What Breastfeeding Diet is Best for My Baby and I?
It takes nine months for babies to grow inside their mothers. During this time of pregnancy, you pay careful attention to what you eat and drink as you know there is the potential to affect your unborn baby. When you are breastfeeding, what you eat continues to be an important consideration.
It should be noted, though, that a breastfeeding diet is probably easier to follow than a diet when you are pregnant. The diet you follow while you nurse will help determine the quality of your breast milk, to some extent.
In addition to providing your baby with the best breastmilk, following a healthy diet is also beneficial for you. It provides you with the necessary energy requirements to care for your new baby and any other children that you may have at home with you. Furthermore, by eating healthy, nutritious foods, this will help you slowly lose the pregnancy pounds.
A breastfeeding diet is actually fairly simple. Just as when you are and are not pregnant, you want to eat foods from the meat, fruits and vegetables, grains, and milk food groups. Make sure that the grains are whole grain, and that you eat meat products that are higher in protein and iron. If you are vegetarian or vegan, there are appropriate food substitutes to get the necessary requirements. And because you will be moving less and might even feel like you are attached to the sofa in your home as you nurse, you will want to ensure adequate fiber intake.
Even though you plan to eat a well-balanced diet, it is also advised that you take a good prenatal multivitamin/mineral supplement. This will ensure that your body gets everything that you may be missing in your diet, and results in less chances of your body having to tap into its own reserves to make good-quality breastmilk.
Some moms claim that their babies seem to have a lot of gas when they eat particular foods. Determining which baby will react to which foods or even if he will react, is not an exact science. Culprit foods tend to be the gaseous vegetables such as cauliflower and cabbage. Some spices are also culprits. Another way that you may catch on that your baby is not happy with a food that you ate, is that he may not enjoy the flavour of your breast milk and be fussy when nursing.
As when you were pregnant, you will still want to avoid eating fishes that are high in mercury. Some of the types to avoid are king mackerel, swordfish, tuna steaks, shark, marlin, and Spanish mackerel. Because fish are high in omega 3 fatty acids which positively impact on your baby’s brain and eye development, better choices of fish that are lower in mercury include rainbow trout and salmon.
Lastly, you will hear varying opinions on ingesting alcohol when you are nursing. What is definitely known is that if you drink alcohol every day, then you should not be nursing. If, however, you do plan on having an occasional drink, you will want to time it so that you have that drink just after you finish a nursing session. Remember that your body size will affect how quickly you metabolize that drink, and it is known that alcohol will pass into the breastmilk.
In summary, a breastfeeding diet is about eating well for two. Although it is less restrictive than when you are pregnant, following a well-balanced, healthy diet will provide benefits for both you and your baby.