Red meat, like the beef and pork available at T&R Dairy, and duck meat from Backwater Foie Gras, is chock-full of vitamin B2, iron, and zinc. Poultry also contains vitamin B6.

Backwater also sells duck liver. Organ meats are a great source of vitamin A and copper.

Shellfish like shrimp, crab, and oysters-stocked at seafood vendors like Pete n’ Clara’s and Anna Marie Seafood-contain vitamin B12, iron, and copper.

Other fish, like the snapper, catfish, and grouper that’s been available at market, are like a superfood. They are packed with a laundry list of goodies such as vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12, choline, selenium, and iron.

Starchy foods are an easy way to add vitamins A, B1, and B6, as well as folate, calcium, iron, and zinc. Acorn and butternut squash, zucchinis, sweet potatoes, and a few varieties of beans and peas have lately been making their way onto the tables of all our produce vendors.

Both cow’s and goat’s milk is available for purchase at market at T&R Dairy and Huckleberry Fred’s Creamery, respectively. Everyone knows milk is great for bone health with its calcium levels, but did you know it is also a strong source of iodine?

Probiotics like yogurt from T&R Dairy are great not only for gut health but also as a supply of vitamin B12 and calcium.

Eggs have been available at longtime dairy vendor T&R Dairy, and SPROUT NOLA stocks eggs from Peep’s Farms. Isabel’s Tamales and Produce and Huckleberry Fred’s Creamery also supply them. Adding these little protein-rich packages to your diet will fortify you with riboflavin (vitamin B2), B12, choline, and vitamin A.

Peanuts, now available from Indian Springs Cooperative, are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6, choline, calcium, copper, and zinc.

This guide was adapted from this helpful article that outlines many more specific foods and nutrients needed for all phases of breastfeeding. It is a lot of information, but the main takeaway is that building dishes up from solid ingredients such as these will fortify you and your baby with the energy and sustenance to keep you both growing healthy and happy. Try topping a creamy squash or potato soup with nuts. Or if you are preparing meats or seafood, you can always grill or pan-fry other vegetables on the side over rice for a meal that hits all food groups. Breakfast can be a scoop of yogurt over oats with honey. Of course, highly nutritious meals like these are not limited to new parents. We can all benefit from nourishing our bodies with hearty, fulfilling meals.