Breastfeeding mothers should eat a variety of their favourite healthy foods, drink lots of fluids, and get plenty of rest. Moms should follow the guidance of Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide to ensure that her diet is well-balanced. It is important that moms eat the recomended servings to ensure healthy weight management while breastfeeding.

Use the Food Guide Serving Tracker for Breastfeeding Mothers (PDF) to ensure you are meeting the recommendations.

• Choose a variety of foods from each of the four food groups.
• Ensure you are getting at least 7 servings of Vegetables and Fruit and 2 servings of Milk and Alternatives.
• Choose whole grains and meat alternatives such as beans and lentils to get extra fibre.
• Select lean meats and low fat dairy products.

Vitamin D

Breastmilk should be your baby's only food until 6 months of age when you can begin to introduce solid foods.

All breastfed babies who live in Canada should be given a vitamin D supplement. Breastfed babies need 10ug (400 IU) of vitamin D every day until 12 months of age when a variety of other food sources are introduced, including 2 cups (500 ml) of cow's milk.

Sources of vitamin D include cow's milk, some other fortified milk products, egg yolk, fortified margarine, fatty fish and infant formula. If you have questions about your babies need for vitamin D call the health unit or talk to your baby's health care provider. If you are supplementing with infant formula your baby may need less vitamin D.

Contact & Information

For more information on breastfeeding and our services, call the health unit at 519.482.3416 OR toll free at 1.877.837.6143.