An expectant mother who wants to breastfeed her baby needs to think about what she eats during pregnancy, and even better, during pregnancy planning, and also become familiar in advance with what a nursing mother can eat. Many people omit this important issue, later encountering problems that they have to resolve with the doctor. To avoid such troubles, please read this article and note useful tips for yourself.
What can you eat while breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding (BF) is the main diet of a newborn. Together with human milk, the baby receives nutritional components, as well as protective factors from the mother. Everything that mother eats is consumed with milk by the baby.
With the arrival of a baby in the family, a young mother wonders what she can eat while breastfeeding. The menu of nursing mothers is of great importance, both for the quantity and quality of human milk. Improper nutrition can lead to the development of diathesis and allergies in a child.
Nutrition during lactation requires increased calorie content, containing easily digestible foods. The daily caloric intake of food is about 3500 kcal. When breastfeeding, a woman's diet should fully contain sufficient amounts of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins.
What you need to create a menu for nursing mothers
The menu of a nursing woman must be complete. A nursing mother is required to eat 100–110 g of protein per day. This amounts to 200 g of boiled lean meat (chicken breast or beef) and an egg yolk. Meals during breastfeeding should contain 50 g of hard, mild cheese or cottage cheese.
A mother's diet during breastfeeding includes 110–120 g of fat. This composition includes meat, sunflower or olive oil, fish, salads. The diet for lactation consists of consuming 500 g of carbohydrates, which includes 300 g of fresh vegetables, 200 g of boiled potatoes, 300 g of fresh fruit, 200 g of flour products. The mandatory diet for breastfeeding includes fermented milk products: yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese.
If possible for the mother, do not eat sugar while breastfeeding. Sugar contains carbohydrates that are difficult for the baby's digestive system to digest.
Sauce recipe
Making homemade mayonnaise yourself is not as difficult as it seems. It is much healthier than store-bought, because it is not so harmful. To prepare the sauce you will need the following ingredients:
- 200 ml vegetable or olive oil.
- 4 quail or chicken egg yolks.
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
- The same amount of salt.
- Glass of water.
- Lemon juice.
Cooking method:
Can a nursing mother have homemade mayonnaise? This sauce will not have a negative effect on the body of a woman and her child. During the preparation period, it is necessary to control the technological process and include in mayonnaise those ingredients that will not cause allergies.
List of approved products
The diet of a nursing mother is not as monotonous as it might seem at first glance. Dull and low-fat foods will not cause harm. The baby tolerates a whole arsenal of food products for a nursing mother:
- hard, mild cheeses;
- boiled chicken and beef;
- cereal porridge (rice, buckwheat, millet)
- skim cheese;
- kefir;
- chicken egg yolks;
- boiled potatoes;
- fresh cabbage;
- eggplant;
- zucchini;
- leaves of all varieties of lettuce.
The question of what to cook for dinner depends only on the imagination of the woman and her relatives. There are many salad recipes that you can use to enrich your table, as well as first and second courses. Food for nursing mothers should bring moral and gastronomic satisfaction. Positive emotions help normalize hormonal levels and milk production.
From the permitted products, you can come up with a varied menu for a nursing mother:
- vegetable soups;
- 5% milk soups;
- steamed cutlets;
- salads;
- side dishes
Diet during breastfeeding is needed to develop the function of the enzyme system of the baby’s digestive tract. We must remember that you can only eat fresh foods. The baby's body is extremely sensitive even to small doses of toxins, which can cause poisoning.
What can a nursing mother eat?
A well-fed baby behaves calmly, giving parents and loved ones the opportunity to relax. In order for the baby's tummy to work correctly, you need to know what a nursing mother can eat.
New foods for a nursing mother cannot be introduced at the same time. It is advisable to consume in small portions for three days. If your baby doesn’t react, you can try something new. If the baby experiences a reaction to the product, you should stop taking it and return to your previous diet. The introduction of the product can be repeated only after a week.
