^

Can a nursing mom eat bananas?

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
Fact-checked
х

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Can a nursing mother eat bananas? This question is quite relevant, because many have long loved these fruits. Will bananas harm the baby during breastfeeding, and what are the beneficial properties of bananas? A young mother should know all these nuances in order to give her child the maximum amount of useful elements during lactation.

Benefits of Bananas During Breastfeeding

Fruits and vegetables are the main source of essential nutrients and play an important role in the development of the baby. Fruits during breastfeeding are nutritious foods and can meet your and the baby's needs for vitamins, minerals and fiber. What fruits can you eat while breastfeeding so that they are healthy and do not harm the baby? First of all, you can definitely eat the fruits that you ate before pregnancy and during pregnancy. The likelihood of an adverse reaction from the baby is very low.

Can a nursing mother eat bananas in the first month after the birth of her child? Bananas are considered a non-allergenic fruit due to their antigen structure. In addition, they contain many nutrients, so the benefits of bananas for a child are great. However, many women doubt the benefits of eating bananas during breastfeeding. Therefore, it is necessary to consider what substances are contained in this fruit.

Benefits of eating bananas while breastfeeding:

  1. Provides Extra Calories: A lactating mother needs an extra 400 to 500 calories a day. These extra calories help maintain her energy levels. A woman’s body will require more energy while she is breastfeeding. The extra energy you need can make you feel hungry quite often. Choosing the right food during this time is crucial. Banana is a good source of these extra calories. Apart from this, breast milk not only provides nutrients to babies but also helps fight many diseases. Hence, if you are breastfeeding, it is important that you take care of your diet.
  2. Good source of vitamin C: Vitamin C helps the human body absorb iron from other food sources. Since banana is rich in vitamin C, it can help a nursing mother absorb iron from other sources. Vitamin C helps repair body tissues, heals wounds and cuts, maintains healthy teeth and gums, and is essential for a strong immune system.
  3. Banana is a good source of potassium. One banana contains 450 milligrams of potassium. Potassium helps in maintaining blood pressure and helps keep it at a neutral or normal level. Banana also has a calming effect on the nerves and a revitalizing effect on the kidneys. This important mineral alleviates some of the unpleasant side effects of childbirth. It can reduce the frequency or severity of painful leg cramps and help prevent or relieve natural swelling.
  4. All B vitamins play a crucial role in your baby’s development, and bananas have plenty of B vitamins. Your baby’s central nervous system relies on vitamin B6, B9 to coordinate activities during its development and help in the biosynthesis of neurotransmitters, dopamine, and serotonin. While your baby’s central nervous system is developing, vitamin B6 from bananas helps you transfer oxygen to the tissues through your hemoglobin. Folic acid plays an important role in the development of nerves, brain, and spinal cord. The benefits of bananas for nursing mothers lie precisely in preventing folate deficiency.
  5. Banana is a rich source of iron and also increases the absorption of iron in the body. Banana during breastfeeding can increase the growth of hemoglobin and thus prevent anemia in your baby.
  6. Bananas during breastfeeding for colic in a child can reduce their severity. Banana contains an antacid, which suppresses the secretion of acid. Also, these fruits are rich in pectin, which helps normalize digestion in the intestines. Bananas can reduce bloating and can smooth out bowel movements. In newborns, due to fiber, bloating can be reduced by absorbing excess water and gases.
  7. Calcium is generally important for bone and skeletal development at all ages. Every 200 grams of banana contains 10 mg of natural calcium. For nerves, calcium itself is useful in accelerating the process of muscle contraction and bone development in children.
  8. The benefits of bananas when breastfeeding a newborn are that they are a fruit rich in proteins. Proteins serve as a source of calories, as well as for the formation of antibodies in the baby and mother, which are their immune defense.
  9. Bananas become important for maintaining cholesterol and blood sugar levels during lactation. Especially for women who have diabetes, a constant sugar level should be maintained after each breastfeeding. Bananas can normalize this sugar level.
  10. Banana contains mineral components such as magnesium. Thus, banana is safe for mothers who are breastfeeding. Benefits of bananas for breastfeeding women – bananas regularly help reduce obesity after pregnancy. This is because bananas can speed up the metabolism process. In addition, bananas can produce a membrane that protects the intestines, helps destroy toxins in the body and can stimulate it to digest better.
  11. Eating a banana can help you cope with stress. This benefit comes from the fact that bananas are a rich source of potassium, which lowers blood pressure and reduces anxiety.

