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Breastfeeding Diet

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Most women, experiencing restrictions in food during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, too, are forced to be selective in the choice of food. Diet during breastfeeding is usually quite strict, after all, according to many experts, all the substances that the mother consumes, get with milk and baby.

Nutrition of a nursing woman should be full and varied, and simultaneously easily digestible and hypoallergenic. In addition, many young mothers already from the first days of the postpartum period are thinking about how to lose weight accumulated for pregnancy pounds, without harming the child. How can we combine all these requirements? And how correctly to make a food ration, which would correspond to all norms of the lactation period?

trusted-source[1], [2], [3]

The essence of a diet with breastfeeding

Breast milk is a complete nutritious liquid, the first meal for a baby. The quality of milk, its content and taste are directly dependent on the principles of nutrition of the mother. It is for this reason that a diet is needed during lactation.

What is the main essence of dietary nutrition?

  • The menu of the nursing mother should be balanced, rich in vitamins, trace elements.
  • To avoid problems with the baby's tummy, the mother should use less carbohydrate foods, as well as dishes that cause increased gas production.
  • The most stringent stages of a diet are the first month of a baby's life. In this period, the digestive tract of the child is improved and the bacterial flora in the intestine is adjusted. Approximately after 3-4 weeks of age the infants mother menu is allowed to gradually expand, paying attention to the reaction of the baby.
  • Breastfeeding and drinking are things that are incompatible. The same goes for products with dyes, preservatives, stabilizers and other synthetic additives.
  • Going to the grocery store, the nursing mother should carefully read the composition on the label. If a product in large quantities contains any chemical components and substitutes, then it is better to abandon it.

What can not be eaten during breastfeeding?

  • all kinds of cabbage;
  • leguminous crops;
  • raw fruits;
  • red vegetables;
  • whole milk;
  • dark varieties of bread;
  • coffee and strong black tea;
  • Smoked meat and spicy seasonings;
  • a large amount of salt;
  • mushrooms;
  • canned food;
  • eggs (not more than 1 piece per day);
  • garlic, onion;
  • honey;
  • sweets, creams, biscuits;
  • watermelon.

What can you eat while breastfeeding?

  • still water, rose hip tea;
  • boiled and baked dishes, as well as cooked in a double boiler;
  • oil (cream or vegetable);
  • sour cream, cottage cheese;
  • soy sauce;
  • greenery;
  • potato;
  • all kinds of groats;
  • roots;
  • vermicelli;
  • bananas;
  • dry biscuits (biscuits, crackers), crackers, drying;
  • lean meat, fish.

Preferably cook low-fat soups, cereals, stewed vegetables. For dessert you can bake fruit or eat biscuits. Recall: a strict diet should last about one month, after which the diet should expand. It is important to closely monitor the baby and his reaction to a new product in the mom's menu. If a child has diathesis or flatulence - it means that such a product should be temporarily abandoned.

Diet for weight loss with breastfeeding

It often happens that a woman after childbirth wants to lose weight without interrupting breastfeeding. Can this be done? Of course you can, but you should immediately indicate what you can not do:

  • starve;
  • take diuretic or laxative tablets, as well as teas for weight loss;
  • observe a mono-diet, or a too limited low-calorie diet.

It is necessary to remember: if the nursing mother is starving, then her child is also starving, since in milk there is already not enough nutritious nutrients. Moreover, with a strict diet, many mothers generally lose their breast milk, as a result of which the child has to be transferred to the mixture.

trusted-source[4]

Diet for breastfeeding by month

In the first month after childbirth the following products are allowed:

From the first to the tenth day:

  • baked apple;
  • porridge on the water (rice, buckwheat, millet, etc.);
  • banana;
  • vegetable soup;
  • tea green, it is possible with addition of a dogrose;
  • vegetable oil;
  • butter not more than 15 g / day;
  • chicken fillet.

From the eleventh day you can add:

  • fermented milk products;
  • sea fish;
  • whole wheat bread;
  • potatoes;
  • vermicelli;
  • vegetables (boiled or cooked in a double boiler);
  • greenery;
  • dried fruits;
  • biscuits, crackers, drying.

