August 12, 2025, 3:01 am | Read time: 9 minutes

Can Diet During Breastfeeding Really Significantly Affect My Health and My Child’s?

“Yes, absolutely,” confirms Dr. Gößlinghoff. “Your diet not only affects your own energy, mood, and recovery after childbirth, but it also directly influences the quality of your breast milk. Although the body usually ensures that the milk remains nutrient-rich even if you are not optimally nourished, this can come at the expense of your own reserves.”

Why Is Nutrition So Important During Breastfeeding?

For the Mother

Breastfeeding is one of the most intense phases in a woman’s life, both physically and emotionally, as well as hormonally. To meet all the demands of this time, your body needs special support through selected nutrients. They not only help with recovery and regeneration but also with the production of high-quality breast milk.

For the Baby

If you are exclusively breastfeeding, your baby is 100 percent dependent on your breast milk and thus also on your diet. The composition of your milk adapts remarkably well to the needs of the child, but only if your own stores are not depleted.

You and Your Baby Need These Nutrients in Your Diet During Breastfeeding

Protein: Building Block of Body Cells

Important for You: Protein is the building block of every body cell. During breastfeeding, it helps regenerate damaged tissue after childbirth, maintain muscle, and build new cells. This is also very important for your mammary gland, which is performing at its peak during this time. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in the production of hormones and enzymes.

Important for Your Baby: Babies especially need this vital building material for new body cells for their rapid growth, the development of muscles, skin, organs, and the immune system.

Good Sources: Legumes (such as lentils, chickpeas), eggs, dairy products (such as yogurt, cheese, quark), fish (such as salmon), lean meat (such as beef, poultry), tofu, mushrooms, and nuts.

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Calcium: Strong Bones and Teeth

Important for You: Calcium is essential for strong bones and healthy teeth. Since your body releases calcium for milk production during breastfeeding, insufficient intake from your diet can lead to a depletion of your own bone substance.

Important for Your Baby: Calcium, along with vitamin D, plays a central role in building stable bones and teeth for your baby.

Good Sources: Dairy products (such as cheese, quark), green vegetables (such as broccoli, peas, kale), almonds, sesame, and calcium-rich mineral water.

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Vitamin B12: Nerves, Cells, and Blood Formation

Important for You: This water-soluble vitamin is crucial for nerve function, cell division, and blood formation. A deficiency can lead to exhaustion, tingling in hands and feet, and concentration problems, and it also negatively affects your baby.

Important for Your Baby: Infants need vitamin B12 for brain development and the formation of healthy red blood cells. A deficiency in infants can lead to a lack of red blood cells, which, if untreated, can even cause permanent brain damage.

Good Sources: Meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Since vitamin B12 is almost exclusively found in animal foods, vegans should take an appropriate supplement.

Vitamins (A, B-Complex, C, E): Cells and Metabolism

Important for You and Your Baby: These vitamins are involved in almost all body functions, from cell development to metabolism to nerve maturation. They are especially important for vision, the immune system, cell division, as well as healthy skin and mucous membranes.

Good Sources: Liver, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin (the beta-carotene contained is converted to vitamin A in the body), kale, spinach, Swiss chard, eggs, dairy products, and whole grains.

Iodine: Hormones and Thyroid

Important for You: Iodine is a trace element that your thyroid needs for hormone production. During breastfeeding, the iodine requirement increases significantly, as your baby also needs it for brain maturation and growth.

Important for Your Baby: Iodine is crucial for thyroid function, and a well-functioning metabolism is the foundation for growth, energy, and brain maturation. A deficiency can lead to developmental disorders in the child.

Good Sources: Iodized table salt, sea fish (such as haddock), seafood, and dairy products.

Iron: Oxygen Transport and Development

Important for You: Iron is indispensable for the formation of hemoglobin, the red blood pigment that transports oxygen to every cell in the body. After childbirth, many women’s iron stores are depleted, especially if there was significant blood loss. An iron deficiency can manifest as fatigue, concentration difficulties, paleness, and increased susceptibility to infections.

Important for Your Baby: In the last weeks of pregnancy, the baby taps into the mother’s iron stores to fill its own reserves. Therefore, a good iron supply is particularly important after birth. Iron supports the healthy development of the brain, organs, and muscles. Only with sufficient iron can your baby’s brain form all the necessary connections that make it capable of learning, being alert, and being active.

Good Sources: Red meat, liver, whole grains, spinach, lentils, oatmeal. Tip: In combination with vitamin C (such as a glass of orange juice), iron from plant sources is better absorbed.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Brain and Vision

Important for You: These polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), have anti-inflammatory effects, support brain function, and can even have mood-enhancing effects.

