Make Your Breastfeeding Diet Work
For You and Your Baby
If you've chosen to nurse, your breastfeeding diet can impact your baby's well-being in more ways than one.
Good food choices can mean a boost in nutrients. Bad food choices can mean an aching tummy or blotchy skin for your baby.But how do you determine what's good and what's bad? It really depends on you and your baby. Rather than starting out with a list of restrictions, try eating all of your favorite foods. Take note if your baby spits up more or has some other unpleasant reaction. Eating more of the foods you love, may help you breastfeed longer if you desire to do so.
Foods You Want Plenty Of
- It's not a food, but water can make or break your breastfeeding diet. Experts recommend 10 eight oz. glasses a day. That amounts to a glass of water every time your baby feeds. Watch your urine and sense of thirst to determine if you need more or less.
- In The Breastfeeding Book Martha and William Sears, M.D. recommend the following 12 foods as part of a healthy breastfeeding diet:
avocado, chickpeas, eggs, fish, flax seeds and flax oil, kidney beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, tofu, tomatoes, whole grains and yogurt. - Each of these foods contained important nutrients such as protein, folic acid, fiber and other essential vitamins.
Almonds, artichokes, broccoli, cantaloupe, orange, papaya, peanut butter, pink grapefruit, soy nuts, spinach, sunflower seeds and turkey also received an honorable mention. - Take in about 500 extra calories a day. If you are nursing because you want the pounds to melt away, it doesn't and shouldn't happen overnight.
The best thing for you and your baby is not to cut calories, but to exercise and be patient. Some bodies and metabolisms really do need 9 months to get rid of the baby weight.
Foods to Monitor In Your Breastfeeding Diet
Your baby may not have any problems at all with what you eat. However, if he does complain after a feeding, ask yourself if you've eaten any of the foods in this section. Try eliminating them one at a time, rather than all at once to identify the culprit. You may have to keep a food journal if you can't remember.- Dairy is a potential allergen and cause cause some babies to have colicky symptoms.
Rather than lactose, it's actually the cow's milk protein that causes the reaction. Milk protein can appear in the ingredients list of many processed foods, so if there is truly an allergy you will want to avoid products with whey, casein and sodium caseinate. If your baby is allergic to cow's milk protein, all may not be lost. The situation can improve after six months, when her intestines mature. You also may be able to enjoy other forms of dairy. For instance, my daughter would spit up when I drank milk, but I could still enjoy cheese, yogurt and small amounts of ice cream. If you do remove dairy entirely, be sure to talk to your doctor about how to get adequate calcium. - Proteins in egg whites and wheat are also potential allergens.
- Spicy foods don't have to be avoided.
In fact you are training your baby's taste buds to like the foods you cook and eat, because the flavors you eat are in your breast milk. If your baby fusses after you have eaten at a friends house or an exotic restaurant, he could be telling you he doesn't like a particular spice you ate. - Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions and brussel sprouts are known for causing babies to be gassy.
However, these foods are so nutrient rich, you should only remove them if your baby is bothered by them. - Caffeine
According to Dr. Sears, studies show that very little caffeine is transferred via breast milk to your baby. However, he advises against consuming caffeine with a premature baby because they have decreased ability to get even the smallest amounts of caffeine out of their system. In any case, use your instincts. If you suspect caffeine is bothering your baby, eliminate coffee, tea, chocolate and other foods containing it from your breastfeeding diet. If you do enjoy caffeine, practice moderation (150 milligrams or less per day). - Medication
If you add a medication to your system, watch for any sign of discomfort from your baby. Before taking any medications, check with your doctor or pharmacist about the safety of taking it while breast feeding. With a little research, they can generally prescribe a safer alternative for you and your baby.
Organic Food in Your Breastfeeding Diet?
You may be wondering if it's necessary to incorporate organic food into your diet while breastfeeding. In Raising Baby Green, Alan Greene, MD says that while it is still a better choice than formula, a diet filled with chemically treated foods can impact the quality of the mother's breast milk. That's right, cancer causing pesticides and immune system suppressing chemicals can get into breast milk and can even impact your ability to produce breast milk. So whenever possible
choose certified organic foods in your breastfeeding diet, for you and your baby.
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