What should I eat during breastfeeding?

This is a very frequent question when a mother is breastfeeding her baby. Your body needs the necessary nutrients so that it has a good development, and for this you must follow a healthy and balanced diet that positively influences your production of breast milk. It is important to emphasize that we should not obsess about following extreme diets, since weight loss implies a decrease in milk production. The amount of calories a lactating woman should eat is almost the same as in a non-lactating woman, so eating too much will not make you have more milk, although the variety of nutrients you eat will alter the quality of that milk. You should not follow a specific diet, although there are recommendations about certain foods.

Recommended foods

1. Cereals and brown rice. It will provide the necessary calories to produce milk.
2. Egg. Strengthen your bones and help develop those of your baby thanks to vitamin D that contains
3. Blue fish: Ideal for the evolution of your baby’s nervous system and to prevent postpartum depression since it will help you to have better mood.
4. Green vegetables such as spinach, Swiss chard and broccoli: They provide calcium, iron and vitamins A and C.
5. Oranges: They are a great source of vitamin C like other types of citrus, although they can have a laxative effect if consumed in excess.
6. Dairy products. If you are not lactose intolerant, you can get calcium and phosphorus through milk, cheese and yogurt.
7. Iodine supplements
8. Water: You will have to drink the recommended two liters per day. Breastfeeding usually produces thirst, especially at the beginning of breastfeeding, so in each shot you can have a glass of water nearby to eliminate the sensation of dryness. You can also take teas and infusions without thein, vegetable broths and vegetable drinks such as almond milk or soy milk.

As you can see, during lactation we should be as respectful as possible with the nutrients we eat. And although it is not true that there are prohibited foods, yes there are foods that do not benefit your baby too much and therefore we should avoid as much as possible their consumption.

Non-beneficial foods

1. Alcohol: This passes in a few minutes to breast milk and has been shown to be detrimental to the development of the baby’s brain. The Breastfeeding Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics advises not to drink alcohol during the first three months of lactation and, once elapsed, you can drink very small amounts away from the intakes as much as possible.
2. Sugar, sweets, salty snacks or sugary sodas. They can worsen the health of the baby and produce excess stimulation.
3. Onion, leek, asparagus, garlic, artichoke, citrus, blue cheese and cauliflower. This type of food can alter and change the flavor of milk and cause the baby to refuse to take it, although if they are part of your usual diet you will get used to them and there will be no problem. Only if you take them very occasionally can you notice that your baby that day refuses food.
4. Coles, legumes, peas, beans, chickpeas, broccoli: Be careful with them to generate flatulence and hinder the digestion of the baby causing gas and colic due to their immature digestive system. However, you should not eliminate them completely from your diet since they are very nutritious.
5. Coffee: The baby metabolizes caffeine very slowly and if the mother consumes a large amount, it will accumulate in the child’s body. Caffeine appears in breast milk at the time of ingestion, and this can produce symptoms such as insomnia, nervousness and irritability in the baby.
6. Spicy: Pepper or other spicy food makes babies more prone to colic. Although on the other hand, consumed in moderation, can make the baby get used to them as in some countries in which these foods are very present.