What should I eat while breastfeeding to support my baby's brain?
Eat 8 to 12 ounces a week of lower-mercury fish, an egg most days, and use iodized salt. Breast milk's DHA and iodine rise and fall with your diet, and your choline needs peak at 550 mg a day while breastfeeding. Ask your doctor whether to keep your prenatal and whether it has 150 mcg of iodine.
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The short answer: fish, eggs and iodized salt
Your baby's brain keeps growing fast after birth, and for the first months it's built mostly from milk. Breast milk reflects the mother's diet, and three brain nutrients show it clearly: DHA, iodine and choline. The good news is that the foods that cover them are ordinary ones.
- Fish two or three times a week, from the lower-mercury list.
- Eggs most days, for choline.
- Iodized salt in your cooking, and dairy if you eat it.
- Your prenatal, if your doctor agrees, checked for iodine and choline.
You don't need a special "lactation diet" or expensive powders. You need these few things, often.
DHA: why your fish habit still matters
DHA is an omega-3 fat that is a building block of the brain and eyes. Your baby's brain keeps collecting it until about age two. A review of 65 studies covering 2,474 women around the world found that milk DHA ranged from 0.06% to 1.4% of milk fat, a more than twentyfold difference. The highest levels were in coastal populations who eat a lot of seafood.
The FDA and EPA advice of 8 to 12 ounces (2 to 3 servings) a week of lower-mercury fish covers breastfeeding as well as pregnancy. If you followed our page on which fish are safe in pregnancy, keep the same habit going.
| Good choices | Still skip |
|---|---|
| Salmon, sardines, trout, pollock, canned light tuna | Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, bigeye tuna, Gulf tilefish |
If you don't eat fish, ask your doctor whether a DHA supplement makes sense. Algal oil is DHA made by algae, which suits vegetarians, vegans and people allergic to fish.
Free: the 60-second Prenatal Label Check
Check your prenatal vitamin against what the research says a growing brain needs, and get Part 1 of the book free.
Iodine: the nutrient your baby gets only through you
Your baby's thyroid runs on iodine, and thyroid hormones steer brain growth. Milk iodine rises and falls with the mother's intake, and the NIH notes that exclusively breastfed babies depend on their mother having enough.
Needs go up while breastfeeding. The US RDA is 290 mcg a day, and WHO recommends 250 mcg a day in pregnancy and breastfeeding. The American Thyroid Association and the AAP both recommend a daily supplement with 150 mcg of iodine for breastfeeding women.
At home, use iodized salt. Sea salt, kosher salt and Himalayan salt usually aren't iodized, so the fancy jar on the counter may not be doing this job. Dairy, eggs and fish add some too. For the full story, see iodine during pregnancy, which applies just as much now.
Choline: needs peak while you breastfeed
Choline is used to build the membranes of new brain cells and the myelin that coats nerve fibers, and your need for it is highest now: an adequate intake of 550 mg a day while breastfeeding, higher than the 450 mg in pregnancy. One large hard-boiled egg has about 147 mg, about a third of the 450 mg pregnancy target, so two eggs cover more than half of what you need now.
Here's how a day can add up:
| Food | Serving | Choline (mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Egg, hard-boiled | 2 large | 294 |
| Chicken breast, roasted | 3 oz | 72 |
| Cod, cooked | 3 oz | 71 |
| Kidney beans, canned | ½ cup | 45 |
| Milk, 1% | 1 cup | 43 |
| Total | 525 |
Add a serving of broccoli or a baked potato and you're at the target. Without eggs, roasted soybeans, wheat germ, quinoa, beans and potatoes with the skin are good plant sources. Many vegans may need a supplement to close the gap, so check your label. More in eggs during pregnancy.
Your prenatal, B12 and the questions to ask
Many parents stop their prenatal the day the baby arrives. Ask first. Your doctor can tell you whether to keep taking it while breastfeeding, whether it has enough iodine (look for 150 mcg), and whether it lists choline.
