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I have worked for many people of the course of my career with many different food requirements, but never did I have to consider a nursing baby and the impact of the foods I made. That was until a friend got pregnant and asked if I would make food for her newly expanded family. I was of course immediately available and intrigued. There were enough old wives tales out there that automatically made me consider the importance of the meals I was going to serve. My fiend, Heidi Krupp, runs a very successful PR agency and spent over 40 years for this bundle of joy so his arrival was weighted with great anticipation and desire.

Now, Heidi and I share a common consideration around the foods we are willing to eat and consider eating nutritional dense, chemical free and seasonally sense foods were a must. Then I started to consider her new son who would be eating everything she ate. Reading the label on a box of breastfeeding tea I realized there were herbs and spices to be used and foods that might be best minimalized and others fully embraced.

The easier part of the equation, for me, was making sure that the foods made were chockfull with the nutrients that were vital for both mom and baby – omegas, magnesium, calcium, B-complex, among other building blocks. Then as I started this adventure in cooking I kept meeting expectant moms. I immediately started my own informal survey – gently inquiring if they were going to breastfeed? What needs did they have? Did they have any clues regarding what foods to make? I was amazed by the utter lack of thought regarding eating for breastfeeding, yet all women think about eating for pregnancy. I also became obvious that the meals produced must be easy to eat (consider a baby on one side and a plate of food on the other), absolutely freezer friendly or have a shelf life beyond the day. Organization is a key ingredient to making sure everyone is well fed.

Armed with a nutritional pantry with omega-3 rich walnuts, black cod and kale to magnesium delivering pumpkin seeds, halibut and spinach, which helps with brain development and sleep respectively, I started preparing organic foods and watch everyone flourish.