Which Foods to Avoid When Breastfeeding?

There are several foods to avoid during pregnancy from certain types of fish to soft cheese. But what about a breastfeeding woman, are there any foods they need to avoid while feeding their babies? Read more to learn about breastfeeding diet.

Unlike a pregnant woman, a nursing mother or a breastfeeding mom can eat most things. Before going into details, being a nursing mother, you should know that you need to have regular meals in order to meet the daily dose of nutrients. There are no specific foods to avoid during lactation. Each baby reacts differently to a food or a drink. So what works for your friend’s child might not work for your baby.

Let’s have a look at some foods that you have to avoid while breastfeeding your kid. When we talk about to avoid, it doesn’t mean you have banned them and excluded from your menu, what you need to do is just limit them to small amounts.

• Coffee– Coffee tops the list because of the caffeine content in it. It is believed that some amount of caffeine in the coffee or tea end up in your breast milk. Infants can’t excrete caffeine efficiently, and the accumulated amount cause irritation, crankiness, and sleeplessness in them. Also, a high level of caffeine can decrease the amount of iron in mother’s milk and decrease hemoglobin count in the baby. Therefore, it is always a good choice to have coffee in a moderate amount that is 2 to 3 cups a day.
• Citrus fruits- You might know that citrus fruits are a great source of vitamin C, but you might not aware of the fact that their acidic components can irritate your kid’s little tummy. The baby’s immature gastrointestinal tract will be unable to deal with these components, thus may lead to fussiness, diaper rash and more. Choose to consume Vitamin C rich fruits like pineapple, mango, strawberries and leafy greens instead of lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits.
• Chocolate- For many ladies, break time is considered as chocolate time. But it should not be any more for breastfeeding moms. Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine, which is believed to have the similar effects as caffeine has. If you think your angel’s crankiness is due to your chocolate consumption, then keep it away from you. If a breastfeeding woman consumes 750 mg of theobromine or caffeine a day, the baby may show fussy behavior or may suffer from sleep issues.
• Peanuts- Stay away from peanuts if you have a history of peanut allergies. It is said that the allergic protein in the peanuts could pass into mother’s milk and then transfer to the baby. The baby might suffer from rashes, eating even a few peanuts can contribute to allergies passing into mother’s milk between 1 to 6 hours.
• Garlic- The smell of garlic can get into breast milk. Some little ones like it while some do not like the smell of garlic. If the reason for your baby’s discomfort while nursing is garlic, stop including it in your food until you re feeding your little one.
• Spicy foods- Spicy foods may irritate the little tummies. A dash of black pepper is enough to a few babies. Those babies who are not fine with it may remain fussy for a long time. Therefore, lessen the spices in your food if your kid is not comfortable with it.
• Corns- Corns may cause allergies in infants and toddlers. They cause rashes in babies. If you find your baby allergic to corn, try to eliminate it from your diet.
• Parsley and peppermint- These two herbs can reduce your breast milk. If you eat these herbs while breastfeeding, you must monitor your milk supply. In fact, nursing mother’s are recommended to drink peppermint tea when they want to stop the milk production after weaning.