Medical expert of the article
New publications
Diet during breastfeeding
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Diet during breastfeeding should be special. After all, its main task is to provoke a loss of body weight, but at the same time provide the baby with all the necessary components. For this purpose, special food rules have been developed. Thanks to him, the young mother will know that she can eat and what not. In this case, the kid will receive all the most useful.
[1]
The essence of diet
It should immediately be noted that any diet in this case just does not fit. After all, many of them are aimed at reducing the consumption of fats and proteins. This can not be done, because a small organism really needs these components. Otherwise, mother's milk will not be of any use.
Choose the first diet is not worth it, however, there are exceptions. Thus, the Ducan diet and the buckwheat diet are widely used. True, there are amendments here. It is necessary to control the amount of food consumed and slightly adjust the meals. It is advisable not to resort to diets yourself, because there is really a risk of harming the baby. Moreover, the rejection of certain products can lead to the loss of milk, which is fraught with serious consequences.
It is enough just to eat moderately, not to allow excess, but not to cut down completely the amount of food. Thus, you can achieve really good results. If there is a desire to lose weight quickly, you can do this solely after the abolition of breastfeeding.
Strict diet with breastfeeding
A complete restriction on the intake of most foods can cause the mother to lose her milk. Observance of a strict diet during this period is not only a difficult occupation, but also a difficult one. After giving up everything, there is a risk of harming the baby. In most cases, breast milk just stops being useful.
After the birth of the baby, it is recommended immediately to abandon the fruit, baking, non-natural dairy products, as well as sweets. In principle, for many women, this restriction is already equated with a strict diet. If there is a decision to lose weight, you need to follow this call. It is recommended to pay attention to boiled potatoes, coarse bread, cheese and butter. The last two ingredients should be consumed in small amounts. You can safely eat boiled breast and broth from it. It is enough to hold out on such a diet for a couple of months. The result will be really impressive, and the main thing harm to any child from this will not be.
So, the young mother should eat so that her milk does not contain harmful enzymes for the baby. After all, his body has not yet formed, so the development of an allergic reaction is possible. Basically, strictly food does not follow strictly because Mom wants to lose weight. In most cases, this is done because it does not harm the baby, and when the newborn already has an allergy from childhood. Strong allergens, as a rule, are sweets and chocolate, spices, sausages and pickles. Therefore, this should be abandoned. Eat right at least until the third month, then the diet can be gradually expanded. But it is necessary to monitor the state of the baby. Observance of some restrictions will really help not only mummy, but also to the kid. You can create a diet and yourself, diluting it with useful products, and eliminating forbidden food.
Buckwheat diet with breastfeeding
In anticipation of the baby, many mothers forget about everything in the world. They are interested in what it will be, how to properly look after it and many other moments. Pregnancy is a great time, however, at the end of it appears not only the long-awaited baby, but also a few extra pounds. How to deal with this problem? Many girls start resorting to a variety of diets, including buckwheat.
The main advantages of such nutrition is the supply of the organism with essential microelements and vitamins. In this case, the hunger from eating buckwheat is practically not felt. Extra pounds, meanwhile, begin to melt before our eyes. It is enough for one week of such nutrition to notice a positive result. Buckwheat does not burden the body, but it is quite high in calories. It is great for those women who can not exhaust myself with hunger.
The food based on buckwheat, is calculated only for 2 weeks. It is necessary to eat only it, enough one glass for a day. As for drinks, it can be anything, but without sugar. It is recommended to add buckwheat kefir. The main subtlety of cooking kashki is not cooking, but steaming at night. At first glance, it does not seem tasty, but one day is enough to get used to such nutrition. According to the rules of this diet, you can not eat later than 6 pm. But no one forbids drinking kefir, naturally, moderately. More than two hours to eat by this method can not. For a couple of weeks on buckwheat it is quite possible to throw off 5 extra kilograms. Despite such positive properties of the mast, it is recommended to consult with the doctor of the tangent of this method of nutrition.
[2]
Dukan Diet with breastfeeding
Many experts believe that compliance with the diet during breastfeeding is unacceptable. Naturally, the baby should receive the necessary amount of useful vitamins, fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Compliance with diet simply deprives his body of all this. In fact it is, but it's too early to panic. Pierre Duacan broke his way of eating in 3 stages. Thus, a woman can use one of them depending on her condition.
With breastfeeding, you can eat 2 servings of fruit. Dairy products are allowed, the fat content of which does not exceed 2%. Low-fat yogurts and yogurt, do not carry any significance in themselves, and most importantly, are very poorly absorbed by the body.
