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Broccoli is one of the safest and healthiest vegetables to breastfeed. Due to the increased content of vitamins, macro- and microelements, asparagus enriches breast milk, helps the mother to improve her body, weakened by childbirth.
Is it possible to broccoli while breastfeeding
Breast milk is the best food for a newborn. We must not forget that all dishes from the diet of a nursing mother in an adapted form enter the baby’s body. Therefore, during lactation, a woman needs to carefully adhere to a healthy balanced diet that will not harm a small child.
Broccoli, unlike other cabbage family vegetables, does not cause increased gas formation in the intestines, bloating and colic in mother and baby. The product is hypoallergenic, contains useful vitamins and minerals, fiber. With proper preparation of dishes, observing the norms of consumption, broccoli can and should be introduced into the diet of a nursing mother during breastfeeding.
When can broccoli with HB
Pediatricians advise to refrain from eating vegetables immediately after discharge from the hospital. It is recommended to start eating broccoli when the baby is 4-5 weeks old. For the first time, it is worth eating 20-30 g of soup and observing the behavior of the newborn for 24 hours. In the absence of intestinal colic and skin rashes, portions of the product can be gradually increased.
The use of broccoli during breastfeeding in the second month of a baby’s life can be brought up to 100 g. In the future, portions of the vegetable can be 200-300 g up to 3 times a week.
Benefits of broccoli for breastfeeding
The vegetable product rarely causes allergies, it is rich in vitamins A, C, K, folic acid, useful microelements: magnesium, calcium, manganese.
Benefits of broccoli while breastfeeding:
- antioxidants preserve tooth enamel, improve the condition of the skin and nails, and prevent hair loss;
- carotene and ascorbic acid restore the body’s immune forces;
- fiber improves intestinal motility, helps with postpartum constipation;
- potassium stabilizes the state of the cardiovascular system, helps to get rid of edema;
- magnesium reduces fatigue, copes with irritability;
- the hormone dopamine increases the synthesis of serotonin – helps fight postpartum depression;
- folic acid is needed for the development of the baby’s bone tissue, reduces the risk of anemia in mother and child.
Contraindications to broccoli while breastfeeding
Very rarely, a newborn has an allergy in the form of redness on the cheeks, manifestations of diarrhea. This usually happens if the mother ate broccoli with breastfeeding in the first month of the baby’s life, or the vegetable consumption rate was exceeded. In isolated cases, an infant has an innate hypersensitivity to vitamin C contained in the product. Negative signs of pathology look like an itchy rash, persistent diaper rash.
If the baby has a weak intestine, even a small amount of cabbage can lead to bloating and intestinal colic. Undesirable manifestations mean that the child’s body is not yet ready for a change in diet. The next attempt to introduce broccoli into the diet of a breastfeeding mother can be repeated no earlier than a month later.
Women in labor who have undergone a caesarean section are contraindicated in any cabbage dishes for 4-6 weeks. In the future, it is allowed to use broccoli in a pureed form.
Broccoli should be used with caution by women with increased blood clotting. The product contains a lot of fiber, with a stomach ulcer, colitis and other inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, an exacerbation may occur.
How to cook broccoli while breastfeeding
Nursing mothers can eat asparagus cabbage only after heat treatment: boiled, stewed, baked. The product is most easily absorbed by the body in a pureed form. The vegetable goes well with sour cream and vegetable oil.
It is strictly forbidden to eat raw inflorescences – this leads to increased gas formation in mother and baby. Fried and canned broccoli is not suitable for a breastfeeding diet, such food is bad for the stomach.
Inflorescences should be prepared fresh, the maximum shelf life in the refrigerator is 2 days. The product must not be sealed in trays or plastic bags. Broccoli is thoroughly washed with warm water, removing dirt and putrefactive bacteria.
Broccoli recipes for HB
Nutrition during breastfeeding should be dietary, without pepper and spices. A short cooking time will allow you to save a maximum of useful substances.
Broccoli omelet
Ingredients:
- broccoli inflorescences – 5-6 pcs.;
- 2 chicken eggs;
- 1,5 tbsp. l. low-fat sour cream;
- 1 tbsp. l flour.
Procedure:
- Boil the vegetable for 3-5 minutes in water with a little salt.
- Mix eggs with sour cream, beat lightly.
- After combining the ingredients, bake in a mold greased with vegetable oil for 15-20 minutes.
Vegetable omelet is great for breakfast for moms while breastfeeding.
Broccoli soup
Soup doesn’t take long to make. Pureed vegetables are the easiest for the body to digest.
Ingredients:
- asparagus cabbage – 600 g;
- meat or vegetable broth – 1 l;
- onion – 1 pcs .;
- cream – 50 g.
Procedure:
- Saute finely chopped onion for 3-4 minutes.
- Add cabbage inflorescences, cut into 3-4 parts, simmer over low heat for 3-5 minutes.
- Add vegetables and cream to the boiling salted broth and boil for 1-2 minutes.
- Using a blender, grind the vegetables until a homogeneous puree mass is created.
Puree soup is the first broccoli dish recommended for introduction into the diet of nursing mothers.
Asparagus salad
Broccoli in the form of salads is best consumed starting from 2-3 months of feeding.
Ingredients:
- chicken breast – 1 pcs.;
- cabbage inflorescences – 5-6 pcs.;
- hard cheese – 200 g;
- sour cream – 100 g.
Procedure:
- Boil breast without skin for 30-40 minutes, cut into cubes.
- Boil broccoli for 5 minutes, cut into 3-4 pieces.
- Grate the cheese on a large grater.
- Mix the salad with the addition of sour cream and salt to taste.
If desired, white bread croutons can be added to the salad.
Useful Tips
When choosing a vegetable for eating, you should pay attention to:
- healthy heads of broccoli are dark green in color, the presence of yellowed areas, blooming yellow flowers is unacceptable;
- fresh vegetable – juicy, elastic to the touch, individual branches break off with a characteristic crunch;
- you need to choose groups of inflorescences with soft, thin stems, in overripe cabbage they are rough.
Depending on the variety, the cabbage heads may have a purple or slightly grayish hue.
In the winter-spring period, it is better to use a frozen product, which retains up to 70% of nutrients. Cabbage grown in winter in heated greenhouses contains a large amount of pesticides and nitrates. When choosing a freeze, you need to pay attention to the color of the vegetable (it should be bright green) and the presence of ice. A large amount of ice indicates that the product has been repeatedly defrosted. Violation of storage rules leads to the destruction of most vitamins.
Conclusion
Dishes from broccoli during breastfeeding, in the absence of contraindications, are extremely useful for nursing mothers and babies. The mother’s body is experiencing an increased need for vitamins, trace elements: calcium, iron, phosphorus. Broccoli is a source of nutrients and fiber, coarse fibers restore the intestinal microflora, actively remove toxins, which favorably affects the quality of breast milk.