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As an expecting mother, a woman takes very good care of her diet to provide nutrition to the growing fetus. No wonder the family also goes to a great extent to make the woman eat healthy so that the developing fetus is hale and hearty. So, if you thought you could eat anything and everything after your delivery- think again! Just like the nine months are crucial for any mother and baby, so are the initial 5-6 months of breastfeeding. Apart from taking your meals at the time and in the right quantity, you should also make a note about the foods to avoid while breastfeeding.
As a breastfeeding mom, you need to take care of what is going on your plate before you eat it. This is because there are certain foods that might irritate your newborn or infant, or in the worst case might trigger an allergic reaction. No wonder women get a proper diet plan once they return from the hospital. Of course, a doctor will advise you to have everything in moderation, but it is best to avoid certain foods during the initial few weeks after delivery.
It is normal for any new mom to crave and wanting to go back to fast food items post-delivery, but one really needs to watch before they pick any of those items off the shelf. This is primarily because the food you eat is what the kid will drive nutrition from. Watch out for these food items when you are breastfeeding your little one.
10 Foods to avoid while breastfeeding:
1. Cabbage
Cabbage is one of the prime reasons why your baby might have colic if you had cabbage in any form in your meals. Research and evidence do not point to any direct relation, but many mothers have complained of a colicky baby post having cabbage in their diet while they were breastfeeding.
2. Coffee
If you are a coffee lover, then you might have to just give up on your coffee love for some time while you are breastfeeding. We all know coffee contains caffeine and an infant’s body will not be able to take it in. So, it is best if you avoid it.
3. Processed foods
You take everything in its natural forms and avoid all sorts of packaged and processed food while you have your pregnancy diet. The same goes for the initial few months of breastfeeding. Processed foods contain excessive amounts of salts or sugar which are not good for your little one. Hence they are among the major foods to avoid while breastfeeding.
4. Peanuts
While peanuts are an excellent source of protein, they might also become the triggering point of allergies. Do your research as far as genetics is concerned and only then go ahead and include peanuts in your diet. We never know the food that you consume for better health could be the foods to avoid while breastfeeding.
5. Fish
You need not completely avoid fish when you are breastfeeding. But it is better to skip certain fishes like mackerel and swordfish which are high in mercury content.
6. Alcohol
Alcohol needs to be out of your diet during those precious nine months of pregnancy and when breastfeeding. Even if you wish to have it, wait for a gap of good 24 hours until the alcohol flushes out of your body. However, doctors are still against alcohol when it comes to a woman who is breastfeeding. Alcohol tops the list of foods to avoided while breastfeeding.
7. Citrus fruits
A major portion of citrus fruits are high in Vitamin C, but their otherwise high acidic content can cause irritability in babies. A baby’s digestive system is not well developed, so it is always better to stay away from citrus fruits.
8. Dairy products
There have been numerous debates on whether a breastfeeding mom should have dairy products or not. While it is not a strict no, it is always safer to check if your baby is intolerant of cow’s milk or not. In case cow’s milk doesn’t suit it inevitably becomes the main foods to avoid while breastfeeding. You can always switch to soy milk.
9. Peppermint and other similar herbs
Did you know that peppermint could also be in the list of foods to avoid while breastfeeding? If peppermint is taken in larger portions, then this can adversely affect your milk supply. Peppermint and other herbs from the same family are in fact used when there is an oversupply or when a mother is weaning her kid off breast milk.
10. Spicy foods
Well if you thought you can get back to adding all those spices back to your food after the first-month post-baby. Think again. Adding too many spices or having chilly food might as well lead to diarrhea in your little one.
If your breastfed baby has been diagnosed with a sensitivity to the dairy in your diet, they may be sensitive to specific cow milk antibodies, in the form of proteins. This can be passed into your breast milk and cause a reaction. Hence it is always safe to get your facts straight and know which foods to avoided while breastfeeding as this list could be different for different mothers.
For click the link for gluten-free breastfeeding tips.
