Your doctor may also recommend you see a nutritionist, who can provide you with one-on-one help to make a dietary plan.
This particular calculator tells you how many calories per day you need to maintain your weight. Be sure to mark that you’re breastfeeding.
Write down the foods you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Add up the number of calories you’re eating. You can use this chart to help you out: https://www. cdc. gov/healthyweight/pdf/food_diary_cdc. pdf. If you’re not used to counting calories, you may need to measure your foods to accurately represent what you’re eating. For instance, you may not be able to visually estimate what a serving of pasta looks like. Use online calorie counters to help you estimate you’re servings. You can also use apps to help you count calories.
So if the calculator tells you need 2200 calories to maintain your weight as a breastfeeding mother, you’ll need to take in 2300-2400 calories a day at least to gain weight. To gain a pound a week, you’d need to take in an extra 500 calories a day.
You can also sprinkle nuts on your salad, or sneak avocados into your enchiladas. Eating extra fatty fish is great for your baby’s health. However, skip fish that are high in mercury. Good fish options include canned light tuna, trout, tilapia, cod, herring, catfish, shrimp, shad, salmon, and herring. You can eat certain fish in moderation. Stick to a single serving a week, and don’t eat any other fish that week. These fish include yellowfin tuna, albacore tuna, grouper, halibut, snapper, mahi-mahi, snapper, and Chilean sea bass. Fish high in mercury include king mackerel, shark, swordfish, orange roughy, and bigeye tuna. [6] X Trustworthy Source US Food and Drug Administration U. S. government agency responsible for promoting public health Go to source
You could also add a dash to mashed potatoes or casseroles.
You can also add a dollop of jam and/or honey to your oatmeal, or mix some honey into your morning tea or coffee.
Aim for 5-6 small meals each day. A small meal could be 2 eggs and whole wheat toast, a ham sandwich, or a small can of soup, for instance.
Pick high-calorie beverages like milk, juice, or even a smoothie.
Dried fruit is a good option because it condenses the calories of the fruit into a much smaller package so you don’t feel as full when eating it. You can also try nuts and seeds and lean proteins.
You can buy pre-made smoothies or make your own. Add some protein and calorie-dense foods to your smoothie, such as yogurt, peanut butter, milk, almond butter, or protein powder. You can also try meal-replacement protein shakes. Keep them on hand, then down them as needed.
