The main natural diet of a newborn is mother's milk. Breastfeeding your baby is useful, healthy, convenient, economical and even fashionable. More and more mothers consciously continue to breastfeed their little ones.
A nursing mother must remember that the quality and quantity of the nutrition of the newborn depends on her diet in many respects. Therefore, a woman should remember the list of those foods that she can eat and those that should be excluded from her diet for the period of breastfeeding. Indeed, some of them can cause serious harm to the baby’s health, because through the mother’s nutrition they affect the composition of milk and can cause allergies and colic.
But eating calorie and varied is possible and not including unwanted foods on your menu.
What can I eat while breastfeeding? There are no certain strict rules regarding what nutrition should be like when breastfeeding a newborn. It all depends on your preferences, the cultural traditions of the people. You can only give some recommendations that are worth considering.
Calcium. If you want to keep breastfeeding as long as possible, consume dairy products all the time. They help increase lactation and are a source of calcium, which is necessary for the health of the baby.
Phosphorus. Regular consumption of fish will provide both you and the child with the necessary amount of phosphorus.
Protein. When planning your diet while breastfeeding, give preference to rabbit meat, chicken, and beef. In short, meat should not be fat.
Oil . Choose olive and sunflower oil. Butter should also be present on the menu, but in much smaller quantities.
Vegetables, fruits, nuts (except hazelnuts) . Try to be careful about their choice. It will be better if you eat them in baked form. Prunes are very useful (as the prevention of constipation). Be wary of tropical fruits. Better buy the usual zoned fruits and vegetables.
Bakery products should be consumed in limited quantities. Cookies should be lean and sweets should be replaced with marshmallows, dried fruits and marmalade. Choose wholemeal bread.
Groats and pasta. You can eat any porridge. If the baby suffers from constipation, exclude rice porridge from the menu.
The eggs . They are recommended to be consumed three to four times a week in the form of a steam omelet.
Water, herbal teas with fennel, mint and chamomile, birch sap. It is necessary to drink two or three liters of liquid per day. Previously, there was a misconception that when drinking beer, lactation increases. It has now been established that this product inhibits the reflex of milk separation and reduces its quantity.
Of all cooking methods, give preference to cooking, stewing and steaming, baking.
What foods are not suitable for feeding a nursing mother?
Garlic and onion. A small portion of them can significantly affect the taste of milk and the baby may refuse to breast earlier than planned.
Carbonated drinks and foods containing a large amount of sugar can cause fermentation in the intestines of women. As a result, the child will suffer from digestive disorders (colic).
Allergenic products . Nutrition during breastfeeding should not contain them. These include chocolate, peanuts, honey, citrus fruits. The list also includes sausages, smoked and spicy products, canned food, pickles, shrimps. If any of your close relatives have an allergy to a certain product in your family, exclude it from the diet in the first months of breastfeeding.
Cabbage, peas, radishes, grapes. It is believed that if nutrition during breastfeeding includes such products, this can cause painful colic in the newborn.
Try to eat when you are really hungry. Excessive consumption of food leads to a set of excess body weight. Try to organize your diet when breastfeeding, taking into account our recommendations.