Sweets while breastfeeding

Future and new mothers are well aware of the benefits of breastfeeding. Nature has ensured that the child receives everything necessary for its growth with mother's milk. This is protection from infections, improved physical and mental development, a sedative, a closer emotional connection with the mother. The mother also gets a lot from breastfeeding: the convenience of feeding without sterilizing bottles and buying baby formula, benefits for her health, including the mammary glands and genitals, resistance to stressful situations, the daily expenditure of up to half a thousand calories during milk production, and therefore not the accumulation of excess body weight. All these arguments are on one side of the scale, and the counterbalance to them is some restriction in nutrition. What position do sweets occupy during breastfeeding?

Sweets in the first month of breastfeeding

Many young mothers note that even those who do not have a sweet tooth have a strong desire to eat sweets during the breastfeeding period. This is explained by the fact that when feeding, the body spends a lot of energy, in addition, the woman is subjected to increased physical and emotional stress, and carbohydrates give a surge of strength, promote the production of serotonin - the hormone of joy, and improve mood. What sweets can a nursing mother have in the first month of her child's life? Experts say that a woman should eat a full and varied diet, not give up sweets, but know when to stop. The first month of a baby's life is a time of careful experiments with a set of products, including sweets. If the child does not develop diathesis from this or that sweet, then the mother can allow herself to have it in small quantities.

What sweets can you eat while breastfeeding?

What sweets are still preferable during breastfeeding, and what is better to refuse? Let's analyze specific products and determine whether they can be eaten:

• halva — even in Soviet times, there was an opinion that halva should be eaten because it increases the fat content of mother's milk. Now it has been proven that fat content does not depend on food, but only on the child's needs at different ages. Based on the natural composition of halva: seeds or nuts, molasses or caramel mass, foaming agent (recipes vary), there is nothing that can harm a child. True, some pediatricians warn about its allergenicity, but small portions and monitoring the child's reaction will allow mom to allow her favorite treat;
• chocolate - it is recommended to refrain from eating this product for the first two to three months of a child's life due to its allergenicity. Its dangerous components are considered to be cocoa bean proteins, milk proteins, chemical additives, caffeine;
• jam - if the sweet is made at home from fruits and berries from your dacha, then there will be no harm to the child. Store-bought delicacies may contain flavors, dyes and other harmful components. It is best to give preference to apple, and plum and apricot have a laxative effect and can cause diarrhea in the baby;
• marshmallow - it has two main components: egg whites and applesauce, but there are also other components, not always healthy. If you replace the industrial food product with a homemade one, then this is a great low-calorie treat. When buying at the grocery store, you need to study the composition, do not take a cheap product, do not be led by a bright color, because it definitely contains dye;
• honey is a very valuable product in a woman's diet, as it is a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. A significant disadvantage is its hyperallergenicity. Therefore, at first you can try to eat a very small dose and monitor the reaction, then increase the portion slightly. The absence of rashes will make it possible to increase the value of breast milk;
• waffles - not recommended during lactation until the child reaches at least three months of age. The reason is the same: the presence of emulsifiers, dyes, and other additives. If you have an irresistible desire to eat waffles, you should limit yourself to a small piece;
• ice cream - the fact that we often feel its unnaturalness when consuming it and complain that it used to be much tastier speaks in favor of banning this product. In addition, ice cream contains casein, which can provoke lactose intolerance. And yet, if mom allows herself a little of this sweetness, then preference should be given to regular ice cream, and not chocolate or with fillers;
• pies - any homemade baked goods are much better than store-bought ones and are not prohibited for a nursing mother, if not for one "but" - yeast in its composition. They lead to fermentation processes in the baby's tummy, resulting in bloating and colic. It is best to cook yeast-free products, and do not take premium flour, because it is bleached with the chemical benzoyl peroxide to obtain a white color, and grade 1 - a coarser grind with a large number of vitamins and microelements. Healthy berries and apples can be used as a filling;
• candies - there is a wide variety of these confectionery products. It is very difficult for those with a sweet tooth to resist such a delicious temptation and it is not necessary if we are talking about one or two pieces. If you want more sweetness, then chocolate, caramel, jelly are not suitable for this, they contain many substances that are harmful to the baby. It is best to make candies yourself, for example, meringue, grillage, from various dried fruits, nuts;
• condensed milk - there is a misconception that this is a very useful product during lactation and that it increases the flow of milk. Modern studies refute this fact, moreover, they prove that due to the large amount of sugar and fat, it is harmful to the child;
• Cake is a high-calorie product that will not benefit either the mother or the baby. In addition, store-bought products contain various additives of chemical origin. By making a simple cake with known ingredients, a woman will get double the pleasure and will not harm the child;
• pastila - most often made from apples, but other fruits can be used. If the child is not allergic to a particular fruit, then this is the safest sweet for the little one. Pastila is an easily digestible carbohydrate, rich in vitamins B and PP, so it will not only please mom, but also be useful. And yet, you should not eat pastila every day, but limit it to 2-3 times a week in small portions;
• sweet tea - during breastfeeding, a woman should drink plenty of fluids and a few cups of weak sweetened tea will not cause harm. Despite the fact that tea contains active components tannin, caffeine, theophymin, theobromine, at its low concentration, an insignificant amount of stimulants enters the body. Preference should be given to green and white tea. Teas with various flavor additives, as well as hibiscus (red) should not be drunk so as not to cause allergic reactions;
• Cotton candy - is a sugar syrup, its color depends on the dye. For lovers of airy shock of sweet fluff, white delicacy is recommended, without the addition of dyes and in limited quantities.