Full-fat dairy, your baby, & you

because full-fat is glorious and should be celebrated

I’m just going to say it – low fat dairy is not it!

Full-fat, grass-fed dairy is your friend and should be included in your pre and postnatal diets. Dairy can get a bad rap (especially in the digestive department, I get it!) but it is full of healthy fats and important nutrients that support both you and your baby throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Now, to be specific, I am primarily talking about grass-fed dairy. When cows pasture feed there is a positive impact on the nutrient content of their milk. When it comes to fat, quality is important and grass-fed dairy has a much healthier fat profile when compared to conventional dairy. This includes 5 times more CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a favorable ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty, and heart-healthy HDL cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and provide many benefits to babies’ brains including protection from oxidative damage and aiding in the formation of neurons. For mom, omega 3’s are important for mental health, among many things. That’s not to say that if you can’t get grass-fed then you should just forego dairy all-together, but do keep it in mind when shopping.

Dairy contains the vital prenatal nutrient, iodine, which is important because iodine needs double during pregnancy. Iodine deficiency affects nearly 1/3 of the population and can have a negative impact on thyroid function for both mother and baby. This trace mineral is also important for your baby’s cognitive development. In mothers, iodine deficiency can be linked to fatigue, lowered immunity, dry skin, and hair loss. Dairy products including yogurt, cheese, milk, all contain varying amounts of iodine which will contribute to the daily requirement of 250 mcg. One example: 1 cup of cottage cheese contains 65mcg of iodine, not to mention 28 grams of protein!

Probiotics, we’ve all heard about them at length at this point I am sure. Thing is, probiotics really are the thing that make the world go round and we should all make the effort to include probiotic foods in our diet. My nutrition philosophy is dietary sources of nutrients > supplementation whenever possible (there are always exceptions). This is true of especially probiotic foods because they often times contain a wider range of beneficial bacteria strains than their supplement counterparts. For this reason foods like yogurt, kefir, labneh, and even some brands of cottage cheese and sour cream, like Good Culture, are my go-to sources for dietary probiotics. I mean who doesn’t love a big dollop of sour cream on their chili? Probiotic foods should be prioritized all throughout pregnancy and postpartum. For mothers probiotics help keep immunity up during the first and third trimesters. In the third trimester the birth canal is getting prepared for well, birth. The stronger a mother’s microbiome is, the better off her birth canal will be. If the baby is born vaginally, they will be colonized by the healthy bacteria, primarily Lactobacillus – so cool! If a baby is born via Caesarean, probiotics still come into play because they help the mother’s microbiome stand up to rounds of antibiotics and assist in warding off infections that may occur post-procedure. No matter what kind of birth you may have the baby can still benefit from their mother’s strong and healthy microbiome through the magic of breastmilk.

Okay that was a lot of words to basically say that full-fat, grass-fed dairy, especially the fermented friends, should be included in your pre and postnatal diet. Why full-fat you might be asking? Fat = satiety and satiety can be hard to come by especially in those early days postpartum. Fat is also a key player in the absorption of all fat soluble nutrients and for breastmilk production.

Recipe featuring glorious full fat dairy to incorporate into your diet:

My favorite dairy products to incorporate full-fat, grass-fed dairy into your diet:

• Good Culture cottage cheese

• Good Culture sour cream

• Kerrygold butter (I prefer the salted!)

• Maple Hill Organic Grass-fed Yogurt

• Maple Hill Organic Grass-fed Kefir