Appetite for Knowledge

The best diet for a breastfeeding woman is well-balanced. This means you should eat fruits, vegetables, whole-grain cereals and bread, meats, beans, and dairy foods. You’ll need to get enough calories–about 500 more per day than usual–and you’ll need to drink plenty of fluids. Because of maternal physiologic changes and the use of maternal fat stores, mothers may even require fewer than 500 additional calories a day while they are breastfeeding.

Limit

If you think a food you’re eating bothers your baby, quit eating it. Chocolate, coffee, and tea with caffeine can be enjoyed by nursing mothers in moderation. According to the Institute of Medicine, alcohol may be consumed in moderation by nursing mothers; if alcohol is used, limit intake to no more than 0.5 g of alcohol per kg of maternal body weight per day. For a 60 kg (132–pound) woman, 0.5 g of alcohol per kg of body weight corresponds to approximately 2 to 2.5 oz. of liquor, 8 oz. of table wine, or 2 cans of beer.

Nutrient Content

Extraordinarily, the breastmilk of mothers around the world who eat very different diets from each other is remarkably similar. Mothers do not need a balanced diet every day to make good milk. In fact, women who are starving and in famine have milk virtually identical to women who are well nourished and have been well nourished for their whole lives. However;

• Mothers who are well-nourished have been found to play with their babies more than mothers who are not well-nourished.
• Mothers who are well-nourished are more likely to breastfeed longer than mothers who are not well-nourished exclusively.

Thus, mothers who are breastfeeding should be encouraged to eat well for their own well-being, not with the idea that dietary choices will affect their breast milk on a day-to-day basis.

Enjoy a nutritious smoothie when a hectic day…

Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator

Sources:

• Josefina Ibarra, R.D., L.D. and Certified Lactation Counselor, UW Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator.
• 2^nd edition of Pocket Guide for Lactation Management by Karin Cadwell and Cindy Turner-Maffei, and Eating Well Favorite smoothie recipes