Below is a list of lactogenic foods and some suggestions for how to incorporate into recipes.
1. Oats. Oats are easy to cook and can be used in cookies, muffins, breads, etc. Adding ghee, coconut oil, coconut milk, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, ginger or cardamom can increase healthy fats, regulate blood sugar and add a warm flavor to any oat recipe. See my recipe for Aussie bites and Mother’s Sweet Porridge.
2. Nuts. Walnuts, cashews and pecans are highly recommended. Nuts contain magnesium. Magnesium is important in regulating the body’s digestion, energy, sleep and blood sugar levels.
3. Root vegetables. Carrots, beets, sweet potatoes are some of the best and easiest to prepare. See my recipes for beet tacos, carrot top pesto and sweet potato shepherd’s pie.
4. Avocado. Avocado is easy to incorporate into any meal if you like the taste. If you don’t like the taste you can try smoothies or using it instead of mayonnaise on bread, in chicken salad or anywhere else you might use mayo in a recipe. Avocado slices can be eaten with salt and pepper, with crackers, on cucumber slices, on top of an egg. Using avocado oil and adding it to various recipes can give added fats.
5. Dates. I was most excited to learn that dates were supportive of milk production! I love dates. I use dates in my Aussie bites. My family used to have dates at every holiday meal. They stuffed them with a cream cheese and maraschino cherry mixture. I have my own variation of this recipe. See black cherry stuffed dates. You can also stuff the dates with nut butter.
This list was provided to me by MaySheBloom and edited with some of my own recipes, suggestions and preferences. I recommend reaching out to May for a consultation and to hear more about lactogenic foods and how to eat an Ayurvedic diet when in the initial weeks of postpartum. Not all of these foods are easy for digestion and some should be avoided in the first few weeks of postpartum.