In the first month after childbirth is not recommended to use:

  • fresh milk;
  • soups on fatty meat;
  • strong coffee;
  • fatty cream;
  • fruit or vegetables in raw form (exception - banana);
  • fresh baking;
  • alcohol.

From the second to the third month you can add:

  • fresh tomatoes;
  • seasonal vegetables and fruits in raw form;
  • Walnut;
  • veal, rabbit meat;
  • berry compotes;
  • cream.

Not recommended:

  • fresh milk;
  • coffee;
  • alcohol.

From the fourth to the sixth month we add:

  • in small amounts of honey;
  • spices and condiments;
  • onion.

Not recommended:

  • fresh milk;
  • alcohol.

After the sixth month, you can gradually add to the diet:

  • sea kale;
  • garlic;
  • beans, peas, lentils.

Throughout the period of breastfeeding it is better to give up sweets, chocolate, canned foods, carbonated and soluble drinks, ice cream, shop sauces and ketchups, fast food and semi-finished products.

trusted-source[5], [6], [7]

The diet menu for breastfeeding

As an example, we give a sample menu for a breastfeeding diet:

  • We have breakfast with yoghurt (without additives) with biscuits, or with a handful of walnuts.
  • For the second breakfast, a cottage cheese casserole with green tea will do.
  • We dine with a light soup-mash, a piece of fish with a vegetable garnish.
  • For a snack - kefir, banana or apple.
  • We dine with stewed vegetables, or pasta, or porridge.

At night, it is desirable to drink a sour milk product - kefir, ryazhenka, yogurt.

You can change the menu at your discretion using the allowed products from the list. The main thing is not to allow overeating. If you want something from the "forbidden" list - you can eat, but very little. And do not forget to follow the reaction of the baby.

Nutrition of the nursing mother assumes a five-six-meal, you can often, but the portions should be correspondingly smaller.

Breastfeeding diet recipes

Despite the impressive list of prohibited products, you can combine your diet so that all dishes in it will be tasty and useful. The main thing is to include imagination during cooking.

Recipe for lazy dumplings

Ingredients:

  • half a kilo of cottage cheese;
  • flour;
  • one egg;
  • a little salt.

First of all, we prepare dough from cottage cheese, salt, eggs. Flour add, as they say, "how much" will take the dough, so that it becomes quite elastic. Form the sausage and cut into small pieces. We pan them in flour so that they do not stick together.

Cook varenichki in the salted boiling water, then put in a bowl with butter and sour cream. If desired, you can sprinkle with sugar or pour honey.

Cheese Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

  • one onion;
  • one carrot;
  • 100 g of butter;
  • a little parsley;
  • processed cheese 100 g;
  • crackers;
  • to taste salt and pepper;
  • water.

Bulb finely shinkuyu, carrots three on a small grater. Onions and carrots are fried in butter, and move into a pan with boiling water.

Cheese three on a grater, melted in boiling water and add to the soup. To taste salt and pepper. After boiling, add parsley and pour into plates. From the top you can sprinkle with croutons.

trusted-source[8], [9]

The recipe for zucchini casserole

Ingredients:

  • two medium zucchini;
  • flour for breading;
  • four medium potatoes;
  • 300 ml of kefir;
  • 150 grams of grated cheese.

Zucchini cut into circles, paniruem and fry in a pan, first with one, then on the other side.

Potatoes are also cut into circles, distributed on a baking tray, add salt and a little kefir. The second layer is laid out zucchini, which also put a little salt and kefir. So we repeat several times. Top sprinkled with grated cheese and sent to the oven until ready (about 30-40 minutes). Bon Appetit!

Recipe for hepatic marbles

Ingredients of the dish:

  • five potatoes;
  • two raw eggs and two boiled ones;
  • 2 tablespoons of flour;
  • 0.5 kg of chicken liver;
  • 2 onions;
  • to taste salt and pepper.

Bulb grind, fry, add the liver and stew. After 15 minutes, add the sliced eggs, salt and pepper. Stew until cooked, then with a blender we turn into a homogeneous mass.

