Balanced diet for a breastfeeding mom

A balanced diet for a nursing mother is a necessary measure that helps not only to provide the necessary quantity and quality of milk for the baby, but also to normalize the digestive and metabolic processes in the mother's body.

Statistics claim that the average daily amount of breast milk reaches 1000 milliliters. Accordingly, the mother loses calories with milk, so their loss should be replenished regularly. Nutritionists recommend the following daily combination of products, which provides the necessary caloric content and at the same time does not overload the gastrointestinal tract:

• Meat products – 100-150 g;
• Fish products – 100-150 g;
• Cottage cheese – 150 g;
• Hard cheeses – 30 g;
• Egg – 1 piece;
• Butter – 50 g;
• Milk, including fermented milk products – 1 liter;
• Fresh fruits – 250-300 g;
• Vegetables – 500 g (potatoes no more than 120 g);

A balanced diet for a nursing mother should correspond to the norm - 3000-3500 kilocalories per day. It should be taken into account that protein foods should make up the majority of the menu, up to 70%, the concept of protein products includes not only meat and fish, but also fats and oils. In addition, for normal digestion and saturation of the body with microelements, vitamins, grain porridges are needed - buckwheat, oatmeal. Various hot seasonings and spices are excluded, and it is also undesirable to eat garlic and onions raw, since these products can give a specific taste to breast milk (the baby may refuse the breast).

A balanced diet for a nursing mother is often perceived as plentiful meals with a large number of varied dishes and in larger portions. This is one of the myths that we have inherited from unknown sources. To claim that this is how our great-grandmothers and grandmothers ate when they were feeding our ancestors is, at the very least, incorrect. In the past, women ate much more sparingly and their menu was not so sophisticated for a number of objective reasons. However, there was an undeniable advantage - almost all the food was natural, without chemical ingredients and dyes. Therefore, we should debunk the first myth: 1.

Eating for yourself and “for that guy” is a completely useless activity. Not only will it not increase the amount of milk, but it can reduce it. In addition, overeating can have a detrimental effect on the figure, which has already changed during pregnancy. The main rule that a balanced diet for a nursing mother should adhere to is the quality of food, its caloric content and the vitamins contained in the diet. The need for a vitamin complex and minerals suggests the following daily norms:

• Vitamin A – up to 8000 IU;
• Vitamin D – 400-500 IU;
• Vitamin B1 – 2-3 mg;
• Vitamin B2 – 3-3.5 mg;
• Vitamin B6 – 3.5-4 mg;
• Ascorbic acid – 100-120 mg;
• Rutin (vitamin PP) – 20-25 mg;
• Calcium – 1800-2000 mg;
• Phosphorus – 3500-4000 mg;
• Magnesium – 1200-1300 mg;
• Iron – 20 mg.

Meals should be fractional, at least five times a day.

Another misconception is: "Eat whatever your heart desires, your body is wise and knows what it lacks." A mother may want chocolate, and then the child gets an allergic reaction. The need to strictly control your own diet is a matter of maternal responsibility on a conscious level, which has nothing to do with the desires of the stomach. Allergens can be all nuts and seeds, eggs, bright red vegetables and fruits, lemons, oranges and all citrus fruits. It is also dangerous to include crustaceans in the menu - crabs, shrimp and crayfish. It is absolutely unacceptable to drink alcoholic beverages even in small doses, it is advisable to give up bad habits in principle at least during the period of breastfeeding.

A balanced diet for a nursing mother is a preference for natural products, with minimal heat treatment and without the addition of seasonings, ketchup and mayonnaise, no matter how much you want them.

Another "fashionable" myth is a mono-diet, which often leads to vitamin deficiency in both mother and child. The diet should not be based on the principle of "oatmeal one day, buckwheat the next." The diet should be as varied as possible. Nutritionists recommend the following products as the most bioavailable for the body of a nursing woman:

• Meat products - lean pork (tenderloin), which can be alternated with beef. It is also useful to include the white part of poultry meat (turkey, chicken) in the menu.
• Soft cheeses - unsalted feta cheese or Adyghe cheese.
• Cottage cheese – only if heat treated, any fat content.
• Fermented milk products - kefir (any fat content), yogurt (preferably homemade), yogurts without flavor additives.
• Stewed or boiled vegetables to improve intestinal peristalsis - cauliflower, pumpkin, broccoli, Brussels sprouts.
• Raw vegetables – cucumbers, grated carrots.
• Fruits – in the form of juices, purees, jelly. It is advisable to use fruits of local origin to avoid allergic reactions in the baby.
• Bread and bakery products - preferably yeast-free, made from mixed grades of flour or coarsely ground.

A nursing mother should replenish the loss of breast milk by drinking plenty of cow's milk. This is also a misconception, since whole milk, even in small quantities, can cause flatulence in the mother, and therefore in the child. Therefore, it is preferable to include fermented milk products in the diet. If the body accepts whole milk normally, it can be consumed only in boiled form.

A balanced diet for a nursing mother also means excluding foods that provoke gas formation. A misconception is the false opinion that all babies should have flatulence and colic. The inevitability of these processes is another myth. If a nursing woman balances her diet, minimizes the consumption of fermented and sour foods, and heat-treats vegetables, gas formation in the child can be avoided. You should also be careful with pearl barley, all legumes, mushrooms, melons (melons, watermelons). Colic can be provoked by bakery products made from yeast dough and, in general, all sweet dishes.

A balanced diet for a nursing mother is a guarantee of maintaining the health of the child, because the well-known fact in favor of breast milk is reality, not a myth. In addition, a reasonable diet will help the mother to restore her figure and return her former graceful contours.