If you're vegan or vegetarian, ask about vitamin B12 too. The recommended amount rises to 2.8 mcg a day while breastfeeding, and the NIH notes that breastfed babies of vegan mothers can become deficient early in life. Fortified foods and supplements cut the risk a lot.
Your baby needs one supplement of their own: the CDC says breastfed babies, including those who get some formula, need 400 IU of vitamin D every day, from drops made for infants.
If you're formula feeding or combining, your baby is covered for choline and DHA: most commercial infant formulas have choline added, and most US formulas have added DHA since 2002. Your own choline target then goes back to the usual 425 mg a day, and eggs are still an easy way to get it.
Looking ahead, the fish habit becomes a family habit. When your baby starts solids, fish can be one of the first foods. The FDA suggests about 1 ounce per serving at ages 1 to 3, twice a week, from the Best Choices list.
Make it doable on no sleep
A new parent who can boil eggs at 2 a.m. can do anything, but you shouldn't have to cook much. A few one-handed ideas:
- Hard-boil a dozen eggs on Sunday and keep them in the fridge.
- Keep canned salmon, sardines or light tuna for quick lunches.
- Put iodized salt in the shaker you actually use.
- Leave a glass of milk or a yogurt where you feed the baby.
And look after the person making the milk. Sleep when someone else can hold the baby. If you feel hopeless, or have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call your doctor or 988 (US) now.
Do this
- Eat lower-mercury fish two or three times a week, such as salmon, sardines or canned light tuna.
- Have an egg most days, or two, for choline.
- Switch your kitchen salt to iodized salt.
- Ask your doctor whether to keep your prenatal and whether it has 150 mcg of iodine.
- Give your breastfed baby 400 IU of vitamin D drops every day.
When to ask your doctor
Check with your doctor or midwife first if…
- You don't eat fish: ask your doctor whether a DHA supplement makes sense.
- You're vegan or vegetarian: ask for a B12 check and whether you need a supplement.
- You're tempted by kelp or seaweed supplements for iodine: skip them unless your doctor says otherwise, because too much iodine can make the thyroid slow down or speed up.
Call your doctor now if…
- Your baby is very sleepy and won't feed, has few wet diapers, or is getting more yellow: call your doctor the same day.
- Your baby under 3 months has a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher: call your doctor or 911 now.
- You feel hopeless, or have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby: call your doctor or 988 (US) now.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every child is different. Ask your doctor, midwife or pediatrician before changing supplements, diet or care.
Grow a Genius
In the book: Chapter 17: Feeding the Growing Brain
The book explains what shapes your milk, then The Genius Kitchen turns it into quick, one-handed meals built around fish, eggs and iodized salt.
- The 7 Genius Builders, stage by stage
- 16 printable guides, including the Prenatal Label Decoder
- Built on 500+ sources from 35+ countries
- 90-day Double Guarantee
People also ask
Is it safe to eat fish while breastfeeding?
Yes, lower-mercury fish is recommended. The FDA and EPA advise 8 to 12 ounces (2 to 3 servings) a week while breastfeeding, the same as in pregnancy. Good choices include salmon, sardines, trout, pollock and canned light tuna. Skip shark, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, bigeye tuna and Gulf tilefish.
Should I keep taking my prenatal vitamin while breastfeeding?
Ask your doctor. Many advise it, and it's a good chance to check the label for iodine and choline. The American Thyroid Association and the AAP recommend a daily supplement with 150 mcg of iodine for breastfeeding women.
How much choline do I need while breastfeeding?
The adequate intake is 550 mg a day, higher than in pregnancy. One large hard-boiled egg has about 147 mg. Two eggs, a serving of meat or fish, beans and a glass of milk get most people close.
Does my diet change the DHA in my milk?
Yes. Across 65 studies of 2,474 women worldwide, milk DHA varied more than twentyfold, with the highest levels in coastal populations who eat a lot of seafood. Regular lower-mercury fish, or a DHA supplement if your doctor agrees, is the way to raise it.