What is the best breastfeeding diet plan?
The diet of a breastfeeding mother has to provide adequate nutrition for the baby as well as herself. A nursing mother requires at least 500 additional calories, which should be derived from a nutritious intake of food. Here are some important diet tips for breastfeeding mothers.
Follow doctor’s recommendations
Most doctors prescribe breastfeeding diet plan with a continuation of the nutritious pre-natal diet plan that is rich in calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals for the healthy development of the baby.
Calcium-rich foods such as milk, cheeses and yogurt should also be encouraged. You need to eat a wide variety of organic fruits and vegetables and whole grains for you and your baby’s optimum health.
Research reveals that nursing women are usually lacking in folic acid and zinc. So, additional supplements of these can be taken on doctor’s recommendations.
Your diet should also include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids because they contain DHA, which the baby needs for brain development. This is found in fish and fish supplements, various kinds of nuts and seeds.
A word of caution here: Don’t rush to buy those Vitamin A supplements just because everybody is recommending them. Although your daily need for Vitamin A increases from 1000 milligrams to 1300 milligrams, most of it can be sourced from naturally available raw vegetables, almonds, hazelnuts, dairy products, leafy green vegetables and meat products.
Stay hydrated
Dehydration can lead to decreased milk supply. If you notice carefully, mother’s milk appears watery and you feel thirstier while you are feeding. This is because a large part of breast milk is made up of water. You should aim to increase your consumption of water by adding an extra 2 litres of water per day. Water can also be consumed in the form of fruits, milk, juices, vegetables, soups – all of which have good water content.
Eat more
While nursing, you are consuming nutritious food for two people. So, you have to increase your consumption of calories to get around 2500 calories a day but you can spread it out over 5 meals – breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and another snack during the evening. Use the snack time to take in water, fruits and low fat dairy products. Remember that the quantity of milk you produce is directly dependent on the amount of food and beverages that you consume.
Foods to Avoid
There are certain foods that you should stay away from such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine, which can irritate your baby and even seriously affect his/her development. As all these ingredients pass through the mother’s milk to the baby.
While smoking can induce vomiting, heart rate increase, restlessness and diarrhea in baby, alcohol can retard your baby’s growth if consumed in large quantities.
Foods that can irritate your baby
There are also many foods that can irritate babies such as chocolates, colas, spices, chili, garlic and gassy foods such as cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and citrus fruits.
However, there is no universal rule regarding this fact. Malaysia is a multi-racial society and you may find different cultures preferring or avoiding different kinds of foods.
Babies react differently to different foods. So if you find your baby irritated or disturbed you should try to recall what you have eaten in the past 24 hours. If you suspect any food to be the cause of your baby’s irritation, try eliminating it from the diet for a while.
By following these tips mentioned above, you can easily make a plan of your own that will help keep your baby happy and healthy.
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