What Should You Eat While Nursing?
Breastfeeding Counselor Angela White, J.D. wrote a wonderful article about the myths of breastfeeding and what foods nursing mothers should and should not eat. If you or someone you know is pregnant or planning for motherhood in the near future, I think this article is definitely worth a read. One of the most important things White says is that there isn’t an exact list of foods you should eat, but there are definitely some helpful guidelines. Here are some of her best points concerning nursing and food:
- Eat organic meats and dairy - one study found they increase the beneficial fatty acids in breast milk
- Eat fish - mothers who consume fish pass on the healthy benefits of visual acuity and cognitive development to their babies (note: shark, king mackerel, swordfish, and tilefish have a high mercury content, so avoid those)
- Oatmeal - some mothers found that oatmeal boosts their milk supply
- Food allergies - breastfeeding helps prevent and reduce problems with allergies, but check into your family history and avoid foods if there is a severe allergy (for example, peanuts)
- Gassy foods? - fortunately there is NO research that shows eating beans, cabbage, or onions will make the baby gassy
- Garlic and spicy foods - eating garlic and spicy foods is perfectly safe and they actually may help the baby develop a taste for a variety of foods
- Caffeine sensitivity? - pay attention to your baby’s preference; some babies are bothered by caffeine sources such as chocolate or coffee, but others have no problem
- Occasional drink - it’s OK for nursing women to have an occasional alcoholic drink without the need to throw away any milk.
Looking for a great site for mothers? Check out BookieBoo. It’s a great site where moms who are into fitness, weight loss, nutrition, and healthy living get together to share.
March 13th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Chocolate in its pure, unprocessed form (without the processed sugar, fat, caffine, waxes, fillers or preservatives, is actually good for unborn babies, nursing Moms and babies. Polish researchers from the University of Helsinki found that in a study of 300 women, babies born to women who ate chocolate during their pregancy were more active, smiled and laughed more and showed less fear of new stiuations.
The trick is to find chocolate without the added ingredients that are bad for you. There is such a chocolate that you can read about at: http://www.simplychocolate.biz.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Glyconutirents are great to get in the diet especially when nusrsing, however they can be beneficial at any time.
Scientists have found that glyconutrients are essential for brain and immune system developmentin babies and young children.