To be clear, no ‘special foods’ will dramatically improve your milk supply, if you’re having supply issues then focus on baby’s latch, your hydration and your nutrition overall - but good quality, wholefood snacks will support your system in many ways.
As part of my support I make my birth and postpartum clients snacks to support their recovery and breastfeeding - they are so yummy that I am regularly asked for the recipes so I thought I’d publish them here in one place!
I make double batches of both of these recipes - they do freeze really well but actually don’t last long enough in my house to need freezing ;)
BEST EVER LACTATION SLICE
This slice does have a fair bit of sugar in it, although it is balanced by a lot of nutrient dense ingredients. If you need to limit your sugar for whatever reason consider reducing the amount in the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
125g butter
125g natural crunchy peanut butter
150g coconut sugar (or raw sugar or brown sugar)
75g honey
150g rolled oats
50g pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
50g sesame seeds
50g dessicated coconut
1 tbsp LSA mix
3 tbsp brewer’s yeast
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
METHOD
Grease and line the bottom and sides of a 20cm square baking tin. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius.
Put the butter, peanut butter, sugar and honey into a LARGE pot and gently melt until all sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix evenly.
Pour into the prepared baking tin and flatten with the back of a wet tablespoon, being sure to push mixture into all the corners. Bake for 30 minutes.
Cool on a rack, leaving it in the tin until it has completely cooled. Preferably overnight but a few hours is usually fine. Remove from tin and cut into small bars (this snack is quite rich so not much is required for a satisfying snack).
Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
YUMMY LACTATION COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
½ cup stewed apples
½ cup maple syrup (or honey)
½ cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp peanut butter (or almond butter)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup wholemeal or gluten free, plain flour
3 tbsp brewer’s yeast (NOT baker's yeast!)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup cranberries or sultanas
½ cup chocolate chips
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C degrees.
Blend the apples, egg and vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours (I often leave them overnight). Drop small tablespoons of mixture on lined baking trays. Bake for 12-15 minutes
Store in an airtight container and enjoy!