10 foods you should not eat while breastfeeding

10 foods you should not eat while breastfeeding

The mother’s diet is a very important factor that alters the composition of the breast milk. Therefore, during breastfeeding, it is recommended to take some care with the diet, especially to prevent some substances from being passed to the baby through the milk or the taste of the milk being altered, making the breastfeeding process more difficult. So what foods you should not eat while breastfeeding?

Some studies also indicate that the appearance of colic in the baby may sometimes be related to the mother’s diet, especially due to the consumption of foods such as milk and dairy products, peanuts, and shrimp, which can produce substances that are released into the breast milk and end up irritating the baby’s intestines, causing colic. Understand how the mother’s diet should be to avoid colic in the baby.

1- Alcohol

Alcohol passes quickly into breast milk so that after 30 to 60 minutes, the milk has the same amount of alcohol as the body.

The presence of alcohol in breast milk can affect the baby’s nervous system, causing drowsiness and irritability, compromising the baby’s neurological and psychomotor development, and even causing delay or difficulty in learning to talk and walk. In addition, the baby’s body does not eliminate alcohol from the body as easily as it does in adults, which can cause liver intoxication.

Alcoholic beverages can also decrease the production of breast milk and reduce the absorption of nutrients in the mother’s intestine that are necessary for the baby’s growth and development. Therefore, alcohol should be avoided as much as possible during breastfeeding.

If the woman wishes to ingest alcoholic beverages, it is recommended to remove the milk beforehand and store it to give to the baby. However, if you do not do this, and drink small amounts of alcohol, such as 1 glass of beer or 1 glass of wine, for example, you should wait around 2 to 3 hours before breastfeeding again.

2- Caffeine

Foods rich in caffeine, such as coffee, cola soft drinks, energy drinks, green tea, mate tea, and black tea should be avoided or consumed in small amounts during breastfeeding because the baby cannot digest caffeine as well as adults do, and excess caffeine in the baby’s body can cause difficulty sleeping and irritation.

When a woman ingests large amounts of caffeine, which corresponds to more than 2 cups of coffee a day, the iron levels in the milk can decrease and thus decrease the hemoglobin levels of the baby, which can cause anemia.

The recommendation is to drink a maximum of two cups of coffee a day, which is equivalent to 200 mg of caffeine, or you can also opt for decaffeinated coffee.

3- Chocolate

Chocolate is rich in theobromine which has a similar effect to caffeine and some studies show that 113 g of chocolate has approximately 240 mg of theobromine and can be detected in breast milk 2.5 hours after ingestion and can cause irritation in the baby and difficulty sleeping.

Therefore, one should avoid eating large amounts of chocolate or eating it every day. However, one can consume a 28 g square of chocolate, which corresponds to approximately 6 mg of theobromine, and causes no problems for the baby.

4- Strongly flavored foods

Strongly flavored foods, such as garlic, asparagus, or onions, or stronger condiments can cause the taste and smell of breast milk to change, especially when consumed daily or in large quantities. This can cause the baby to reject the breast milk, making the breastfeeding process more difficult.

5- Foods rich in sugar

Processed foods rich in sugar have few nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which can interfere with the production and quality of breast milk. Therefore, it is recommended to limit their intake as much as possible and give preference to fresh and natural foods, achieving a balanced diet that provides all the nutrients necessary for the woman’s health and the production of quality milk for the baby.

These foods include candied fruit, cookies, crackers, and soft drinks, for example.

6- High-Fat Foods

Processed foods rich in fat, especially trans fat, could modify the fat composition of breast milk, which could have negative effects on the baby’s development, but more scientific studies are needed to confirm this relationship.

Trans fats can be found in foods such as refined soybean oil, margarine, snacks, sausages, and sausages in general, microwave popcorn, pizza, hamburger, and frozen lasagna, for example.

7- Raw foods

Raw foods such as raw fish used in Japanese cuisine, oysters, or unpasteurized milk, for example, are a potential source of food poisoning, which can cause gastrointestinal infection for the woman with symptoms of diarrhea or vomiting, for example.

Although it does not cause any problems for the baby, food poisoning can cause dehydration in the woman, impairing milk production. Therefore, raw foods should be avoided or only eaten in trusted restaurants.

8- Some types of tea

Some types of tea can affect milk production or cause side effects in the baby, such as lemon balm, oregano, parsley, peppermint, ginseng, kava-kava, or star anise, for example. Thus they should be avoided whenever possible or only consumed under a doctor’s advice.

9- Foods that cause allergies

Some women may be allergic to certain foods and the baby may also develop allergies to the foods the mother ingests while breastfeeding.

It is important for women to be especially vigilant when consuming any of the following foods:

  • Milk and dairy products;
  • Soy;
  • Wheat flour
  • Eggs;
  • Dried fruits, peanuts, and nuts;
  • Corn and corn syrup, the latter being widely found as an ingredient in industrialized products, can be identified on the label.

These foods tend to cause more allergies and can cause symptoms in the baby such as redness on the skin, itching, eczema, constipation, or diarrhea, so it is important to observe what was consumed 6 to 8 hours before breastfeeding the baby and the presence of symptoms.

If you suspect that any of these foods are causing an allergy, you should eliminate it from the diet and take the baby to the pediatrician for evaluation since there are several reasons that can cause allergy on the baby’s skin besides food.

10- Aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that, when consumed, is rapidly broken down in the woman’s body to form phenylalanine, a type of amino acid, which can pass into breast milk, and therefore, its consumption should be avoided especially in cases where the baby has a disease called Phenylketonuria, which can be detected soon after birth through the heel prick.

The best way to replace sugar is to use a natural sweetener made from a plant called stevia, and its consumption is permitted at all stages of life.

What to Eat

To get all the nutrients the body needs during breastfeeding, it is important to eat a balanced diet that contains protein such as lean meat, skinless chicken, fish, seeds, and legumes, carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread, rice, and boiled potatoes, and good fats such as extra virgin olive oil. Mother’s nutrition during breastfeeding (eat while breastfeedingà)

Third trimester of pregnancy

Third trimester of pregnancy

anemia in pregnancy

Anemia in Pregnancy | Treatment and diet