It is necessary to understand that during the period of breastfeeding, the mother's body is somewhat depleted. All stocks of vitamins and useful components begin to dry up, it is important to replenish them in time. Fats allow the baby's nervous system to develop, so you can not exclude them, and without them, milk production is almost impossible. In order to lose weight, it is enough simply to consume the allowed products, and not to completely exhaust the body with a hunger strike. In any case, the diet should be selected individually.
[3]
Diet for losing weight while breastfeeding
For pregnancy, a woman collects on average up to 10 kilograms of weight. This indicator is completely dependent on the weight of the baby, as well as the amniotic fluid. Usually, after birth, everything superfluous disappears on its own. This increase is simply necessary for normal childbearing, as well as safe childbirth. But not always an increase is natural. In this case, we mean not the weight of the baby, but the amount of food consumed in 9 months. Such kilograms immediately after birth will not go away, will have to try hard to make them disappear.
In no case can you resort to the help of strict diets. I've been eating for months, so I'll leave too. You can not create stressful situations for the body and try in a short time to lose weight beyond recognition. This will lead to a deficit of useful components, which will lead to a loss of milk. Lack of fat can disrupt the work of the nervous system of the mother and baby. As a result, the woman quickly gets tired. Then, go to such sacrifices, if you can just correct your own diet. So, you should just remove fatty and fried foods and stop eating at night. This is the first step on the road to harmony.
Then the products are completely removed from the menu, in which the preservatives are contained. I mean, the purchased juice and other drinks go to the background. It is necessary to give up sausages and sausages, it is better just to boil the chicken breast. Canned food and smoked fish are banned. It can also be boiled. Packaged juices do not bear any significance, it is better to replace them with herbal teas, morsels and ordinary cleaned in. You can eat kashki, pasta and bread, the main thing that they were made from the flour of coarse grinding. They are not only useful, but also very satisfying.
Caution should be exercised with nuts and seeds. After all, they contain a lot of kilocalories. Candy, jam and other sweets are prohibited. It is important to follow the diet and eat at certain times, this will eliminate possible snacks. It is necessary to use a sufficient amount of liquid. Finally, food can be supplemented by long walks. This will help quickly get rid of excess weight, without applying any newfangled diets.
Diet after breastfeeding
After the period of breastfeeding is left behind, many women begin to return their body to its former form. In order not to harm your own body, it is enough just to eat right. Fashionable recipes, advice and other wisdom here to anything. Usually they are people who are not competent in this matter. Always you need to listen exclusively to your doctor and consult with him on all matters of nutrition.
It should be understood that rapid weight loss can damage the body. Therefore, it is necessary to choose an exclusively sparing diet. To infringe an organism in portions obviously it is not necessary, it is better to refuse harmful food or to reduce quantity of its consumption. Food should be fun, otherwise there will be no result in it.
The diet after breastfeeding has a lot of "can" and "not". Observe them preferably in order to get a positive result. First of all, it is worth noting any snacks, sandwiches, biscuits and chocolates should not be eaten. After all, they affect weight gain. You can replace them with fruits: pears, apples or pineapple slices. A light fruit salad is also suitable. Meat is better to replace the boiled fish. It is recommended to drink more liquids and have dinner no later than 6 pm. Observance of these rules will help to get rid of extra pounds.
The diet menu for breastfeeding
You can create the menu yourself. To do this, you just need to know what products are allowed and which ones are prohibited. This issue was considered above. To get acquainted, it is worthwhile to present an approximate menu for the day.
So, the below presented diet is suitable for the first day of discharge and up to the 3rd week inclusive. For breakfast, you need to eat oatmeal, it is quite possible to soak in milk and dilute with a piece of butter. It is washed down with a glass of weak tea, if desired, you can eat a piece of cookies. For the second breakfast it is recommended to use a glass of natural yogurt along with a biscuit or a sandwich (bread from coarse wheat + cheese). For lunch, vegetable soup in the amount of 150 grams, as well as mashed potatoes - 100 grams. You can eat a steam cutlet from fish or chicken. Wash down a glass of compote from dried fruits. For a mid-morning snack - cottage cheese with sour cream - 150 grams. From drinks, a jelly from dried fruits or compote. For dinner, stew with a side dish of vegetables, as well as herbal tea. At night you can drink a glass of yogurt, if you want to eat one cookie.
Starting from the 3rd week of lactation, the menu can be slightly diluted. So, for the first breakfast used milk porridge, cooked on the water, tea with milk and cheese and bread. For the second breakfast a banana or an apple is suitable, you can use a glass of yogurt and a biscuit. Lunch: soup, pasta with fish, carrot salad, bread, compote. Afternoon snack - cottage cheese with sour cream, drink apple juice or compote. For dinner, meatballs with vegetables, cucumber salad and tomato, tea with biscuits or jam. Before going to bed is also a glass of yogurt along with a cookie.
