diet while breastfeeding

Question
QUESTION: I am currently 4 months postpartum and exclusively breastfeeding, and have recently decided to change my diet in an attempt to lose the weight I gained while pregnant (and then some!) What I am trying to do is eat as cleanly as possible (no processed junk), keep to 1800 calories, try to eat more fiber than sugar (and no more than 50g sugar per day), and keep fat to 20% of total caloric intake.  My concern is that since dairy is high in sugar and fat, I may not be getting enough calcium in my diet. Would you have any recommendations for that, as well as other nutrients that are important for breastfeeding moms?

ANSWER: Dear Molly,

First of all congratulations on making a healthy choice for both you and your infant :)
Your goals sound reasonable. You can get pretty close to all the nutrition you need in 1800 calories providing they are composed of a variety of healthy foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein and dairy).

To answer the point about dairy: milk and cheese and yogurt all come in fat-free varieties (also known as skim). The sugar in milk I would not even count along with your "sugars". It's a natural sugar found in milk, not a processed sugar like you are trying to avoid in candies, baked goods and sweets. Remember, your baby is living off your milk and that is perfectly healthy!

For that matter, I would not limit fruit intake based on its sugar content either. Fruits provide you with vitamins and minerals and fiber that all outweigh the contribution of calories from sugar (the exception being more than 4 oz of juice per day and dried fruits, which both contribute a lot of calories in a little volume).

Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Could you clarify just how much calcium I need in a day - and just how many servings of dairy that would mean. Also what are some good non-dairy calcium containing foods? Are there any other nutrients/foods that I should be especially mindful of making sure I eat regularly?

Answer
Dear Molly,

The need for calcium is set at 1,000 mg per day while breastfeeding. A cup of milk has close to 300 mg, so you can see how easy it is to get your needs by drinking milk! Same with a serving of cheese or yogurt, although other dairy products (like ice cream or cream cheese) have very little because they are really more fat than milk.
Other excellent sources are leafy greens and beans, with 100-200 mg per serving.
Many foods in the diet contribute 10 or 20 mg so they all add up during the day and you do not need to aim for 1000 mg from these high sources alone.
Regarding other nutrients, you may want to consider just a simple one-a-day multivitamin to assure you are receiving all the nutrients each day. But most of them are not difficult to get from a balanced diet, and some breakfast cereals are fortified with much of what you need in a day.

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