Breastfeeding and your diet: what actually needs a supplement

Do you need a special breastfeeding diet

No, you do not. The NHS is clear that you do not need to eat anything special while breastfeeding, and there is no list of foods you must avoid either. A varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, some starchy carbohydrates, protein, and dairy or fortified alternatives does the job. Your energy needs are a little higher, so eat regularly and to your appetite rather than counting anything.

The one supplement the NHS recommends

If you take one thing, take vitamin D, 10 micrograms a day, for as long as you breastfeed. That is the single supplement the NHS recommends across the board at this stage, for the same reason as in pregnancy: UK sunlight is not reliable enough for much of the year. Everything else depends on your own diet and where it falls short.

Where a plant-based diet needs a hand

Two nutrients are worth real attention if you eat little or no animal food. The first is vitamin B12, which is found naturally in animal foods, so a vegan diet needs either a B12 supplement or reliably fortified foods. The NHS is direct about this one. The second is the long-chain omega-3 DHA, which most people get from oily fish. Maternal intake of DHA contributes to the normal brain and eye development of breastfed infants, at a daily intake of 200 mg of DHA on top of the usual 250 mg of omega-3. If you do not eat fish, an algal DHA is the direct plant-based source, which we cover in the vegan omega-3 guide.

Iodine, calcium and eating enough

A few others sort themselves out with a varied diet, with one caveat. Iodine comes mainly from dairy and white fish in the UK, so if you avoid both, it is worth being deliberate about your sources. Calcium comes from dairy or fortified plant alternatives and leafy greens. And the general rule holds: eating enough, across the day, matters more than any single food. If your diet is genuinely restricted, your GP or a dietitian can help you plug the specific gaps.

So do you need a postnatal

Not necessarily. If you eat well and take your vitamin D, you have the essentials. A postnatal multivitamin is a convenient way to cover vitamin D plus a few nutrients that support a tired new parent, in one capsule, on the days when a balanced plate does not happen. It is there for convenience on the days a balanced plate does not happen, and it does not replace eating well.

Keeping it simple

If you would like the vitamin D the NHS asks for plus everyday support in one place, our new-mum routine is built around the postnatal and only includes what applies to you. If your diet already has you covered, vitamin D on its own is a perfectly sensible plan.