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A nursing mom's diet

Like many women you may wonder if there is a specific diet while they are breast feeding. While many women may get nervous with this idea, there is good news around the horizon that you probably won’t have to make any major changes to what you eat, or drink during this time. However there are a couple important things to consider as well as things to keep within the back of your mind, while you contemplate your daily diet and nursing.

The first and foremost thing to remember is that a well balanced diet is important for your health. Remember that one of the many wonders of breast milk, is that it can meet your infant’s nutritional needs, even if you aren’t eating well. However just because your infant will not be harmed by any dietary insufficiency that may be on your part, that doesn’t mean that you yourself may not suffer the consequences. It is important that you get enough vitamins and nutrients in your diet, mostly because you need energy to meet the physical demands of caring for your new child. Just think of breast feeding as another means of providing continued motivation for you to follow a healthy diet; such as the one you followed during pregnancy. You should focus yourself on eating things such as whole grains, cereals, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, along with foods that provide a mass amount of protein, calcium, and iron. (Just remember that this doesn’t mean you can’t have a treat every now and then.).

Remember that eating well doesn’t mean that you are necessarily eating more, experts used to recommend that any nursing mother intake an extra five hundred calories a day; however during recent research that has indicated that breast feeding mothers don’t necessarily need a calorie boost, instead the mother’s energy needs will be dependant on their current weight, and a lot to do with the mother’s activity level. This of course means that there is no one size fits all recommendation from experts, so it is important to stay tuned in to your body’s natural ques from what, when, and how much your body tells you to eat.

If you are considering taking some extra steps in losing the post pregnancy weight, it is fine to diet however it is important to take it slow in the beginning. You should only try to lose weight gradually IE: one to two pounds a week, by combining a healthy and low fat diet, with moderate exercise. Most women’s doctors will advise you that rapid weight loss can pose a great risk to your infant, since it releases toxins which is stored in your body fat into your blood stream, which will increase the amount of contaminants that will end up in your breast milk supply. If you find yourself losing more than two pounds a week after the first six weeks, you will need to intake more calories per day. You may need to start to raise the calorie intake by one hundred or so calories per day, to help find your perfect amount of calories for your body.

Some mothers seem to think that they must wean their infant to lose weight, however you can rest assured that this is not true. Nursing has been proven to help deplete the fat that was deposited during pregnancy, to help prepare your body for lactation. Some new moms may even find that the weight just seems to melt away while they are breast feeding their infant. However you can still count on taking ten months up to a year to return to your pre pregnancy weight with some work. Remember that you should NOT even consider trying to lose weight until at least six weeks post pregnancy, as limiting what you are eating in the early weeks of lactation may reduce your body’s natural milk production, and future supply.

The Food and Drug Administration as well as the Environmental Protection Agency had issued new guidelines for how women who are trying to conceive, pregnant women, nursing women, as well as young children should limit their exposure to mercury in fish. This was done in march two thousand and four, and they are now advising that you eat no more than six ounces (approximately one serving) of canned albacore or “white” tuna a week. Also according to the Food and drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency, you should also limit yourself or your child to twelve ounces a week (approximately two servings) of canned “light” tuna as well as other cooked fish. These women and children are also advised to completely avoid consuming shark, sword fish, king mackerel, as well as tilefish (golden or white snapper). While some more conservative experts may recommend that you avoid tuna steak both fresh or frozen, orange roughly, Spanish mackerel, marlin, as well as grouper since these fish are at the top of the food chain, and will contain the highest levels of mercury.

Although I have covered this topic more thoroughly in previous articles, you should try to abstain from alcohol or take precautions while you are breast feeding. Remember that alcohol does in fact enter your breast milk, and can potentially harm or irritate your infant. There are of course many other risks of drinking as little as one alcoholic beverage that can inhibit your body’s ability to sustain its milk supply. However if you are planning on enjoying an occasional drink, you should wait a minimum of two hours prior to nursing your infant, to allow the alcohol a chance to dissipate from your system. Also from the previous article, you should remember that alcohol is not stored in breast milk so the “pumping and dumping” technique that has become oh so popular serves no purpose other than waste. You should also stave off dehydration by consuming approximately one glass of water to every cocktail that you have.

You will also need to keep yourself well hydrated with or without alcoholic intake. This is especially so since when you breast feed your child, your body is shedding any excess fluid. While it will not affect your milk supply, you should try to consume at least eight or seven eight ounce glasses of water, or liquid a day to stave off dehydration. You should drink to thirst which means that you should drink whenever you feel thirsty. You should take special care to avoid caffeine which may dehydrate you quicker.

A nursing mom's diet

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