We cook the mashed potatoes, mix flour, eggs, salt and pepper.

From mashed potatoes we form small cakes, in the middle we put a spoonful of roasted mass from the liver and roll into a ball. Then the balls can be fried in sunflower oil, or cook in a double boiler or bake in the oven. When serving, it is desirable to sprinkle with cheese or greens.

Almost all women know that there is a diet for breastfeeding. Nutrition is changed in order not to harm the growing child - to avoid colic, flatulence, diathesis and other unpleasant moments. In addition, proper nutrition will help to lose weight without harm to the health of both the nursing mother and the baby.

What about this advice dieticians?

Most experts believe that a mother who breastfeed should not even think about diets. It will be more literate if a woman simply eats properly, fully, without overeating and "seizing" a sense of fatigue, without the abuse of sweets and fatty foods. Eat preferably every 2.5-3 hours, little by little. Unloading day can be planned no more often than once a week (but at the same time, in no case do not go hungry).

If you adhere to such simple recommendations, then the young mother will manage to lose weight. The fact is that breastfeeding requires about 700 calories a day from a woman. If you add to this the energy costs for motion sicknesses, walks with a stroller, as well as the usual household concerns (washing, ironing, cooking, etc.), then a full physical activity is required, requiring recharge from food. All this is more than enough to lose weight, and at the same time it is right and varied to eat.

Strict Diet in Breastfeeding

As we have already said, a strict diet with breastfeeding is not welcome. However, it is sometimes appointed, but for this there are certain indications.

For example, if a baby was born with a practically closed main fontanel, doctors advise to sharply limit the use of dairy products and other foods with a high calcium content.

If a child has a tendency to allergic reactions, then a strict diet is prescribed in order not to provoke a baby diathesis.

In any case, the decision to follow a strict diet is not made by the mother (for example, for weight loss), but by a pediatrician, and even in exceptional cases.

A woman needs to eat rationally and in a balanced manner (within the list of permitted products) if she wants to have a healthy child and maintain lactation.

Hypoallergenic Diet in Breastfeeding

To hypoallergenic diet resorted in those cases when a baby has a predisposition to the development of allergic reactions. This principle of nutrition can also be used by those women who want to avoid the appearance of diathesis in the baby, or suffer from allergies themselves.

Hypoallergenic diet consists of the following recommendations:

  • take food should be half an hour or an hour before the act of feeding the baby, so every mother adjusts her diet to the regime of feeding the child;
  • it is necessary to drink at least 3 liters of water a day (if there are no problems with edema and kidneys);
  • New products in the diet should be introduced gradually, to 50 g every two days, watching the condition of the child.

What foods are not recommended for hypoallergenic diet:

  • sugar, sweets;
  • salt, pickled and marinated foods, shop sauces and canned food;
  • semi-finished products, fast food;
  • raw vegetables and fruits;
  • animal fats, dairy products;
  • eggs;
  • oat groats;
  • Nuts, honey, jam, dried fruits;
  • chocolate, coffee and coffee drinks;
  • compotes, fruit drinks, juices;
  • dark varieties of bread, bran.

It is necessary to carefully study the composition of all foods used in food. Presence in the list of chemical additives is an excuse to refuse this product in favor of another, more natural.

Dukan Diet for Breastfeeding

Some women for weight loss after childbirth use the Ducane diet - this is a widely known method of nutrition, with the predominant use of protein foods, and with the restriction of the amount of carbohydrates.

Plus such a diet is that there is almost no sense of hunger, and the result is expected to be fast and stable. The minus is a large enough load on the kidneys, which were already overloaded during pregnancy.

Nursing mothers Dukan recommends that you skip the first two stages of the diet, immediately proceeding to the third - the stage of fixing the result. According to this strategy, the negative impact of dietary restrictions on the baby is minimized.

In addition to missing the stages, the principles of nutrition for lactating women have several deviations:

  • for one day you can eat two fruit-berry portions (and not one);
  • protein-free days are canceled (with regular Dyukanovsky diet they are held every Thursday).

