Can a breastfeeding mom have eggs?

Eggs during breastfeeding can be an important source of protein for both mother and baby. In addition to protein, eggs have many other useful substances. But there are cases when eggs should be excluded from the mother's diet while she is breastfeeding. Therefore, mothers should know all the advantages and disadvantages of eggs in the diet during lactation.

Benefits of eggs for nursing mothers

Breastfeeding requires that the new mother constantly monitors a healthy and nutritious diet. Most mothers already know that there are certain foods that should be avoided while breastfeeding, as these foods can enter the baby’s bloodstream through breast milk and may have a negative impact on the baby’s health. But there are some foods that should be eaten daily, as they are very beneficial for the baby. One such food is eggs, a rich source of dietary protein. But can a nursing mother eat eggs?

The basic rule to follow while breastfeeding is to ensure that you are getting about 500 extra calories a day to meet your baby's needs, and most of this should come from protein. Eggs are a good natural source of protein for both you and your baby, and can be consumed several times a week.

Eating eggs while breastfeeding has many health benefits. Eggs contain many nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, folate, selenium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and many more. Folate is good for heart health, preventing stroke, maintaining mood, and maintaining healthy bowel function. Iodine itself is good for thyroid function.

Eggs contain 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fats. These nutrients are found mainly in the yolk, while the egg white contains water and protein. Mineral ingredients such as vitamins, iron, calcium, and magnesium can destroy carcinogens. Vitamin B2 is important in the body's energy production, growth process, and helps the body process oxygen for use in the body.

Vitamin B12 or cobalamin helps with metabolism in the body, especially DNA synthesis and regulation, fatty acid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause damage to the brain and nervous system.

Eating eggs is believed to increase the levels of good cholesterol in the body, which reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems. Eggs contain a compound known as choline, which is important for the normal functioning of the nervous system in the mother and its development in the baby. Eggs are rich in several nutrients that promote heart health, such as betaine. During breastfeeding, adequate choline is especially important, as choline is necessary for normal brain development. The omega-3 fatty acid content can play an important role in the overall development of the baby and brain health. It can also prevent neural defects in babies.

Eggs are the best natural source of proteins and they contain different amino acids in the right proportions required by the body. These are the amino acids that we cannot synthesize in our bodies and must get from our diet.

Every cell in a baby grows from protein, so eggs are good for a newborn.

[ 1 ], [ 2 ], [ 3 ]

Conditions for eating eggs while breastfeeding

While it is generally beneficial to eat eggs while you are breastfeeding, there are some important points to keep in mind.

First, whether or not you are breastfeeding, you should never consume raw eggs. Eating raw eggs while breastfeeding is thought to increase the risk of salmonella infection, which can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, nausea, and fever. Therefore, it is important to cook and store eggs properly.

Eggs should be kept at a constant temperature below 20°C and should not be placed together with other products. If you have boiled eggs, they can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2-3 days. Do not use eggs that have been damaged, because this is a risk of contamination with bacteria that are not good for the body. Eggs should be boiled hard and until fully cooked. Mature eggs will be free of bacteria. Therefore, it is recommended that a nursing mother eat boiled eggs. Soft-boiled eggs during breastfeeding can not only increase the risk of intestinal infections, but can also cause digestive problems in the child in the form of diarrhea. Can a nursing mother eat fried eggs? When a young mother is breastfeeding her baby, the mother can eat fried eggs or scrambled eggs, but she still needs to cook these eggs well and be sure to cook both sides. In addition, you can add vegetables to the scrambled eggs, which will add benefits and calories to such a dish.

Chicken eggs should be included in a varied and balanced diet during breastfeeding. This is the most common type of egg that contains all the nutritional ingredients.

Quail eggs have a similar taste to chicken eggs, but their small size (five quail eggs are usually equal to one large chicken egg) has made them popular in gourmet cooking. Quail eggs are best served with sea salt when breastfeeding. This preserves all the nutrients as much as possible and provides benefits for the baby's bones.

Duck eggs look like chicken eggs, but they are larger. Like chicken eggs, they are sold in sizes from small to large. Duck eggs have more protein and are richer than chicken eggs, but they also have a higher fat content and more cholesterol. Therefore, in terms of nutrition, duck eggs do not prevail over chicken eggs, but they can also be eaten.

But there are cases when mothers should not eat chicken eggs while breastfeeding their baby. Babies can be allergic to chicken egg whites. This is a very serious allergic reaction. If your baby is allergic to eggs, he may develop symptoms such as nausea, stomach cramps, breathing problems, rash, vomiting, swelling of the throat and tongue, and more when exposed to eggs. If you notice any of these symptoms in your baby, try to avoid eggs for a while and see if the condition improves. Many processed and packaged foods tend to contain eggs, which can also cause allergic reactions in your baby. Our immune system reacts to every object that comes into contact with us as a foreign body. As our immune system matures, it learns to accept most “foreign” bodies. So if your baby is prone to allergies, the later he comes into contact with a potential allergen, the higher the chances that the immune system will react normally to it. Therefore, if someone in your family is allergic to eggs, you should not eat them at all during lactation, and it is better to postpone the intake of eggs until the child reaches the age of one year.

Eggs contain many nutrients that not all foods have. These nutrients are extremely beneficial for the body, especially for nursing mothers and their babies. Therefore, young mothers can eat eggs while breastfeeding their baby, if they are cooked correctly. The only exception may be an allergy to egg protein in the child or in the family.

[ 4 ], [ 5 ], [ 6 ]