Nutrition table for the mother of a newborn by month
| Age of newborns by month | What can a nursing mother eat? | What not to eat while breastfeeding |
| up to 1 month | Cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt, cereal porridge, boiled vegetables, light fruits (green apples, bananas), boiled lean meat, vegetable soup without frying, white bread crackers | Yogurts with dyes, bright vegetables and fruits, chocolate, soda, smoked, fatty, fried, alcohol, citrus fruits, honey |
| up to 3 months | Boiled lean fish, beef liver, dried fruit compote, milk porridge | Seasonings, dyes, smoked sausage, pork, alcohol |
| up to 6 months | Bread with bran, sour cream, boiled carrots and beets, broth soup, lean pork | Chips, soda, fatty foods, alcohol, sausages |
| up to 9 months | Fish, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, raw carrots, green tea | Canned food, dyes, alcoholic beverages, lard, smoked meats |
| up to a year | Citrus fruits, natural spices, honey, black tea, whole milk | Alcohol, smoked sausage and fish, canned food |
After a year, you can gradually return to the usual diet of a nursing mother, which was before pregnancy. Breast milk is no longer the baby's main diet. It is only a pleasant addition to the main food. The main place is occupied by the introduced complementary foods, which cover the needs of the baby.
Sample menu at the end of the first month of lactation
If in the first week of lactation a nursing mother must adhere to a more strict menu, then at the end of the first month you can diversify it.
Breakfast - porridge with milk from any cereal with the addition of butter and jam (if desired), bread and hard cheese, weak tea with milk.
2nd breakfast – drinking yogurt without fruit and berry additives, dry cookies, banana or apple.
Lunch - cabbage soup or borscht (without frying!), boiled pasta and skinny fish baked in the oven without spices, salad of grated carrots with sour cream, rye bread, dried fruit compote.
Afternoon snack – cottage cheese with sour cream (you can add sugar), freshly prepared apple juice.
Dinner - steamed lean meatballs with a vegetable or cereal side dish, a salad of tomatoes and cucumbers (fresh) with vegetable oil, weak tea with milk or jam.
Before bed - a glass of any fermented milk product with dry cookies.
Please note: a nursing mother is allowed to eat an apple or pear, drink compote or regular boiled water between main meals.
The diet of a nursing mother should be varied, complete, but well balanced. The article shows examples of menu design - such nutrition will not cause hunger for a nursing mother, but will provide an opportunity for a newborn to go through an adaptation period without serious consequences.
Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical observer, therapist of the highest qualification category.
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Drinking regime
The drinking regime should be rational. Increased fluid intake is necessary for adequate breast milk production. The mother is required to drink at least 1.5–2 liters of liquid per day, including first courses and fruits. Small volumes of fluid consumption will not fully cover the needs of the mother and baby.
It is not recommended to drink sparkling water. Carbon dioxide contained in water can cause bloating in the infant's intestines. Mineral waters contain a large amount of salts and change the taste of milk. The baby may not like this milk. He will refuse the breast.
The menu for nursing mothers excludes strong tea and coffee. These drinks, when absorbed into milk, cause anxiety in the baby.
Why store-bought mayonnaise is contraindicated for mom?
No matter how tasty the sauce bought in the supermarket may seem, there are many arguments that speak against it. Here's how taking mayonnaise ends for a nursing woman's health:
- Food addiction. The more often a woman includes sauce in her diet, the blander her food will seem without it.
- Overweight. Mayonnaise has high calorie content. Per 100 g of product 700 kcal. At the same time, you can eat a larger portion along with the sauce.
- Nutritionists consider the sauce a harmful product. It can cause heart disease, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis, slow metabolism and high blood pressure.
- Nails and hair become brittle and fragile, and acne appears on the skin.
- A mayonnaise component such as mustard powder can slow down milk production and retain fluid in the body. As a result, swelling appears. The more often a breastfeeding woman includes sauce in her diet, the higher the risk that breast milk production will stop.
- Dyes and preservatives can cause cancer cells, which can lead to cancerous tumors.
Eating mayonnaise is especially dangerous for women who are allergic to eggs. After all, this can worsen the well-being of not only the mother, but also the baby.
Can a nursing mother have mayonnaise? Having studied the composition of the sauce and its effect on the body, we can say that it is a harmful product. Therefore, a woman should not use it during lactation.
What not to eat while breastfeeding
For the proper development of the baby, the mother must remember that she should not eat while breastfeeding. The list of prohibited foods during the lactation period is extensive.
The diet should exclude mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, spices and smoked meats. These products change the quality of milk. The baby may refuse the breast. In a mother's menu when breastfeeding, it is better to replace mayonnaise with vegetable oil or soy sauce. Olive oil and a few drops of lemon go well in salads.
