Happy New Year! With new year’s resolutions on our mind, our meeting, series 4: Nutrition & Weaning, discussed how to eat healthy, get the family to do the same, and how to safely lose weight while breastfeeding.

So what is healthy? La Leche League believes that good nutrition means eating a well balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible. Is this always possible in today’s hectic world? No, but we can all take small steps forward towards a better diet.

Which is healthier: Fresh or frozen fruits & veggies? Ah, ha! This is actually a trick question. The answer is BOTH. Fresh fruits/veggies are best when they can be consumed right after being harvested. Farmers Markets are great because the produce hasn’t been harvested and sitting around for awhile. From the minute produce is harvested, the nutritional value plummets. Commercial supermarkets produce is very low compared to home grown and farmers markets. That being said, Frozen is a great option too. After being harvested, the produce is quickly frozen to lock in the nutrients. When it is frozen, those nutrients don’t deteriorate.

Does dieting affect your milk supply? Not unless calories are greatly limited. Eat to hunger, and eat healthy foods is always better than following a strict diet plan.

A breastfeeding mother can expect to lose between 1-2 pounds a month. More rapid weight loss is not recommended.

Meeting attendees received a couple of healthy recipes, one of which was from the cookbook Whole Foods for the Whole Family, and a baggie of healthy cookies.

We hope you see you at the next meeting in February!