How Dairy Supports Mom and Baby This Mother’s Day

Are you looking for a superfood to add to your diet during your motherhood journey? Look no further than dairy! You may be surprised that this age-old food group can help you every step of the way: through pregnancy, breastfeeding, and introducing foods to your baby. You may know that dairy foods are a good source of calcium, but did you know that they also provide protein, phosphorus, and iodine? Let me tell you how this can help you through every step of your motherhood journey.

Supporting Healthy Pregnancies with Dairy

During pregnancy, your body is working hard to literally grow another human inside of you. Pregnancy uses the nutrients stored in your body and from your daily diet to build your baby’s brain, bones, DNA, lungs…everything! One nutrient essential to a baby’s brain growth and development is iodine, a nutrient that moms must get through their diet. One 8-oz cup of real milk can meet 40% of a pregnant mother’s daily needs for iodine. You can read more about iodine here. Even when those pesky pregnancy symptoms make it difficult to consume all of the recommended nutrients for you and your baby, dairy foods can be a tool to make sure both mom and baby are nourished. During bouts of nausea or food aversions, bland, cold foods like smoothies, milk and cereal, or even ice cream can be a source of energy and nutrition. You can have peace of mind that you and your baby are being nourished with the necessary vitamins and minerals by incorporating dairy foods daily.

Supporting Breastfeeding Journeys with Dairy

Next up in the motherhood journey: breastfeeding. You’re creating food for your baby when they’re outside of your body to sustain them. How amazing is that?! Dairy foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese can help replenish moms as they are transferring vitamins, minerals, macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats), and fluids to their baby through breastmilk. Breastfeeding demands more calories and tends to make the momma hungry! Dairy foods offer protein that can be helpful in keeping mom full during this time. Try milk with your AM latte, yogurt with lunch, or cottage cheese and honey as an after-dinner snack.

Supporting Baby’s Food Exploration

Lastly, baby’s new foods! The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that babies be introduced to nutrient-dense foods around 6 months. Yogurt and cheese can be introduced as complementary foods and offer new textures, flavors, and, of course, nutrition. Dairy can be helpful for bulking up foods like fruit purees or adding flavor—try adding cheese to pureed beans or serving unsweetened yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit purees. Babies often don’t eat enough zinc, vitamin D, choline, and potassium, and adding dairy foods can help with this! To fill in these nutritional gaps, some meal ideas include:

• Breakfast: Cottage cheese with mashed strawberries

• Lunch: Lentils with shredded cheese, frozen smoothie (Banana, spinach, mango, and yogurt smoothie)

• Dinner: Cheese, avocado, and black bean quesadilla

Dairy can boost nutrition in every phase of motherhood, so make sure to incorporate more into your meals starting today!