When
you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you’re on the receiving end of a lot of
nutritional advice. Some say that you need to eat certain kinds of food in
order to produce enough milk, others warn that some foods will make the baby
refuse your milk, and others tell you that certain types of foods in your diet
can be harmful for your baby or reduce your milk production. How can a mother
find her way in the midst of all this information?
Over
the years of experience with breastfeeding mothers all over the world, LLL
Leaders have seen that the best diet for a breastfeeding mother is neither
complicated nor expensive. It doesn’t require lengthy preparation, the
sacrifice of favorite foods, or any need to eat unusual or strange foods in
large quantities. It can also vary with an individual’s own preferences.
A
healthy diet offers many advantages that go beyond those that directly affect
the breastfeeding baby and mother. The whole family, including the baby who
will soon be eating with the others, reap the benefits as healthy eating habits
are established.
In
recent years, research has confirmed that even if some nutrients are missing in
a woman’s daily diet, she will still produce milk that will help her child
grow. There is very little difference in the milk of healthy mothers and
mothers who are severely malnourished. For example, if a mother’s diet is
lacking in calories, her body makes up the deficit, drawing on the reserves
laid down during pregnancy or before. Unless there is a physical reason for low
milk production, a woman who breastfeeds on cue will be able to produce enough
milk for her baby, regardless of what she eats.
A
great deal of attention has been paid to the diet of the breastfeeding mother
all over the world. It isn’t really surprising that many cultures make a direct
connection between a woman’s diet and the milk she produces for her child, so
it is easy to understand why there are so many recommendations and taboos
regarding what a breastfeeding mother eats. Some of these ideas do indeed have
a basis, while others are the result of cultural attitudes, notions, and
superstitions.
Some
breastfeeding mothers feel so weighed down with taboos and obligations
regarding her diet that breastfeeding can seem too complicated to put up with
for very long. Unfortunately, most of the time there is no real reason for
these rules to exist. Breastfeeding is a normal stage in the reproductive life
of a woman, where just as in all the other stages in her life, her diet needs
to be healthy, balanced, and adequate, taking into consideration any specific
medical conditions.
The
ideal diet for a breastfeeding woman is simply the healthiest one for all human
beings. In our day-to-day lives, most of us have food habits that are not
"ideal," but are still good enough to ensure that we have a
sufficient quantity of the right kinds of food. A woman who is not strict with
her diet can still breastfeed successfully. It’s important to keep in mind,
however, that good nutrition helps a mother maintain her health.
The
overwhelming majority of women in the world who breastfeed follow imperfect
diets at least part of the time. The concept of an "ideal" diet can
vary from different families, cultures, economic situations, religions, and in
different seasons. Yet, almost always, all over the world, in different epochs,
even in situations of deprivation, mothers produce milk that helps their babies
grow well.
In
a few words, a healthy diet, both for a breastfeeding mother as well as for
most other people, is defined by the terms varied, balanced, and natural. A
varied diet is one that includes an assortment of different groups of foods,
without excluding any particular one. But even in the case of specific
allergies or food intolerance, a diet that includes different types of food and
varies from meal to meal, from day to day and from season to season, will help
to reduce reactions that might arise with repeated consumption of large amounts
of a particular food.
The
following are the main groups of foods that should be included in the daily
diet.
·
Fresh vegetables and
fruits (preferably those in season) of all types, eaten raw or cooked;
·
Different grains
(wheat, rice, corn, barley, millet) preferably whole, in various forms, in the
form of whole or broken kernels, as well as semolina and flour (and products
made from them including bread and pasta);
·
Protein foods from
animal sources (dairy products, eggs, meat and fish) and/or plant sources
(lentils, beans, soybeans);
·
Small quantities of
fats, preferably uncooked, cold-pressed vegetable oils.
A
balanced diet can be achieved by eating a variety of foods from each of these
food groups as well as by consuming individual foods in different forms—such as
eating different varieties of fruits and vegetables or cooking foods in
different ways. Some vitamins and proteins are better absorbed if other vitamins
and minerals are present at the same time. For example, iron is utilized better
if vitamin C is present in the diet. On the other hand, an excess of some kinds
of foods can be detrimental. Large amounts of protein, for example, can cause
the body to eliminate greater quantities of vitamins and minerals.
Freshness. Fresh foods
taste better, contain more vitamins, and are less likely to have undergone
oxidation (rancidity) or damage due to storage in less than ideal
circumstances. The shorter the time interval between harvesting and consumption
of food, milling the grain and the use of flour, and pressing or extraction of
oil and its use, the healthier the food is.
No Additives. Additives
should be minimized. The use of preservatives extends the shelf life of a food,
often by simply masking natural deterioration processes. The preservative
itself is usually not beneficial to our health, and the food that results is in
any case less nutritious than if it were fresh. Flavorings and colorings keep
food looking and smelling good in the interval that lapses while it is
processed, packaged, transported, displayed, sold, taken home, and eaten. Some
colorings are of vegetable origin and usually do not cause problems. Other
colors, however, are derived from animal or are synthetic and can be the cause
of hypersensitivity and related problems. Other types of additives are used to
make foods softer, crisper, or to enhance flavor.