Diet recipes for breastfeeding
It is not so difficult to think up your own recipes, but you can also resort to the help of already prepared dishes. So, delicious and useful is buckwheat together with a chop, cooked in a special way. It is necessary to take the following products: minced meat, zucchini, onion, buckwheat, cheese, sea salt and olives. The first thing is to chop onion and garlic, and then mix them with minced meat, add salt to taste. Then the cutlets are formed, which in the aftermath are laid out on the frying pan. You can cook them in a double boiler, this dish will be much more useful. On each cutlet, then laid out a slice of zucchini and rubbed cheese. Then everything is brought to readiness. Buckwheat is simply boiled and served with delicious cutlets.
Mashed potatoes with fish in sour cream sauce. It is necessary to take any fish, potatoes, cream, butter, sea salt and sour cream. It is desirable to cook a dish in a multivariate. So, the cleared small fish is placed on a frying pan, and stewed together with onion rings. Then a little water is poured and everything is stewed for another 10 minutes. Then add sour cream along with a spoonful of flour and salt. The resulting mass is stewed for another 15 minutes until it is completely thickened. In the meantime, potatoes are boiled and peeled together in cream with cream and butter. Serve the fish with mashed potatoes.
Rice with goulash. You should take carrots, beef, sea salt, flour, onions and rice. Beef should be cut into small pieces and pour it with water, and then put on fire. When the soup boils to change the water and again bring to a boil. As soon as the meat becomes soft, it is added grated carrots, onions and a little flour. Salt is added to taste. Meanwhile, rice is brewed. The resulting goulash is served along with the rice croup.
Potato stew with meat. To prepare a delicious dish, you need to take any meat, the main thing that it was not greasy, potatoes, onions, bay leaves, sea salt and carrots. Thus, meat, together with potatoes and onions, is cut into cubes, and carrots are rubbed on a grater. Then all this is laid out in a container for cooking (in this case a sleeve for baking). Add some water, bay leaf and salt to taste. When cooking in a multivark add water is not necessary. In the sleeve, several holes are made with a toothpick, after which it is added to the oven for 45 minutes. The dish turns out to be unusually tasty.
[4]
What can you eat while breastfeeding?
A woman who feeds her baby for a long time, produces a considerable amount of milk. Usually it fluctuates around one liter per day. This "production" takes from the nursing mother about 10 grams of protein, 40 grams of fat, 70 grams of lactose and a total of 800 kilocalories. To milk produced without interruption, you need to continue to replenish the body with exhausting stocks. To do this, Mom has to eat and drink much more than in everyday life.
Food must be tasty and varied, and beverages include juices, fruit drinks. In the daily menu, it is necessary to include products from dairy and fish groups. You can not do without cereals, fruits and vegetables. Sweets are also not prohibited, there is no need to put chocolate on, but oatmeal cookies and marshmallows are quite suitable. Of the above groups you can eat anything, but in a limited number. Do not pass it.
The body should be provided with a normal amount of dietary fiber. To do this, it is worth eating bread, raw vegetables and prunes. Dried plum is not only useful, but also a delicious treat. Moreover, he will not allow the development of constipation, which often pester the young mother during breastfeeding.
Pay attention to and vitamins. But it's worth keeping an eye on how the baby reacts to it. You can get them both from food products, so from pharmacy complexes. In occasion of this question it is necessary to receive consultation at the doctor, in fact there is a risk of development of an allergy at a crumb.
What can not be eaten while breastfeeding?
Mom must definitely exclude from the list of products those that are capable of harming her baby. Most importantly, this list is great, so you will have to closely monitor the food you eat. From the diet, food should be completely excluded, which can provoke the development of an allergic reaction. These products include tropical fruits, peanuts, citrus fruits, crayfish, bananas, mackerel and chocolate sweets. From these delicacies will have to give up for some period.
It is necessary to limit the consumption of foods that can lead to irritation of the gastric mucosa. Because in this way they are capable of harming the baby. These include: sour apples, cranberries, food colorings, drinks, smoked sausages, fish and various pickles. Fans enjoying such products will have to forget about them for a while.
As for dairy products, you can eat kefir, milk and yoghurt but only natural preparation. They should not contain any additives. In extreme cases, it is necessary to choose neutral fillers, they include an apple and a pear. After all, it is not known how the baby's organism will react to other components. Naturally, alcohol is also banned.