Breastfeeding is hard work! It’s important to eat nutritious foods to keep your body well nourished. Having a healthy balanced diet is key to supporting your body to produce milk. Many foods and herbs have been used across cultures to support and increase breastmilk supply. There is limited research that has been done to validate these claims but many women report certain foods have helped with their milk supply. Foods and herbs that are thought help increase milk supply are known as galactogogues. One of the most well known galactogogues is oatmeal. Additonally foods like; almonds, pumpkin, brewer’s yeast, salmon and eggs are also considered to be galactogogues. Here’s a few recipes for lactation that include a variety of different galactogogues, are full of protein, healthy fats and most importantly are easy to prepare for busy parents.
When my baby was a newborn, I found it really helpful to have snacks available that I could easily eat with one hand. Here’s a recipe for some mini-muffins that are packed with protein, low in sugar, and filled with galactogogues.
Mini Pumpkin Spice Muffins
- 3 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 3/4 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup oat flour or rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon brewer’s yeast
- pecans (optional)
Baking Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and lightly grease a mini muffin pan with coconut oil.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm up the almond butter, coconut oil and maple syrup, stirring until combined. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before adding pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and 3 beaten eggs.
- If you are using rolled oats, you’ll need to put them in a food processor to make your own oat flour. Add the oat flour into a separate bowl and then combine with the remaining dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Fill the muffin pan each cup ⅔ full. Then top each muffin with a pecan if you like.
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Note you can make regular muffins if you prefer, just ensure you adjust the baking time.
These mini muffins also double as a healthy toddler snack! You can freeze some for a later time and they’re a perfect snack for when you’re on the go! Serve these mini muffins as a healthy snack for your little one, without the pecan on top.
If you’re looking for some easy dinner ideas, check out this almond crusted salmon with a side of roasted fennel. Salmon is full of protein and omega – 3 fatty acids. Salmon is also another great source of B vitamins.
Almond Crusted Salmon
- 2 Salmon fillets
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- ¼ cup brewer’s yeast
- ½ cup Crushed almonds
Cooking Instructions
- Combine Brewer’s yeast and greek yogurt. Spread onto one side of the salmon fillet. Spread crushed almonds out onto a plate. Press the salmon fillet into the crushed almonds.
- Place almond side up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350℉.
- Fennel has a mild flavour that is reminiscent of black licorice, but it’s not for everyone. I find that roasted fennel tastes best when the fennel is really fresh.
- Fennel is a galactogue that is often found in herbal preparations and it’s also found in many different brands of Gripe water.
Roasted Fennel
- 1 bulb of Fennel
- Olive oil
- ½ Lemon
- Sea salt
- Pepper
Cooking Instructions
Roughly chop the fennel. Coat generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes at 450℉, turning once halfway through. Remove from the oven and drizzle with more olive oil as needed. Squeeze some lemon onto the fennel and enjoy!
Using herbs and galactagogues to boost your milk supply can be helpful but it’s important to also work with an IBCLC if you feel that your milk supply may be low. Read my blog Dealing with a Decreasing Milk Supply for some additonal tips. An IBCLC can assess if your milk supply is low, why it may be low, and help make a plan to address it. Reach out if you are looking for support to increase your milk supply and book your feeding support package here.