Whole Foods. Whole foods
have been processed to a minimum degree. They retain all the nutrients
originally present in the food. It has not been "refined." We are
used to eating bread and pasta made from white flour, obtained by eliminating
bran and germ from wheat, polished white rice, refined white sugar and salt,
and oils refined using heat and chemical processes. Many fatty acids contained
in refined oils are present in a form that our bodies cannot use. White sugar
and flour do provide us with calories, but most other nutrients are lost. Many
foods produced with these flours are enriched with small amounts of the
nutrients (usually vitamins) that were lost in the first place when the food
was refined. We have also begun to understand how important dietary fiber,
which is usually removed during refining, is for the health of our digestive
system.
No or few contaminants.
When food is grown in situations that eliminate or limit pesticides,
insecticides, and chemical fertilizers, it is more natural. Respect for seasons
and knowledge of natural techniques and phenomena can be very helpful in
efforts to minimize the use of chemicals as well as damage caused by natural
elements and their consequences (such as microbial or parasitic infestations).
Since pesticides and other chemicals concentrate in the body fat of animals who
consume these foods, their food is important, too. Both for vegetable and
animal products, organic certification helps us to ensure that contaminants are
kept at a minimum level. Reducing the consumption of animal fat and red meat
will help to further reduce the consumption of such substances.
The
number of calories a woman needs depends upon how much body fat she has and how
active she is. While women are often advised to consume about 500 extra
calories daily while they are breastfeeding (compared to before pregnancy),
research now indicates that this could be too much for some women, while for
others it could be insufficient.
Most
breastfeeding women need to increase not only the calories they consume, but
all the nutrients that make up their diet in order to satisfy the additional
requirements of milk synthesis, though for some women the increase will be
minimal. If the diet is balanced and varied, the increase in calories will
automatically be accompanied by an increase in all the other nutrients.
Most
women have some extra weight at the end of pregnancy. These pounds will
gradually be used up during the months of breastfeeding, so nutrients will not
need to be provided entirely by a mother’s daily food intake. Although the
process of how human milk is synthesized is still not completely understood, we
do know that it doesn’t take a lot energy. It has been shown that, during
lactation, the metabolism of the mother’s body becomes more efficient, not just
in regard to calories, but also to minerals.
Many cookbooks are
available containing ideas for using new kinds of food as well as cooking the
foods we are familiar with in different ways. LLLI publishes and distributes
many cookbooks and nutrition books with the purpose of sharing ideas and
improving the whole family’s diet. You can experiment with different grains,
vegetables, fruits, and sources of protein, trying new cooking techniques and
new combinations. The limit is only dictated by your imagination!
A
breastfeeding mother doesn’t require special foods to produce or increase her
milk supply. A baby’s sucking determines the quantity of milk that is produced.
A breastfeeding mother’s body uses a combination of all the foods that she
eats, completing them with nutrients stored in her body to produce the milk
that she gives her child. What this means is that mother’s milk is made every
time, following the same process and resulting in milk that has a fairly
constant composition. If the mother’s diet is not adequate, it is her body that
makes up the difference. If she is malnourished, this means that her body has
to make up for the lack of nutrients in her diet when it produces the milk for
her child. It has been seen that even in cases bordering on malnutrition in
poor countries, the milk produced by these mothers satisfies the needs of the
child, who will grow adequately if he is breastfed on cue.
In
practice, there is no particular food that must necessarily be eaten,
especially if this is something that the mother is not used to or doesn’t like.
All the nutrients that are found in one food can be found in others. If a
mother prefers not to eat a food that contains an important nutrient, she can
obtain it by eating one or more other foods.
Some
of the ingredients in human milk are present in constant proportions for all
breastfeeding mothers and at every feed. Others may vary as a result of the
maternal diet. We know, for example, that the type of fat in the maternal diet
is closely related to the type of fat in the milk the mother produces, although
the caloric content of human milk is fairly consistent. Breastfeeding on cue
ensures that the baby will receive all he needs within the day in order to grow
well and remain healthy.
Children
acquire their family’s food habits and preferences gradually. A baby first
tastes this food via the amniotic fluid before birth, and later, through his
mother’s milk. Many of our ideas about what foods we prefer or avoid are
culturally determined and foods that are considered unsuitable or even harmful
for breastfeeding mothers in some cultures are considered a normal and healthy
part of their diet in others.
Human
beings are the only animals that consume the milk of other animals. In no other
species do the young consume milk after infancy. No other mammalian mothers
drink milk, yet they all produce milk adapted to the needs of their young. They
obtain all the necessary ingredients to produce milk from their diet. It’s
useful to remember that there are whole cultures where the people traditionally
do not drink milk or eat dairy products. In some languages, the traditional
word for milk means only human milk, and the idea of milk from another
mammalian species is totally new to the culture.