How many bananas a day can a nursing mother have? Just because bananas are good for you, it does not mean that you should eat them all the time while breastfeeding. You should follow the recommended dosage, as under normal conditions the dosage is 2-4 bananas a day. If you consume bananas in moderation, there is a good chance that both you and your baby will benefit greatly from this humble fruit that is so loaded with vitamins and nutrients.

Why are bananas harmful during lactation?

Banana is undoubtedly packed with many nutrients and vitamins that make it a great food choice, especially during lactation. However, there is also a cause for concern as bananas are rich in chitinase, which is a very common allergen. Chitinase antigen is associated with latex disorder. If you suffer from allergies or have a negative reaction to products containing latex, then bananas may trigger an allergy. In addition to bananas, this group includes avocados, kiwis, and chestnuts. If you have a sensitivity to latex or intolerance to other foods in the group, consult your doctor before taking bananas.

Some women are advised not to eat bananas, especially if their sugar levels are higher than the normal range. In such circumstances, breastfeeding mothers are advised not to eat bananas.

Bananas are a fibrous fruit and contain both gum and pectin, a soluble fiber also found in apples. These fibers help reduce diarrhea by absorbing excess water in your body. The potassium in bananas can also help with the intestinal cramps that sometimes accompany diarrhea. But if your newborn is prone to constipation, too many bananas in mom’s diet may be making the problem worse.

Can bananas be combined with other fruits? A nursing mother can combine bananas and apples, as they are an excellent source of iron and fiber. The benefits of eating bananas and apples during lactation include protecting the baby from childhood asthma. The exact reason for this is unclear, but eating apples appears to be effective in providing this particular benefit.

Bananas and apples are rich in iron, which helps fight anemia to keep mother and baby healthy even without taking preventive doses of iron. Apples aid digestion and are rich sources of insoluble fiber. It is therefore not surprising that apples and bananas help promote digestion and reduce intestinal disorders in the baby. Apples are also rich sources of calcium and should therefore be included in your diet while breastfeeding.

Bananas and pears can be taken by a nursing mother to normalize the levels of micronutrients. Pears are also very beneficial for both mother and baby. Pears are safe to eat while breastfeeding as they are low in calories and contain many beneficial elements that are especially important for babies. This fruit is a natural remedy for exhaustion, dizziness, low metabolism, and eating disorders such as food aversion and obesity. One large pear contains 143 calories. Since they contain a large amount of fiber, pears are completely filling and provide a low-calorie snack that will also give you healthy energy. Pears contain two simple carbohydrates, fructose and glucose, which are easily digestible and provide a healthy energy boost. The fruit does not lead to weight gain as it is low in fat.

Pears provide about 14 micrograms of folate per serving. Not many foods contain folate, so most doctors recommend that women take a supplement while breastfeeding to provide a significant portion of your daily intake. Folate is especially important in the first months of a baby’s life, when it plays a critical role in preventing neurodevelopmental disorders.

Pears, like bananas, are a great source of vitamin C. Just one pear contains about 10 milligrams. Vitamin C helps your body fight infection, which is especially important during stressful times and immediately after childbirth. Eat pears with foods that contain iron, such as bananas, to help your body absorb the iron.

Pears are also a good source of fiber, which helps relieve constipation, which is common in toddlers. So eating bananas and pears can improve your baby's motor skills. Eat pears with the skin on to get the highest fiber content.

Eating one or two pears a day will help you meet your daily requirement of cobalt, which helps in the absorption of iron. It also helps the kidneys to eliminate excess water. Pear fruit is a mild and natural antidepressant. Therefore, it helps to combat everyday stress and tension, which is common in young nursing mothers. The large amount of tannins present in the fruit helps in the effective removal of heavy metals and dangerous toxins. Pears and bananas are also very effective in terms of detoxification.

Thus, bananas can be combined with other fruits - apples, pears, plums. But you need to be careful and eat all the fruits together only if you ate them separately and the child did not have any reaction.

Eating bananas can be very useful for a nursing mother. These fruits contain not only vitamins, but also microelements that actively help to normalize the functioning of the child's stomach. Therefore, fruits should definitely be in the diet of a young mother, including bananas, apples, pears and those fruits that grow in the country.

You are reporting a typo in the following text:
Simply click the "Send typo report" button to complete the report. You can also include a comment.