Permitted by:

  • low-fat milk products;
  • low-fat meat products;
  • eggs;
  • seafood, including fish;
  • any vegetables, except potatoes;
  • whole wheat bread;
  • fruit and berry mix (except banana and grapes);
  • vermicelli;
  • cereals and legumes.

When choosing foods for cooking, do not forget to pay attention to the child's well-being - some of them can cause an allergy in the baby.

trusted-source[10]

Energy Diet with breastfeeding

Losing Weight on Cocktails The Energy Diet is quite popular. But many young mothers are interested in whether it is possible to use such cocktails in order to lose weight during the period of breastfeeding? After all, many foods that are eaten can harm a baby.

It's no secret that one of the reasons for weight gain during pregnancy is a sharp change in the hormonal background. Stabilization of the hormone levels after the birth of a child occurs during six months, and some women even more. It is the increase in the level of hormones that often affects the appetite increase: both during pregnancy and breastfeeding, there is often an overeating and a constant feeling of hunger. Is it possible to pacify this condition?

Manufacturers of Energy Diets argue that such cocktails are simply a storehouse of vitamins and other substances necessary for the body that will support the health of not only moms but also babies.

For successful weight loss a specially developed program "Balance" is used: it is the use of one dose of a cocktail per day instead of one meal. This approach will not break the metabolism, do not use starvation and malnutrition, provide the body with useful components of the Energy Diet.

There is only one restriction: you should not choose cocktails that contain caffeine.

Remember also that when breastfeeding the use of any food additives and medications should be agreed with the child's doctor.

trusted-source[11],

The Japanese diet for breastfeeding

The principle of the Japanese diet is a pronounced decrease in the calorie content of the diet, mainly due to digestible carbohydrates.

Duration of the diet is 13 days. It is assumed that during this time you can get rid of 7-8 kg and keep this result for a long time. So it or not, we will not say.

Losing weight is due to the exclusion from the diet of sugar, salt, sweets, flour and alcohol-containing beverages.

However, specialists in dietetics strongly do not recommend using such a diet for women breastfeeding. The daily calorie content of such a diet is too low, which can lead to suppression of lactation, and also negatively affect the baby. In addition, the list of products from the proposed menu (and adhere to it necessarily) does not suit nursing mothers at all. For example, a diet presupposes the daily consumption of coffee instead of breakfast - you will agree, it is not entirely useful, especially in this period.

Therefore, it is better to eat right, and lose weight with the help of an active lifestyle.

Protein Diet in Breastfeeding

What is a protein diet? From the name it is clear that in the diet the amount of protein consumed repeatedly increases, and the proportion of fats and carbohydrates is significantly reduced. Of course, the balance of nutrition can not be discussed here. As a result, there is a sharp rearrangement of metabolic processes, a carbohydrate-fatty "hunger" is created, which contributes to a fairly rapid weight loss.

Continue this way of eating long can not: this will lead to deterioration of the skin, hair and nails, may develop anemia and decreased efficiency. If you consume mostly protein foods for more than two weeks, kidney function may be severely impaired, cholesterol levels may increase, vascular tone may worsen, blood clots may form. Therefore, there are many contraindications to adherence to such a diet. These are old age, diseases of the venous system, kidneys and digestive tract. Of course, during pregnancy and during lactation, such a diet is also not suitable.

In pregnant women, the burden on the kidneys increases several times, because it is necessary to filter not only the blood of the mother, but also the developing child in utero. If, instead of giving the kidneys a rest, the body is loaded with a large amount of protein food - this can lead to extremely negative consequences. Therefore, it is better to refuse this method of losing weight.

Diet of colic in breastfeeding

Colic in one way or another arise in almost all infants. The task of the mother is to make the colic be less pronounced and not so much trouble the baby.

As we have already said, the composition of breast milk largely depends on what the nursing woman eats. And if the diet contains products that can cause increased gas formation, the risk of colic in a child increases at times.

What are these products, which it is desirable to abandon?

  • Black bread (for example, Borodino).
  • Whole milk.
  • Any cabbage, both fresh and cooked.
  • Beans (beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, mung beans).
  • Grapes.
  • Fresh apples.
  • Radish.