Important for Your Baby: DHA is essential for the development of your baby’s brain and vision. A deficiency can significantly delay neural development.

Good Sources: Tuna, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and algae oil (ideal for vegans).

Vitamin D: Bones and Immune System

Important for You: Vitamin D is our sunshine vitamin because it is produced through the skin by UV rays. It plays a crucial role in bone health, the immune system, and your mood.

Important for Your Baby: It supports the development of stable bones and teeth. Since breast milk usually contains little vitamin D, direct supplementation for the infant is often recommended, usually in the form of drops.

Good Sources: Fatty fish (such as salmon), egg yolk, and mushrooms.

Beverages: General Health and Milk Quality

Important for You: During breastfeeding, you lose about 700 milliliters of fluid daily just through breastfeeding. To balance the fluid requirement, you should drink at least 2.5 to 3 liters daily. Too little fluid can lead to headaches, fatigue, and reduced milk production.

Important for Your Baby: Breast milk is about 87 percent water. To produce enough nutrient-rich milk, your body must be adequately hydrated. Drinking too little can negatively affect the milk quantity. The composition of breast milk also depends on your fluid balance. If you drink enough, the ratio of water, nutrients, fat, and sugar in the milk remains balanced, as your baby needs. With insufficient fluid intake, the milk can become thinner or less nutrient-rich.

Good Sources: Water, unsweetened herbal and fruit teas, and mild juice spritzers (in a 1:3 ratio).

A Glass of Wine During Breastfeeding… Is That Okay?

Ideally, you should completely avoid alcoholic beverages during breastfeeding, especially in the first months of your baby’s life. Newborns can only break down alcohol very slowly, increasing the risk of developmental disorders. If you still want to occasionally have a glass, it’s important to allow enough time before the next breastfeeding session. The alcohol concentration in breast milk is about the same as in the blood and only decreases after about two to three hours per glass. The safest approach is to breastfeed or pump first, then drink, and wait for a sufficient pause before breastfeeding again.

What Else Should You Avoid:

• Raw animal products (such as sushi, raw meat, raw eggs): carry a high risk of harmful germs.
• Highly processed foods: are often low in nutrients but high in sugar, fat, and (artificial) additives.
• Sweets and soft drinks: They provide short-term energy but no valuable ingredients.
• Carbonated drinks: can cause bloating for you and your baby.
• Spicy spices: Spices and even the aromas from our food transfer into breast milk, and some babies react sensitively to them.
• Cow’s milk (in large quantities): Some babies react sensitively to milk protein in breast milk.
• Caffeine (in large quantities): can make the baby restless.

Where Do Cravings During Breastfeeding Come From?

“Breastfeeding is a real calorie burner, as energy consumption increases by about 500 calories per day. Cravings can be a sign that the body is demanding nutrients or energy, especially if you eat too little or unbalanced. It’s important not to snack mindlessly but to choose truly satisfying, nutrient-rich meals. Lack of sleep can also disrupt hunger and satiety signals,” recommends Dr. Gößlinghoff.

Why Do You Lose Weight While Breastfeeding Even Though You Eat Normally?

Many women lose weight in the first months after childbirth without dieting. The cause is the increased calorie requirement combined with the natural hormonal adjustment. However, this does not work equally for every woman, as genetics, exercise, breastfeeding duration, and lifestyle play a role.

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Does Being on a Diet During Breastfeeding Harm Your Baby?

“Dieting during breastfeeding, especially in the form of radical crash diets, can indeed harm your baby. If you eat a severely calorie-restricted diet, your body will tap into its own reserves, which can lead to hair loss, exhaustion, or hormonal disorders. At the same time, the quality of your breast milk suffers, so important nutrients like iodine, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids reach the baby in insufficient amounts. For your child’s healthy development, a nutrient-rich supply is crucial. Better than dieting is gentle, natural recovery with a balanced diet, adequate fluid intake, and moderate exercise,” advises Dr. Gößlinghoff.

What Should I Pay Attention to in My Diet During Breastfeeding If I…

• Vegan: Take vitamin B12 as a supplement and pay attention to iodine, iron, omega-3, zinc, and calcium.
• Vegetarian: Pay attention to B12, iron, and omega-3.
• Gluten Intolerant: Use alternative whole grains (such as millet, quinoa, buckwheat).
• Lactose Intolerant: Pay attention to adequate calcium intake.
• Cannot Tolerate Fructose: Choose low-fructose fruits (such as berries) and test individually what you tolerate well.