Eat a wide variety of food with a larger proportion of proteins, essential fats and oils rather than simple carbohydrates and sugars. This will ensure a richer more settling milk for your breastfed baby and a stable metabolism for the breastfeeding mother.

Digested food passes through into breast milk but only some foods will have an adverse effect on some breastfed babies.

The most common foods that can cause adverse reactions in your breast fed baby include:

- Cow’s milk products
- Soy and goat’s milk products (if allergy to cow’s milk)
- Wheat &/or gluten
- Eggs
- Peanuts and tree nuts
- Fish
- Foods eaten in excess
- A food not usually consumed in a mother’s diet
- A food not liked by the breast feeding mother but consumed anyway

Adverse reactions noticed in approximately 8% of breastfed babies include:

These may occur within minutes, hours or days depending on the type of allergy or intolerance and the degree of sensitivity.

- Rashes of varying types in various places
- Eczema
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea with or without blood or mucous
- Abdominal pain or colic
- Constipation
- ’snuffles’ in the nose
- Chest “rattle”
- Cradle cap
- Recurrent ear infections

Diagnosis is often established by eliminating the suspected food source completely from the maternal diet of the breastfeeding woman for 48hrs then re-challenging it. If there is a change noticed, follow up assessment with a Paediatrician or dietician is strongly advised.

The diet for a woman who is breast feeding requires a variety of many nutrients; therefore it is not advisable to cut out any foods from their diet unnecessarily. Only eliminate foods as a trial until a confirmed diagnosis is made.

By: Jan Murray

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