During lactation, a woman must eat an adequate amount of protein in order to maintain her own muscle mass, while also providing adequate nutrition to the infant through breast milk. The current Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for protein suggest, that healthy lactating women (0–6 mo postpartum) should consume an Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) of 1.05 g protein/kg/d. (Source: National Library of Medicine)

I don’t love math either, so let’s see what that means with my actual body size. I am 150lbs (150 / 2.2 = 68kg) 68kg x 1.05 = 71g of protein as the MINIMUM daily need.

I challenge everyone to be as close to 100g per day as they can get. But I will admit that isn’t easy to do when you’re recovering from birth. Here is a list of my top protein-packed go-tos during postpartum (and always).

• Jerky

• Collogen Peptides (these are my favorite and cost wise are a good deal!)

• Grilled Chicken Breasts

• Instant Pot Pulled Pork (my recipe is similar to this but I add chili powder (about 1tbsp) over the entire roast before starting)

• String Cheese

• Kirkland Protein Bars found here

• Fulfill Protein bars - these taste like a legit chocolate bar, but pack 15g of protein and I hide them from my older kids, ya’ll. You can also find them at Trader Joe’s