Alternative Therapies

A healthy diet plays an important role in the development of your baby who is dependent on you for nutrition. Apart from meeting the baby’s nutritional requirement, a healthy diet can help you meet the energy requirement for caring your baby. This article focuses on the dietary tips that you, as a nursing mother, can follow.

Dietary Tips for a Nursing Mother

Listed below are some dietary tips that can benefit a nursing mother:

• Reduce Weight Gradually: Experts suggest that it is normal to lose 1-2 pounds each week. More than 2 pounds weight loss in a week may release toxins into the mother’s bloodstream. This can be harmful for both the baby and the mother. You may counter further weight loss (than normal) by taking in more calories.
• Check Your Alcohol Consumption: Consumption of alcohol can potentially harm your child. Even a reduced alcohol intake can influence the ability of your body to produce milk. So, if you have an occasional drink, you may want to wait for at least two hours before breastfeeding your child. The two-hour time period can allow the alcohol to dissipate from your bloodstream.
• Control Your Caffeine Consumption: If you have regular habit of drinking coffee, you may want to replace it with fresh fruit juice or milk intake. This is because your baby’s body is unable to get rid of caffeine and this could be harmful for your child.
• Drink Plenty of Water: Nursing your baby can lead to fluid loss from your body. You may want to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. This can help your body to stay well-hydrated.
• Have Grains and Legumes Regularly: Experts recommend to have grains (whole wheat, brown rice, whole wheat bread, soy, etc) and legumes (dried peas, beans etc.) for normal development of the baby. Grains and legumes are good sources of vitamin B that are essential for new cell production and for the development of healthy nervous system.
• Regularly Have Fresh Servings of Fruits and Vegetables: Experts recommend having five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables regularly for a nursing mother. Fruits and vegetable are good sources of vitamin A (carrots, kale, spinach), vitamin B (green leafy vegetables), vitamin B6 (banaba, avocado) and vitamin C (carrot, papaya, broccoli, Indian gooseberry).

Fresh fruits and vegetables can help your child fight off diseases and infections, to grow and maintain bones, hair, skin and mucous membranes, for his normal behavourial development and for new cellular production.