Dieting while Breastfeeding - Tips for your healthy newborn
Dieting while Breastfeeding
Unless you’re desperate to lose weight while breastfeeding, or are following a nutritious diet plan, dieting while breastfeeding isn’t necessary. You’re already burning more calories than normal during lactation, and your newborn needs all the nutrients from your breast milk as possible (so crash dieting is definitely not recommended).
Tips for Nursing Mothers
- Don’t go too extreme - a loss in breast milk is a common side-effect. Toxins released from hormones that react to rapid weight loss also end up in your breast milk.
- Definitely stay away from taking diet pills while breastfeeding. You don’t really need to diet while lactating in the first place, so don’t risk bodily harm to yourself by taking diet pills.
- Reduce fats by up to one third of your normal food intake, and raise protein, which will in turn make your breast milk healthier.
- Studies have found that a mother’s diet while breastfeeding can influence the babies choice of taste in the future - for instance, mother’s who ate a lot of garlic found their babies preferred the garlic-tinged milk than the typical one.
- Food sensitivity in babies and children is more uncommon that publicly perceived - only around 4% of newborns develop some sort of irritation to foods. If your child is distressed, fussy or has inconsistent stools, think about what foods you are food you are feeding him/her when it happens.
- Stay hydrated - you lose water rapidly burning those extra calories than normal.
- Some mothers may ask what not to eat while breastfeeding, but rest assured, apart from excessive consumption of cow’s milk (which your baby may become lactose intolerant to) you don’t have to worry about what you eat.
- Just like when you aren’t lactating, exercise is a bonus for your health, particularly if you carry your baby which will skyrocket the amount of calories burnt.
- In a nutshell: You burn more calories naturally while lactating anyway, and your breast milk will remain consistent unless you go on an extreme diet.
More information is available at the dieting while pregnant article.