Breast milk is the best food you can give your baby and it is proven that all women have a good and completely nutritious milk for their children. However, this does not mean that you are not careful with feeding during that stage.
We tell you what are the recommendations to carry a healthy eating during breastfeeding.
Is it necessary to have a limited diet during breastfeeding?
At any stage of your life, the recommendation is to have a balanced diet, as it is important to stay healthy. There is a belief that during breastfeeding many food restrictions must be taken and sacrifices must be made avoiding certain foods, but it doesn't have to be that way.
It is true that everything the mother eats during pregnancy and lactation is where the nutrients that the baby will receive are obtained, but in the case of breast milk, it comes to him already processed based on what the body wants to offer the baby, offering you the food you need.
According to the Consensus Document on Breastfeeding, published by the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (SEGO), breastfeeding mothers need a varied diet, enough to maintain your weight and that is rich in liquids, vitamins and minerals.
For their part, on the La Leche League International website they reaffirm what we were saying: it is not necessary to avoid certain foods (unless you are allergic to them) and you can eat everything without problems, trying to have a balanced diet.
What they do recommend is that if you are thinking of eliminating or not consuming an entire group of foods (for example, dairy or meat), you should check with your doctor to see if you need to take any supplements and thus ensure that you have no risk of suffering from any nutritional deficiency.
So, should you make a special and restricted diet during breastfeeding? In short: no. But it is advisable to have a balanced diet, simply because it is the best for you and to keep you healthy.. So we share some tips for you to have a healthy diet while breastfeeding.
Recommended foods
As with any balanced diet, there are certain foods to which we must give priority and that we can consume freely or frequently:
- Cereals: preferably whole wheat bread, rice and pasta.
- Fruits and vegetables: every day, because they will also help you stay hydrated.
- Protein: eggs, fish and meat (give priority to white meat and limit the consumption of red meat to three times a week).
- Dairy products: milk, cheeses, creams.
Foods you should consume with measure
While it is not necessary to eliminate certain foods or make sacrifices, there are certain foods and drinks that you should consume with measure:
- Trans fat: They are usually found in fried or processed foods, as well as in frozen foods and solid fats such as butter or butter.
- Refined Oils: It will always be better to use olive oil instead of them and butter.
- Industrial pastries: biscuits, cakes, donuts, cookies.
- Refreshments or carbonated drinks.
- Coffee
Remember to stay hydrated
During breastfeeding you are likely to feel an insatiable thirst, this is normal because 88% of breast milk is water. The recommendation is that you drink two to three liters of water a day, but you can go by your thirst and take what your body asks you to.
Avoid diets
As in pregnancy, during breastfeeding it is not advisable to make diets, because both are stages in which your body needs to have a complete and balanced diet. Do not skip meals and try to eat four to five times a day.
As you can see, during breastfeeding it is not necessary to sacrifice and give up a huge list of foods or drinks (except alcohol, and if you or your baby suffer from a food allergy). Simply focus on eating healthy, giving priority to the natural and avoiding the processed, in order to have a healthy eating during breastfeeding.
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