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Can a nursing mom eat mushrooms and what kind?

Medical expert of the article

Obstetrician-gynecologist, reproductive specialist
, Medical Reviewer, Editor
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

A nursing mother can eat mushrooms, but there are many conditions that need to be taken into account. It is important that such products in the mother's diet do not affect the well-being of the newborn child. After all, even despite the benefits of mushrooms, they can have a negative effect on the child.

As a breastfeeding mother, you must eat right to provide your body with the nutrients that help supply your breast milk with everything your baby needs and is vital for his body.

Mushrooms are not usually considered lactogenic products, but some types of mushrooms are good sources of beta-glucan, a polysaccharide that is considered the main lactogenic agent. Even if some say that mushrooms are not completely digested in the intestines and create conditions for increased fermentation, this is not entirely true. On the other hand, if mushrooms are not absorbed, then there can be no harm to the baby.

Mushrooms are a great food for a baby you are breastfeeding. Make sure you include them in your diet to get the most out of them. They are delicious and easy to prepare. Include them in your diet but do not eat unsafe ones. Cook them well and add them to any dish you like to increase their nutritional value. Definitely, a new mother will benefit from mushrooms if they are chosen and cooked correctly. Even with all the beneficial properties of this product, it all depends on the method of storage, preparation and type of mushrooms. The only concern with mushrooms is their place of origin. It is well known that the mushroom is a controversial fruit that is found mainly in the soil. Therefore, it is not safe to eat raw mushrooms. Moreover, they are considered carcinogenic. It is known that cooking or drying neutralizes the carcinogenic effects and therefore, it is safe.

When can you eat mushrooms while breastfeeding? It is better to do this after you have fed your baby, and there are still three to four hours before the next feeding. In this case, during this time the mushrooms will have time to digest, and the heaviness in the stomach will pass, if they caused this feeling.

If you have chosen the right mushrooms, stored them and prepared them correctly, then there is no doubt that they contain only nutritional properties.

Benefits and harms of mushrooms for mothers during lactation

Meaty, exotic, nutritious and delicious mushrooms are a great food for breastfeeding mothers. Mushrooms are rich in a variety of nutrients and are one of the leaders in nutrition that can be eaten on a regular basis. In addition, mushrooms can help treat colic symptoms in babies because mushrooms increase the body's immune response, including increasing the immunoglobulin IgA. This immune substance helps prevent large, poorly digestible food molecules from passing through the baby's intestines. This is important because babies are born with a digestive tract that is not yet fully mature.

All mushrooms have health benefits. They are a good source of amino acids. Amino acids are essential and are great for your baby’s overall development, helping to increase muscle mass. Sun-exposed mushrooms contain vitamin D, an elusive but essential vitamin known as the mom and baby vitamin.

It is very important to cook mushrooms properly as this makes their amazing nutrients available and easy to absorb. Most people enjoy mushrooms in salads, soups, pizzas and spicy preparations. Freshly picked mushrooms are even better as they contain maximum nutrients. But mushrooms should be cooked during breastfeeding. Raw mushrooms are not safe as they are carcinogenic. Small amounts of carcinogens will be present in raw mushrooms and cooking or drying them removes the toxins. In addition, they will offer health benefits such as boosting immunity, providing fiber, minerals and vitamins to the body system. Therefore, it is always advisable to eat mushrooms cooked, dried or their extracts and tinctures.

Mushrooms contain excellent nutritional value for your growing baby. Make sure to get the most of the vital components by including mushrooms in your daily diet.

Mushrooms contain a large amount of B vitamins. They help use the energy from the food you eat and promote healthy skin, digestion, and nerve formation. Vitamin B components include thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), and pantothenic acid (B5). One cup of potato mushrooms contains about 8 percent of the daily requirement of riboflavin, which is ideal for women and newborns. Thiamine, niacin, and pantothenic acid form a healthy body mass for your baby and also strengthen the central nervous system.

Mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D, which is very rare in all food groups consumed. The presence of vitamin D in mushrooms makes them important for mothers to consume. Vitamin D regulates the greater absorption of calcium in the body to form strong bones and teeth in your growing baby.

Your body requires more hemoglobin because the blood volume increases and the baby needs new micronutrients. Iron is the main component of hemoglobin, and mushrooms contain a large amount of iron. It is known that one cup of mushrooms contains 8 milligrams of iron.

Mushrooms also provide you with a good amount of fiber and antioxidants. Antioxidants such as selenium and ergothioneine help protect your body from free radical damage and boost your immune system. Fiber helps prevent irritable conditions such as constipation and fatigue, keeping you alert and ready for easy digestion.

