Breastfeeding is one of the most powerful ways you can nourish your baby, but it’s also a time when your own nutrient stores are in high demand. The foods you eat don’t just fuel your body—they help shape your milk quality, nutrient density, and even your baby’s long-term health.

Drawing from the wisdom of Nourishing Traditions and the pioneering research of Dr. Weston A. Price, this guide outlines the optimal breastfeeding diet—rich, traditional, and designed to restore vitality for both mother and child.

Why Traditional Diets Matter for Breastfeeding

Dr. Weston A. Price’s research in the early 1900s revealed that traditional cultures prized certain nutrient-dense foods—especially for women during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and preconception. These cultures understood that a mother’s diet had a direct impact on the growth, immunity, and development of her child.

In our modern world, nutrient depletion is common. Nourishing Traditions calls us back to these time-tested, whole-foods diets—full of minerals, fat-soluble vitamins, and easily digestible proteins that support both milk production and postpartum recovery.

Core Principles of the Breastfeeding Diet

The breastfeeding diet, according to Weston Price-inspired principles, should be:

1. Nutrient-Dense – Every bite should deliver meaningful nutrition, not just empty calories.
2. Rich in Fat-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamins A, D, E, and K2 are essential for baby’s growth and immune development.
3. Easily Digestible – Traditional preparation methods like soaking, sprouting, fermenting, and slow cooking make nutrients more bioavailable.
4. Supportive of Hormonal Balance – Adequate fats, protein, and minerals help maintain healthy milk supply.

Key Foods for the Optimal Breastfeeding Diet

Here are the top foods and food groups Nourishing Traditions recommends for breastfeeding mothers:

1. Animal Fats & Pasture-Raised Meats

• Why: Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2 are critical for baby’s brain, bone, and immune development.
• Examples: Grass-fed butter, ghee, tallow, lard, cream, pasture-raised beef, lamb, and poultry.
• Bonus: Bone-in cuts and organ meats (like liver) are especially mineral-rich.

2. Wild-Caught Seafood

• Why: DHA and EPA (omega-3 fats) are essential for your baby’s brain and nervous system.
• Examples: Wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, shellfish, and roe (fish eggs—highly prized in traditional cultures).
• Note: Choose low-mercury varieties and avoid farmed fish when possible.

3. Raw & Cultured Dairy (If Tolerated)

• Why: A powerful source of calcium, enzymes, probiotics, and fat-soluble vitamins.
• Examples: Raw milk, yogurt, kefir, cultured cream, raw cheese.
• Traditional Tip: Fermentation makes dairy more digestible and nutrient-rich.

4. Bone Broths & Gelatin-Rich Foods

• Why: Support postpartum healing, digestion, and joint health while delivering minerals in an easy-to-absorb form.
• Examples: Chicken stock, beef bone broth, lamb broth, fish stock.

5. Eggs from Pastured Hens

• Why: Provide choline for brain development, along with vitamins A, D, and B12.
• Best Choice: Deep-yellow yolks from hens that forage on pasture.

6. Fresh, Organic Fruits & Vegetables

• Why: Deliver antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber for overall health.
• Traditional Twist: Serve alongside healthy fats to enhance nutrient absorption.

7. Properly Prepared Grains & Legumes

• Why: When soaked or fermented, these foods become more digestible and less likely to cause digestive upset in mom or baby.
• Examples: Sourdough bread, soaked oatmeal, sprouted lentils.

8. Fermented Foods

• Why: Support a healthy microbiome in both mom and baby.
• Examples: Sauerkraut, kimchi, lacto-fermented pickles, kombucha, beet kvass.

Nutrients to Prioritize

While variety is important, Nourishing Traditions emphasizes specific nutrients for breastfeeding:

• Vitamin A – liver, butter, egg yolks, cod liver oil
• Vitamin D – sunlight, cod liver oil, fatty fish
• Vitamin K2 – grass-fed butter, hard cheeses, goose liver
• Choline – egg yolks, liver, fish roe
• DHA/EPA – salmon, sardines, fish eggs
• Calcium – raw dairy, bone broth, small whole fish
• Zinc – red meat, shellfish, pumpkin seeds
• Iodine – seaweed, shellfish, fish

Foods to Limit or Avoid

While breastfeeding, certain foods can deplete nutrient stores or pass undesirable compounds into your milk:

• Highly processed foods & refined sugars – disrupt blood sugar and mineral balance.
• Industrial seed oils (canola, soybean, corn) – promote inflammation and oxidative stress.
• Excess caffeine – can affect your baby’s sleep and nervous system.
• High-mercury fish – swordfish, king mackerel, shark, tilefish.

Cod Liver Oil: A Traditional Superfood

One of the hallmark recommendations from Nourishing Traditions is daily fermented cod liver oil, which provides vitamins A and D in the perfect balance, along with anti-inflammatory omega-3s. Traditional cultures often gave nutrient-rich oils to new mothers to ensure robust milk quality.

Final Thoughts

Breastfeeding is a season of giving—your body pours nutrients into your baby every day. By eating with purpose, you’re not only replenishing your own stores but also laying a strong foundation for your child’s health, immunity, and development.

It’s not about perfection—it’s about consistently choosing whole, traditional foods that truly nourish.