts also contain iron.
• Iodine:
  You also need iodine when you are breastfeeding. Use iodized salt, but not too much. Many mineral, herbal and flake salts are not iodized. Read on the packaging.