Conditions for the use of mushrooms when feeding a newborn

Can a nursing mother eat mushrooms? Well, this is the question that most parents are interested in when they think about introducing mushrooms into the mother’s diet during the breastfeeding stage. In most cases, edible mushrooms are those that are sold in general stores. Ideally, mushrooms are not the right food that is so safe to introduce into the mother’s diet. But, nevertheless, you can introduce mushrooms as soon as your baby is three months old. After all, the content of vitamin D, antioxidants and amino acids in mushrooms will undoubtedly be very beneficial for the body.

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What mushrooms are allowed for a mother during lactation?

There are so many types of mushrooms that it is important to try each type separately to see how your baby reacts to them. Of the main types that are most often consumed in our country are porcini mushrooms, chanterelles, and champignons. Chanterelles have antifungal, bacterial and microbial properties, being a good source of vitamin D, C and potassium. Therefore, chanterelle mushrooms are considered the most useful and easy to digest during breastfeeding. They are best affected by enzymes in the intestines, so they do not stay there for long and do not cause much discomfort. Champignon mushrooms and porcini mushrooms can also be consumed during breastfeeding, but they are considered more difficult to digest. Therefore, it is important to cook them properly. It is recommended to first boil any mushrooms in salted water and then stew. Fried mushrooms during lactation can cause bloating due to the high content of oil and fat, so this method of cooking is not recommended.

While different types of mushrooms vary in calories and nutrients, they generally don’t contain many carbs, calories, fat, sodium, or sugar. Meanwhile, all types contain high levels of nutrients—especially antioxidant-boosting B vitamins, copper, and selenium.

With so many types of mushrooms out there, and numerous compounds in each variety that offer their own unique qualities, it’s hard to sum up the benefits of mushroom nutrition. But there are some types of mushrooms that are safe for mom and baby.

How to cook mushrooms?

Recipes for mushroom dishes during breastfeeding should be based on maximum preservation of all useful substances. The method of cooking mushrooms is important for minimal harm to the child.

Fried mushrooms are not the healthiest way to eat food. However, not all harmful substances can evaporate during the frying process, so if you like fried mushrooms, they need to be fried correctly. Before frying, almost all types of mushrooms are recommended to be stewed for about 10 minutes, and then you can add a drop of oil and fry. But you should not get carried away with such processing of mushrooms during lactation, because this is a very harmful method.

Pickled and canned mushrooms require a significant amount of salt and vinegar to be added during the cooking process. This means that when eating such mushrooms, the amount of sodium in a woman's body increases, which retains water. This is not very good for the general condition of a nursing mother. For a child, the strong smell of vinegar can affect the quality of breast milk, and he may simply refuse milk. Therefore, pickled mushrooms are not recommended during lactation.

Dried mushrooms are one of the best ways to store mushrooms and at the same time preserve the maximum benefit in them. This is a very useful product, which ranks among the first in terms of iron content. Therefore, dried mushrooms should be a choice for young mothers.

Salted mushrooms contain a large amount of salt with minimal heat treatment. This does not allow extracting potentially dangerous elements from the mushrooms. And if such mushrooms are eaten in everyday life, they cannot be recommended for nursing mothers.

Soup with mushrooms, especially dried ones, is very healthy and nutritious. It can be a great dinner that will provide energy and useful vitamins. This method of cooking mushrooms minimizes poor digestion of mushrooms. Therefore, mushroom soup can be considered one of the healthiest mushroom dishes.

Here are some recipes that you can use to prepare mushrooms during lactation that will be healthy and delicious.

Mushrooms with ricotta cheese

To prepare you will need:

  • 200 grams of ricotta cheese;
  • one egg;
  • one lemon;
  • 2.5 grams of salt;
  • 2.5 grams freshly ground black pepper or to taste;
  • 2.5 grams of red pepper;
  • 4 slices French bread;
  • 15 milliliters of olive oil;
  • 16 mushrooms, sliced;
  • 50 grams of green onions;
  • 200 milliliters of chicken broth;
  • 10 milliliters of lemon juice;
  • Thirty grams of Italian parsley

First of all, you need to preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Mix ricotta, egg, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes in a bowl until smooth.

Place toasted bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and divide the ricotta mixture evenly between 4 bread slices.

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is browned, about 12 minutes.

Heat a frying pan and add some of the oil to heat; then add the mushrooms and cook until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the green onions; cook and stir until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the broth and lemon juice to the mushroom mixture; cook until the liquid evaporates. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the parsley and butter. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Spread the mushroom mixture evenly over 4 slices of ricotta bread.

