By choosing to breastfeed your child , you have chosen to meet their nutritional needs in the most natural way possible. Without necessarily adopting a specific diet, simply ensure that your meals are well-balanced so that only the nutrients beneficial to your baby's growth pass into your breast milk.

Focus first and foremost on a balanced diet

Just like you, your body is amazing! It proved it during these nine months while your little one was growing. And rest assured, it will continue to help you give your baby the very best. From the beginning of your pregnancy, you have been prepared for breastfeeding, and your milk will, of course, be of high quality. To help nature along, simply make sure you have a healthy and balanced diet.

Your menu should include: 5 portions of fruits and vegetables per day, 4 dairy products, grains (bread, pasta, rice) or legumes at each meal, as well as protein (meat, fish, eggs). Don't forget to stay well hydrated, but avoid unnecessary excess: water is essential for your body, but drinking more than 1.5 to 2 liters per day won't increase your milk production!

Eat everything, but... During this breastfeeding period, you can eat everything, but in reasonable quantities, as doubling your intake won't have any greater impact on the quality of your milk. However, since some of the food you consume influences the composition of breast milk (fats and vitamins), always strive to eat a healthy and balanced diet, giving pride of place to vegetables, fruits, and high-quality organic proteins. And limit, or better yet, eliminate caffeine and alcohol, which pass into your milk 1 to 3 hours after ingestion. If you occasionally have a coffee or a glass of champagne, always wait until the end of breastfeeding.

Get your calcium levels up

The breastfeeding process will significantly deplete your calcium reserves. You will therefore need to compensate for this loss of the mineral, both to maintain your bone health and to properly nourish your baby, whose bone development requires a lot of calcium.

Where can you find it? Yogurt, milk, dairy products, cheeses... there are many sources of calcium, and you'll be sure not to be deficient by consuming four dairy products a day. However, be aware that spreadable cheeses, as well as goat or sheep cheeses, are often quite low in calcium, and that hard cheeses (Gruyère, Comté, etc.) contain the most.

Also, be aware that some mineral waters rich in calcium can supplement your daily intake if needed. Since listeria and salmonella cannot be transmitted to your baby through breast milk, except under medical advice, there is no longer any reason to avoid raw milk cheeses, which are generally not recommended during pregnancy. However, if your baby is allergic to cow's milk protein (causing colic or bloating), dairy products may be prohibited during breastfeeding.

Focus on the iron

Iron is a trace element that the body cannot synthesize. If you are deficient, your red blood cell count decreases, and you may experience fatigue and be more susceptible to infections. Furthermore, your baby needs the iron from your breast milk to build its blood volume. Therefore, it's important to ensure you don't become deficient. Prioritize iron-rich foods and avoid excessive consumption of coffee, tea, or wine, which reduce its absorption.

Where can you find it? If you enjoy them, you should know that the richest sources of iron are black pudding and offal, but also beef and duck, as well as seafood (oysters, clams). Even though iron from animal sources is better absorbed during digestion, you can also find good amounts in legumes (lentils, chickpeas), whole grains (wheat germ), and certain vegetables (watercress, broccoli, and Popeye's famous spinach).

Don't neglect essential fatty acids

Your body needs fat, especially unsaturated fatty acids (from vegetable fats and fish), which are essential fatty acids that your body cannot produce. Pay attention to this intake, as it is just as vital for the healthy development of your baby's brain as it is for maintaining your own nervous system. It may even help reduce the risk of postpartum depression. While you shouldn't eliminate fat entirely, you should be moderate in your consumption of saturated fatty acids (processed meats, fatty meats).

Where can you find them? Essential fatty acids, and especially Omega-3s, are primarily found in oily fish (salmon, sardines, etc.) and certain oils (rapeseed, walnut). Even just two tablespoons of rapeseed oil a day on raw vegetables is enough to meet your Omega-3 needs.

Avoid certain substances

By breastfeeding, you provide your baby with beneficial nutrients, but sometimes also less beneficial ones... For their well-being, eliminate or limit:

• Peanuts : If there is a history of food allergies in the family, your baby may be at risk of developing one as well. Avoid consuming peanut-containing foods while breastfeeding and consult your doctor.
• Soy : Although no adverse effects have been observed so far, it is advisable to avoid soy-based products (soy milk, tofu, etc.) because they contain phytoestrogens that pass into breast milk. Also avoid consuming dietary supplements containing soy.
• Caffeine : present in coffee, caffeine also passes into your breast milk. Since your baby eliminates it more slowly than you, don't consume more than 3 cups of coffee per day, as exceeding this amount could cause your little one to experience temporary hyperexcitability.
• Alcohol : just as during your pregnancy, it goes without saying that you will avoid all alcoholic beverages while breastfeeding...
• Tobacco : if you have not been able to stop smoking, try to limit your consumption as much as possible and wait 2 hours before breastfeeding so that the concentration of nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide in your milk is reduced.