Some breastfeeding mothers avoid chocolate. Other moms avoid garlic. So how do you learn which foods to avoid when breastfeeding?

The answer is to pay attention to your baby. Your baby will let you know which foods to avoid when nursing and which are fine. If certain foods that you eat seem to send your child into fits a few hours later, you may want to avoid it for a while.

Nursing mothers normally eat a variety of foods while breastfeeding. These foods will result in different flavors that change the taste of your baby’s breast milk. Most children actually enjoy the variety.

However, if your baby is particularly resistant to nursing one day, try to remember what you may have eaten. If she reacts the same way every time you eat that particular food, it could be one of the foods to avoid when breastfeeding.

Most children will let you eat what you want while nursing. There are, however, some common foods that many nursing moms try to avoid. They are:

* spices such as garlic, chili, cinnamon, and pepper

* chocolate

* vegetables such as cabbage, onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, and cucumber

* fruits such as prunes, cherries, orange, lemon, strawberry, grapefruit, pineapple, and kiwi.

Just don’t avoid all those really good foods for no reason. Learn what your baby can tolerate and what he or she can’t. Through this trial and error, most mothers find that there are very few foods that they really have to avoid while breastfeeding.

By: Sheri Lynn

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There are no scriptures that would tell you what to eat and what to avoid during breastfeeding. However, it’s essential that a breastfeeding mother consumes a balanced diet, rich in all the vital nutrients. There are no do’s and don’ts about what foods to consume during breastfeeding and what foods to strictly avoid. Barring excessive alcohol and nicotine-related foods, there are no guidelines on the correct foods to eat during feeding. There is no cause of worry about the right food intake, as your baby’s reaction will help you detect what he likes and dislikes.

It is, however, important that you keep a check of your food habits during breastfeeding. This will help detect irritation-causing food items and would also ensure that you expose your child to a variety of flavors and tastes.

The following guidelines will ensure that your baby likes the taste of your milk and you have a sound sleep!

Avoid spicy food: Many amongst us would vouch that spices do no harm to the taste of breast milk. However, a certain section holds that spices interfere with the taste of the normal breast milk, causing mild reaction among the young ones. The same section also believes that cabbage, cauliflower, curries, chilies and excessive chocolates should be avoided.
Vitamin C should be avoided: Some believe that certain juices rich in Vitamin C like that of oranges, tomatoes, and grapefruit and lemon can cause mild irritability in toddlers. However, there is no research to support the same. The mother should take note of her eating habits and should discontinue a particular food item on noticing a change in behavioral pattern of her child.
Say no to caffeine and alcohol: Careful and restrictive intake of caffeine and alcohol do not harm the baby. However, excessive intake of caffeine and alcohol interfere with the child’s metabolism and with the taste of milk leading to irritable babies.
Avoid strong-flavored foods: It is important to avoid the intake of foods with sharp tastes and flavors. Such foods interfere with the taste of your breast milk, leading to its dislike by your kid. You must have mild foods that do not change the taste of your milk and which also at the same time ensure that your child gets a variety of tastes.

To sum up, there is no Biblical guideline that outlines the right foods for your baby. However, it’s pertinent to ensure that you consume the right food that matches with your baby’s taste. Also, ensure that you consume a variety of foods in order to expose your child to different tastes. Just make sure that you do not eat anything which has a family history of being allergic, which you can choose to rule out of your diet chart.

So The Mandate – Eat Healthy And Stay In Peace!

I am sure these useful tips would help you raise a healthy and happy baby! After all he’s a part of you!

By: Apurva Shree

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Women in our culture are sometimes advised to avoid spicy or “gassy” foods when nursing. Or they are told that chocolate, citrus, carbonated beverages or dairy causes problems in all nursing babies.

As a breastfeeding educator, I often see women warning other Moms that they need
to avoid certain foods while breastfeeding. There are also websites that give unproven breastfeeding advice that claim that women must eat a certain kind of diet in order to make quality milk for her baby. So what is the truth?

Does a nursing Mom need to restrict her diet?
Are there foods that a Mom should avoid while breastfeeding?

Generally speaking, a nursing Mom does NOT need to restrict her diet.

Obviously, drinking heavily or excessive caffeine consumption (meaning several cups of coffee a day) is a no-no, but other than that, there is no reason for a breastfeeding Mother to assume that she needs to avoid any foods.

So called “gassy” foods do not affect the nursing infant because the undigested carbs that cause gas in Mom do not pass into breastmilk.  It is literally impossible for “gassy” foods to cause gas in babies except in the rare case of an infant being allergic to one of these foods.

Interestingly, according to the La Leche League (considered the world’s foremost authority on breastfeeding) website, “In Italy, mothers are often told not to eat garlic, cauliflower, lentils, and red peppers. In India most mothers eat all these things and breastfeed very happily. Actually, in parts of India they believe that garlic helps a
mother to breastfeed successfully!”

There are even a couple of studies that showed that babies nursed longer and with more vigor when their Moms ate garlic.

The advice given to a nursing Mom varies according to local culture and the popular “old wive’s tales”. Women all over the world eating a wide variety of foods produce good quality milk and have thriving babies. There is not a shred of evidence that supports the idea that eating a special diet helps make breastmilk “richer”.

Consequently, there is no one food that all breastfeeding Moms should avoid.  Breastfeeding women should eat a variety of healthy foods, just as they did while they were pregnant.

The only exception would be if your baby has food allergies/sensitivies, which is rare but not unheard of. If your family has a strong history of allergy to a specific food (such as peanuts), you might consider avoiding that food while nursing and during pregnancy.

Enjoy nursing your baby!

By: Carrie Lauth

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