It is not true that you must follow a special diet while breastfeeding. Of course, healthy eating is advisable, but you don’t have to cook yourself pork loin and eat steamed vegetables every day. Your menu should simply be varied, thanks to which you and your child will be protected against possible deficiencies of vitamins and microelements. Still, there is a list of foods that should definitely be avoided.
A monotonous and restrictive diet is not advisable, but eggs, fish, fruit, dairy products, meat, vegetables and cereal products must certainly not be missing from your weekly menu. Then your milk will be very healthy and fully valuable.
Here’s what you need to avoid when breastfeeding:
- Alcohol – it is absolutely forbidden during this period because it passes into your breast milk. It is best not to drink it at all, as it can expose your child to unpleasant effects: excessive sweating, growth disorders, drowsiness, alcohol craving symptoms and vomiting. There is no point in risking your baby’s health if you don’t know how he will react and whether it will end badly for him. It is a myth that beer increases lactation – if someone feels such an effect, it is only due to the relaxation accompanying drinking this drink, you will achieve the same (but without risk) by listening to relaxing music.
- Izomery trans – the wrong type of fat, found in margarines (mainly those for baking), confectionery bread, cookies, sticks, fast food and chips. Consumed in excess, they cause you to gain weight, and besides, they can have a bad effect on your baby’s brain.
- Caffeine – which is found not only in coffee, but also in tea, cola, pepsi. Raises blood pressure, washes out vitamins, calcium, potassium, zinc. Worse still, your baby may get 1 to 10% of the caffeine you ingest in your milk (while his weight is only 5% of your own). It’s way too much for such a small body. If you cannot refuse yourself a coffee, only one per day is allowed, not strong and with milk. Replace tea with fruit teas.
- Sweeteners – they are in many “light” products and although their harmful effects on the child have not yet been demonstrated, there is no point in eating this type of chemistry while breastfeeding.
- Flatulizing food – flatulence will cause not only you, but also your baby. Therefore, it is not recommended to eat cabbage, onions, peas and beans in the first three months of breastfeeding. Then the digestive tract of the child is not yet ready to digest such products, which is why colic appears. Only with time can you start introducing them gradually to the diet to get used to the child’s body.
- Sweets – of course, one cookie or chocolate won’t hurt anyone, but it’s not worth stuffing yourself with them. When you eat too many sweets, you don’t feel like eating more valuable things, so it’s not worth overdoing them during the feeding period. Once or twice a week, indulge in a sweet madness, other days it’s better to let it go.
- Preservatives – although difficult to eliminate completely, because they are found in many products, they can be reduced. Read the ingredients of the products you buy carefully. Avoid smoked meats, canned pates, sweetened drinks, and sausages. Unfortunately, they are full of chemicals, so do not buy those that have phosphate acid, sodium benzoate and monosodium glutamate on the label. Not only can they cause allergies in babies, but they also hinder the absorption of iron and calcium.