| Celebrate National Breastfeeding Month with Professional Resources from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans USDA Secretary Vilsack declared August 1-7 as National WIC Breastfeeding Week, and the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee recognizes the whole month of August as National Breastfeeding Month. Nutrition plays an important role in supporting the health of breastfeeding parents and their children. DietaryGuidelines.gov provides free professional resources, and MyPlate.gov offers free consumer digital tools and materials to support healthy eating during these life stages. While the core elements of a healthy dietary pattern during breastfeeding are similar to other life stages, increased calorie and nutrient needs make choosing nutrient-dense foods within a healthy dietary pattern especially important for those who are breastfeeding, including those who express human milk. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 (Dietary Guidelines) addresses healthy eating patterns and nutrition considerations specific to breastfeeding, like supplements, seafood, alcohol, and caffeine. The Dietary Guidelines also recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life and continuing to feed infants human milk through at least the first year of life, and longer if desired. Key Professional Resources from the Dietary Guidelines
for Breastfeeding Individuals and Their Families Resources from the Dietary Guidelines can help professionals support healthy dietary patterns for breastfeeding parents and their children.  - Build a Healthy Eating Routine When You're Pregnant or Breastfeeding handout (available in English and Spanish) provides easy-to-understand information for individuals who are breastfeeding about how to choose a mix of healthy foods and addresses important nutrition considerations for this life stage.
- Build a Healthy Eating Routine for Your Baby handout (available in English and Spanish) describes why breast milk is the best source of nutrition for babies' first months of life, the importance of not offering other drinks or solid foods until the baby is ready to start solids (at about 6 months of age), and how long to continue breastfeeding.
| | Professional Presentation on Dietary Guidance for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Give a professional presentation on dietary guidance for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding with information from the latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines that covers healthy dietary patterns, current intake compared to recommendations, key nutrition considerations, and more.  - Download a presentation slide deck for pregnancy and breastfeeding (available in PDF or PPT) and adapt as needed for your audience.
| | | Share these MyPlate consumer-friendly resources with pregnant and breastfeeding patients and clients to help guide healthy food choices: - MyPlate healthy eating for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding page
- Tip sheet for breastfeeding (English, Spanish)
- MyPlate Plan on what and how much to eat when breastfeeding
(English, Spanish) Together, we can all support families to promote a healthier future for them and their children. | | | |
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