Milk
and cheese are an important part of the diet of many people. Others thrive
without milk or cheese. In any case, there is no need to introduce these foods
into the diet or to increase their consumption, especially if the mother does
not like or does not tolerate them.
All
adult mammals , including humans, obtain sufficient calcium for their needs
from the foods they eat, although they do not consume milk after the first few
years of their lives.
Naturally,
calcium is an important ingredient of a balanced diet. Cow’s milk and dairy
products are sources of this mineral for many people. There are many other good
sources of calcium, including:
·
Sheep or goat’s milk
and cheese.
·
Canned fish, such as salmon
or mackerel, which contains bones that become soft during processing and are
easier to eat. Anchovy paste (made from whole anchovies) also has a high
calcium content.
·
Whole grains and whole
grain flours.
·
Green, leafy
vegetables.
·
Almonds or other types
of nuts and dry fruit, such as walnuts and dry figs. (It’s important to consume
these in moderation because of the high caloric content of these foods.)
Some
foods traditionally recommended to breastfeeding mothers in different countries
around the world are also rich in calcium. Chicken broth, where the chicken is
cooked for long time to soften the bones, is an example. In different parts of
the world where people do not traditionally consume milk products, or make very
sparing use of them, other vegetable and mineral sources exist that will enrich
the diet with calcium. Some examples include:
·
Sesame seeds, which can
be eaten whole, in the form of tahini (sesame butter) and gomasio (a salt
substitute that contains sesame seeds and salt), or can be added to many foods.
They should be chewed well in order to increase the ability of the body to
utilize the calcium they contain.
·
Tofu or soy cheese,
which is often coagulated using a calcium-rich substance and is an important
part of the traditional diet in Japan, China, and other countries.
·
Tortillas that are made
using lime-processed corn are a good source of calcium in Mexican diets.
·
Some types of algae
(sea vegetables, such as wakame) fermented foods (miso), and seasonings
including tamari and soy sauce can also contribute to enriching our diets with
calcium, as well as many other minerals that are especially important to a
breastfeeding mother.
In
general, drinking to thirst is a good rule. You are usually drinking enough if
your urine is light colored. Many mothers feel thirsty when they breastfeed,
especially when the baby is a newborn. It’s a good idea to have a glass of
water available while breastfeeding. Drinking beyond one’s needs is unnecessary,
as it doesn’t help to increase the milk and may be unpleasant.
Herb
teas and infusions are a pleasant way for many women to increase their liquid
intake. Although many believe that some herbs can increase milk production, we
do know that unless the baby empties the breast regularly and on cue that milk
production will not reach its top potential. Excessive amounts of herb teas and
infusions can be harmful to both mother and baby, so they should be used
moderately and with caution.
In
the case of all beverages, the quantity and type of substances present (such as
carbonation, sugar, stimulants, sweeteners, and colors) should be evaluated for
the effects on both mother and child.
Human
milk contains a small amount of iron in a form that is easy for babies to
absorb. As with calcium, the levels of this mineral in human milk are constant,
despite variations in the maternal diet or the mother’s body stores. Iron is
present in meat, beans, green vegetables, whole grains, and some dried fruits.
An
important advantage of breastfeeding -- especially breastfeeding on cue -- is
that a mother usually does not resume her menstrual cycle for at least a few
months, conserving the iron that would otherwise be lost every month.
A
vegetarian diet that contains some animal derived food, such as milk, milk
derivatives, or eggs is usually complete. Women who don’t eat meat, but consume
dairy or eggs usually do not have problems breastfeeding. When a diet does not
contain any of these foods (such as in the case of vegan and some macrobiotic
diets), a mother needs to sure to include vitamin B12 into her diet in some
way. Many vegetarians use a supplement for their vitamin B12 intake.
Research
has shown that milk produced by vegetarian women has lower levels of
environmental contaminants (such as PCBs) than that of other women. These
substances are stored principally in the fatty tissues of the body, and
vegetarian diets tend to contain less fats than diets with more animal
products.
Many
women would like to return to their pre-pregnancy weight as soon as possible
after birth. It can take several months or even a year to achieve this. Part of
the weight that a pregnant women gains is an "energy deposit" to meet
the extra caloric demands of breastfeeding. It is consumed gradually while the
mother nourishes her child.
It
is wise to wait until the baby is at least two months old before making a specific
effort to lose weight. A women’s body needs about this much time to recover
from the birth and establish a good milk supply. Often, a woman loses weight
without specific effort during this time.
A
woman who is breastfeeding should lose weight slowly. Every mother needs enough
energy and nutrients to be healthy, active, and able to care for her child or
children. Ideally, she should not lose more than about one to two pounds per
week (two kg a month).
An
"ideal" diet for a breastfeeding woman is simply a varied, balanced,
natural diet. Every woman will choose the diet that is best adapted to her,
depending on culture, lifestyle, personal preferences, as well as the
information available to her.
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