Diet Recommendations for a Breastfeeding Mom

When breastfeeding, you could actually be putting in the mouth of your little one what you put in yours. Needless to say, it’s very important to opt for a well-balanced diet and avoid certain foods which contain substances that may have a negative effect on your baby’s health.

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Below are some smart diet tips for a breastfeeding mom like you:

 

Stay Hydrated

Whether breastfeeding or not, it’s important for you to consume enough water per day — about 8 glasses of it daily. You don’t really need to guzzle down several gallons of H2O just to ensure that your baby won’t run out of milk to consume. Keeping your body properly hydrated is enough to keep your breast milk production superb.

 

Consume Unripe Papaya

In Asia, unripe papaya is regarded as a galactagogue, which is something that promotes breast milk production. You can stir-fry or steam thin slices of unripe papaya. Also, you may look up online recipes of som tam, a very popular salad in from Thailand that contains shredded unripe papaya.

 

Add Garlic to Your Diet

We all know that garlic is good for a lot of things, from zapping fungal infections to lowering one’s risk of heart attack. Did you know that the very popular herb is also traditionally used to increase the breast milk of nursing moms? To ensure that your little bundle of joy will have enough breast milk to drink, remember to liberally include garlic to your diet.

 

Take Ginger Tea

Everyone knows that a cup of ginger tea can put an end t the likes of indigestion and nausea. But did you know that it’s also something that can promote increased production of your breast milk? Ginger tea is the perfect replacement for coffee, which you should avoid at all cost if you don’t want your baby ingesting caffeine.

 

Limit Chocolate Intake

Speaking of caffeine, it’s a good idea to keep your consumption of chocolates to a minimum. However, consider turning your back from it entirely if your baby starts getting diarrhea — your decadent treat may have a laxative effect on your little one. It is a much better idea to opt for lightly salted nuts that are rich in healthy fats and fiber.

 

Eat Whole Grains

As a new mom, it is very important to get all the energy you can get so that you may be able to really take good care of your baby and for your body to be able to produce good amounts of breast milk. Some of the best sources of energy are those out of whole grains. Needless to say, steer clear of anything with refined grains or flour.

 

Have Fruits and Vegetables

You can also get good amounts of energy-giving calories from fruits and vegetables. More importantly, adding fresh produce to your everyday diet will help keep your immune system strong. You certainly don’t want to get an infection or any other contagious health problem while nursing a baby as he or she may end up getting it, too!

 

Avoid Dairy

It’s true that dairy products are an excellent source of protein and calcium. However, they may also be the culprit behind your baby’s fussiness, diarrhea, insomnia and skin issues. Try going free of dairy for a couple of weeks. If your baby no longer suffers from the said problems, it’s very much likely that dairy is the culprit.

 

Stay Away From Alcohol

Alcohol you drink may end up in the body of your baby, and that is why you should refrain from having alcoholic drinks while breast feeding. But if you can’t say no to moderate drinking, here’s a tip: avoid breast feeding your baby for a few hours after consuming alcohol to give the substance plenty of time to exit your system.

Babies react differently to different foods, so it pays for a breastfeeding mom like you to be very observant. Bloating, rash, coughing, diarrhea, vomiting — these and a few more signs and symptoms may indicate that your baby is ingesting something in your breast milk that’s not right for him or her. It is definitely a good idea to consult your health care provider about what you should include in your diet (and what you should remove!) to ensure the health of your little one.

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