Diet during breastfeeding should limit table salt. It is better to replace it with grated dry kelp. Such products are easier for the child to digest and do not cause swelling in the woman.
When mothers consume whole cow's and goat's milk, allergies and lactase deficiency often occur in children under one year of age. The baby's digestive system is not yet prepared to break down such complex foods. The baby's stomach does not yet contain enzymes capable of breaking down whole animal milk. The first time milk is introduced into food, it should be diluted, gradually increasing the fat content.
It is not recommended for a breastfeeding mother to eat brightly colored vegetables and fruits. They become strong allergens. First you need to eat boiled vegetables, observing the baby’s reaction. They begin to administer no earlier than six months. If there are no consequences, then after a year you can introduce fresh fruits to the nursing mother’s menu. The gradual introduction of new vegetables and fruits will cover the need for the consumption of vitamins and microelements.
It is also advisable to limit fatty and fried foods for up to a year. They adversely affect the digestion of the baby, causing constipation and bloating.
Products for cooking must be chosen carefully. If areas of darkening, wrinkling, or a grayish or whitish coating are visually observed, then such products should not be consumed. This threatens the baby with serious food poisoning.
You absolutely need to give up alcohol. Even a few sips of wine enter the baby’s body through breast milk, affecting it toxically.
The menu of a nursing woman excludes canned food. Preservatives negatively affect the child’s digestive system and cause food poisoning. The crumb's enzyme system is not yet ready to break down such complex chemical elements.
Diet of a nursing woman from 6 months
By this time, you can additionally include garlic, pollen, various seafood, and legumes in your diet. It is also permissible to eat veal, various grains, bran bread, green spices, and seasonal fruits. It is recommended to make tea from herbs (horsetail, lemon balm, mint, nettle, eucalyptus, linden, chamomile, elderberry and others).
Throughout breastfeeding, a woman should give up canned foods, chocolate, confectionery products containing food additives and essences, coffee, margarine, mayonnaise, condensed milk, processed foods, alcohol, carbonated drinks, smoked foods and pickles. You should absolutely not eat fast food.
Nutrition rules for a nursing mother
Meals during breastfeeding should be frequent, small and high in calories. You need to eat 5-6 times during the day. Food must be chewed thoroughly and swallowed slowly.
There are a number of rules in the menu for nursing mothers that it is advisable to adhere to:
- The breastfeeding menu should be varied;
- You must first think about the menu for a nursing mother, and only then start eating;
- Dietary regimen is required;
- food must be cooked before consumption;
- There is no need to introduce a new product into your diet before going on a trip with your baby.
The main thing on the menu for nursing mothers is to listen to your body. You need to eat the foods you want. Your inner voice will tell you what is currently missing from your diet.
Proper nutrition during breastfeeding consists of eating natural foods. A diet when breastfeeding is simply necessary. The baby gets everything she eats through her mother's milk. A small body is not able to cope with such a load. The menu of a nursing woman should be selected together with a pediatrician, taking into account individual characteristics.
What products should a mother choose when breastfeeding her baby in the first month of his life?
What do nursing mothers eat in the first months? First of all, you should understand that it is better to choose those fruits and vegetables that are grown in your region. This will give you some confidence that they do not contain artificial additives.
Doctors recommend a menu of simple dishes, divided into 4-5 meals a day. It is important that a nursing woman does not feel hungry. Therefore, you need to eat little and often. The volume of a single serving should be 300-400 grams.
In order for the baby to have enough breast milk, a woman should consume more healthy liquids. The little person’s immunity will soon become stronger thanks to the right and healthy foods that mothers are recommended to eat:
- Porridge (buckwheat or oatmeal), cooked in water.
- Vegetables: potatoes, carrots, white cabbage, zucchini - all boiled or stewed. Cucumbers.
- Meat: lean boiled beef, boiled and stewed chicken.
- Boiled river fish.
- Soups with vegetable broth.
- Yesterday's bread (rye, wheat), cookies.
- Dairy products: low-fat cottage cheese, kefir, cheese, natural yogurt.
- Liquid: water (at least 2 liters per day), dried fruit compotes, herbal teas.
- Fruits and berries: green apples, plums, bananas, apricots.
What nursing mothers eat in the first months is described in detail above. The most important thing that a woman should not forget about is that new foods should be introduced into the diet with great caution so as not to harm the child.
