What foods should you avoid while breastfeeding?

"Good Choices" (1 serving a week): Bluefish, Buffalofish, Carp, Chilean sea bass/Patagonian toothfish, Grouper, Halibut, Mahi mahi/dolphinfish, Monkfish, Sablefish, Sheepshead, Snapper, Spanish mackerel, Tilefish (Atlantic Ocean), Tuna, albacore/white tuna, canned and fresh/frozen, Tuna, yellowfin, Weakfish/seatrout, White croaker/Pacific croaker.

Mercury: FDA testing 1990 to 2012, the form with the most samples where FDA tested a species in more than one form. Groups and servings: FDA and EPA advice for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. A serving is 4 oz (113 g) before cooking.

What to avoid

• Level E FDA: So, individuals who could become or are pregnant or breastfeeding and young children should avoid these seven fish. FDA, Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely, accessed 2026-10-12

Amounts and limits

• Level E CDC: Limit to one serving (4 ounces) if the fish is on the "Good Choices" list on this chart. CDC, Maternal Diet and Breastfeeding, accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E FDA: Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume between 8 and 12 ounces per week of a variety of seafood from choices that are lower in mercury. FDA, Food Safety for Pregnant Women and Their Unborn Babies, accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E CDC: A low to moderate amount is about 300 milligrams or less per day, which is about 2 to 3 cups of coffee. CDC, Maternal Diet and Breastfeeding, accessed 2026-10-12

Good to know

• Level E CDC: Generally, women do not need to limit or avoid specific foods while breastfeeding. CDC, Maternal Diet and Breastfeeding, accessed 2026-10-12
• Level E CDC: Most fish contain mercury that can pass from mother to infant through breast milk. CDC, Maternal Diet and Breastfeeding, accessed 2026-10-12

Text in quotation marks is word for word from the official source. Level E means the position of an expert body or a drug label. How we grade evidence.

Evidence behind the advice

• Level E FDA and EPA advise people who are pregnant or breastfeeding to eat 8 to 12 ounces (about 225 to 340 g) a week of lower-mercury seafood, counting 4 ounces as one serving. FDA/EPA, Advice about Eating Fish, page dated 2024-03-05
• Level C In 46 studies of shellfish eating in pregnancy, lactation and the first 2 years, higher intake tracked higher mercury biomarkers and better iodine status, was not linked to preterm birth, and gave mixed results on birth weight. Nutr Res Rev, 2025

The other side and the limits

• Level C A systematic review found the evidence on caffeine intake while breastfeeding scant, of limited quality and inconclusive. Swiss Med Wkly, 2018
• Level C In a systematic review on breastfeeding, maternal chocolate and coffee intake was associated with more infant colic, though caffeine as the cause was doubtful. Swiss Med Wkly, 2018
• Level C A USDA systematic review found moderate evidence that carrot flavor from a breastfeeding mother's diet reaches her milk and that infants respond to it days to months later. USDA Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review, Influence of Maternal Diet on Flavor Transfer to Amniotic Fluid and Breast Milk, 2019

Levels: A is a meta-analysis of trials, B a randomized trial, C an observational study, D lab work or case reports, E an expert position. How we grade evidence.

You can eat the foods you usually eat. CDC says most breastfeeding women do not need to avoid anything specific, and a USDA review found that flavors such as garlic and carrot pass into breast milk.

For fish, aim for 8 to 12 oz a week from the Best Choices rows, such as salmon, shrimp, sardines, cod or canned light tuna. Skip the seven Choices to Avoid, including swordfish, shark and king mackerel.

For caffeine, CDC puts a low to moderate amount at about 300 mg a day, or 2 to 3 cups of coffee. The evidence on caffeine and babies is thin. If your baby seems fussy after you drink coffee, talk it over with your pediatrician.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level E FDA and EPA advise people who are pregnant or breastfeeding to eat 8 to 12 ounces (about 225 to 340 g) a week of lower-mercury seafood, counting 4 ounces as one serving. FDA/EPA, Advice about Eating Fish, page dated 2024-03-05
2. Level C A systematic review found the evidence on caffeine intake while breastfeeding scant, of limited quality and inconclusive. Swiss Med Wkly, 2018
3. Level C A USDA systematic review found moderate evidence that carrot flavor from a breastfeeding mother's diet reaches her milk and that infants respond to it days to months later. USDA Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review, Influence of Maternal Diet on Flavor Transfer to Amniotic Fluid and Breast Milk, 2019

Written from the positions and data on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

• What to eat while pregnant
• Can you eat fish while pregnant?
• Salmon: what the research says
• Tuna: what the research says
• Swordfish: what the research says
• Coffee: what the research says