In principle, in order to avoid increased gas production, nutritionists do not recommend eating any raw fruits and vegetables. It is better to pre-cook them: boil, bake, quench, etc.

It is also necessary to combine products correctly. For example, it is better not to eat fruit together with protein food, and vegetables - with milk, etc. There are even special tables of product compatibility, where all possible and undesirable combinations are carefully painted.

If the mother eats properly, and the baby still has colic, it is probably not a matter of nutrition, but that the baby is not properly attached to the breast.

trusted-source[12], [13], [14], [15], [16]

Diet "Minus 60" with breastfeeding

The diet menu on the "Minus 60" system is designed to gradually reduce body weight. It does not provide for long hunger strikes, and there are fewer restrictions here. This allows you to let slowly, but confidently lose weight, not denying yourself almost nothing.

The essence of nutrition is that high-calorie food is allowed only in the morning, that is, before noon. After that, you should have lunch and a light dinner until 18-00. Sugar should be limited, but in the morning you can eat almost everything, except milk chocolate. Hungry and unloading days are not expected.

The power system "Minus 60" is efficient, full-fledged, easily transferred. For these reasons, it can be used in both pregnancy and breastfeeding. True, you will have to have patience: body weight decreases quite slowly, but stably.

trusted-source[17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22],

Protasov's Diet for Breastfeeding

Power according to Protasov implies the rejection of salt and sugar. The diet should consist mainly of raw vegetables and dairy products of low fat content.

Experts say that in general, the diet is very good, but in pregnancy, breastfeeding and in childhood it is better to give it up.

The fact is that the system proposed by Protasov does not cover the needs of the body in proteins and fats, and the main allowed products do not contain enough amino acids necessary for the baby. Many vitamins are absorbed only in the presence of fats in food, so a deficit of fat can lead to an insufficient intake of vitamins in the body. With a high probability, such nutrition will negatively affect the composition of milk and the health of the nursing mother and baby.

Especially it is undesirable to eat according to Protasov in the presence of any diseases of the digestive tract, because of the abundance of raw vegetables in the diet. It can cause exacerbation of chronic diseases and the appearance of health problems.

Diet "6 petals" with breastfeeding

"6 petals" is, in fact, a series of mono-diets, which alternate for six days. Daily emphasis is placed on a certain food product:

  • first day - fish;
  • the second day - vegetables;
  • third day - chicken;
  • the fourth day - cereals;
  • fifth day - cottage cheese;
  • the sixth day - fruit.

The creator of such dietary nutrition promises to get rid of about 4 kg in 6 days, but at the end of the diet it is recommended to observe dietary restrictions for a week.

Nutritionists are strongly advised not to follow mono-diets, especially breastfeeding mothers. Therefore, the diet "6 petals" is not the best option for breastfeeding. Moreover, before its use it is desirable to undergo examination for absence of diseases of the digestive and urinary systems, so as not to harm the body.

Non-carbohydrate diet with breastfeeding

The basis of the dietary carbohydrate diet is proteins and fats, which should compensate to some extent for the deficiency of carbohydrates.

As we know, carbohydrates are the main source of energy for humans. If you cut down their intake, insulin production decreases, which helps to form a fat layer in the body. As a result, fat is consumed, which leads to weight loss.

However, before you "sit down" on a diet with breastfeeding, it is advisable to consult a dietitian. Why?

With increased consumption of fatty foods with minimal intake of carbohydrate products, the body loses moisture, which leads to weight loss, but can provoke kidney disease. In addition, the loss of fluid can lead to the fact that breast milk will be produced in a smaller volume.

Increased protein content promotes the formation of kidney stones, and also inhibits the production of sex hormones.

In addition, a lack of carbohydrates provokes a deficiency of serotonin - a pleasure hormone. As a result, a nursing mother may experience mood swings, nervousness, absent-mindedness, irritability.

Conclusion of specialists: certainly, when breastfeeding, the use of sweets should be limited. But you should not abandon carbohydrates completely. The organism needs energy, and in a nursing mother, energy needs are usually increased.

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