Mushrooms with chicken

To prepare, you need to take:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour for breading;
  • half a teaspoon of salt;
  • a pinch of ground black pepper;
  • part teaspoon dried oregano;
  • four pieces of chicken breast;
  • 5 teaspoons of oil;
  • 30 milliliters of olive oil;
  • 1 cup cleaned and sliced mushrooms;

First, you need to cook the chicken breast in a frying pan, cutting it into pieces and rolling it in flour. After that, you need to add the chopped mushrooms and cover with a lid. You need to stew for about 20 minutes. At the end, add spices and you can eat.

Tomato soup with mushrooms

To prepare you need:

  • good 1 medium onion;
  • 3 teaspoons of oil;
  • two cloves of garlic;
  • ground meat;
  • 16 pieces of sliced fresh mushrooms;
  • chicken broth;
  • 2 liters of cold clean water;
  • a quarter cup of tomato paste;
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar;
  • 1/3 tsp table salt;
  • 1/5 tsp Pepper;
  • 1/3 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese;
  • 2 bunches fresh parsley.

Cut the onion in half and slice it into a thin layer. Melt the butter in a 2-liter saucepan. Then mix the onion and add a little garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Then add the chopped mushrooms and cook under a closed lid until done.

Mix all the ingredients in the resulting broth and add tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Boil for 5 minutes. Then, after boiling, cover and leave for another 20 minutes.

Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan and parsley.

Eggs with mushrooms, cheese and croutons

To prepare you will need:

  • 1 large piece cabbage, tough stems removed, leaves roughly chopped (about 180g after stem);
  • 1 large piece Swiss lettuce, tough stems removed, leaves roughly chopped (about 200g after stems removed);
  • 140 g spinach;
  • three tablespoons (45 g) of corn oil;
  • 225g mushrooms, divided, stems trimmed and caps sliced;
  • pepper;
  • 2 leeks, white and light parts only, washed well and thinly sliced (250g total);
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, 2 crushed or grated and 1 left whole for toast;
  • 2 tablespoons (45 g) all-purpose flour;
  • half a glass (120 ml) of milk;
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg;
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Dijon mustard;
  • 3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese (75 g);
  • 4 to 6 large eggs;
  • 4 to 6 slices toasted and buttered bread, such as a baguette

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Working in batches if necessary, add the kale, chard and spinach to the pan and cook for a few minutes at a time. Using a mesh strainer, lift the greens out of the water and transfer to a colander. Roughly chop the greens and set aside. You should have about 300g of cooked, squeezed greens.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon (15 g) of the butter over low heat until foaming. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring only occasionally, until well browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the spices and remove to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter to the skillet and melt over low heat until foamy. Add the leeks to the mixture and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour over the leeks and cook, stirring, until the raw flour smell goes away, about 1 minute. Stir in the milk. Cook this mixture until the sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg, mustard, drained mushrooms, and herbs and cook for a while longer. Season to taste. Remove the pan from the heat. If the mixture is very thick, add a little water or milk. You should have about 4 cups of creamy greens.

If baking in the same pan, you'll need to sprinkle the Gruyere on top of the greens. You can also divide the greens into smaller individual baking dishes.

Using a spoon, spoon the eggs over the greens. Bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still runny, 10 to 20 minutes. Check the eggs frequently to make sure they are not overcooked. Remove from the oven and sprinkle a pinch of chili powder over each egg.

While the toast is still warm, gently rub one side of each slice with the remaining garlic clove. Serve, using the toast to scoop up the greens and eggs.

But, even despite the correct preparation of mushrooms, you need to start introducing them into your food with a small amount - no more than three tablespoons to begin with. After such a meal, you need to assess your child's condition. After all, mushrooms can cause colic, constipation or diarrhea. Therefore, you need to monitor the child's stool and general well-being throughout the day. If there are no negative manifestations, then you can eat mushrooms once a week. Therefore, when talking about taking mushrooms, the main condition is your child's well-being.

Kombucha during breastfeeding is a special type of product that can be both harmful and beneficial. Everyone knows the benefits of this mushroom for the body, but as for the mother and child, it is very difficult to predict the reaction. Considering that this type of mushroom is parasitic, it is better not to use it during lactation.

Mushrooms contain many useful amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants. Therefore, each person's diet should include these products, but they can cause many problems for mother and child. The main thing that a mother should focus on when choosing a diet is the child's reaction, and if you see that the baby tolerates mushrooms well, then eat them for their benefit. Therefore, you can include them in the diet, but very carefully, preferably when the child is already older.


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