Foods to Avoid When Breastfeeding

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Foods to Avoid When Breastfeeding

critical mother Breastfeeding moms are often told to avoid specific foods. These foods are believed to cause gas, irritability, and other undesirable results for babies.

What foods do you need to avoid?

The good news is there are no specific foods that everyone needs to avoid.

Foods that moms are typically told to avoid such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, onion, cucumbers, and turnips cause gassiness and upset stomach in adults because of the way the fiber breaks down in our gut.

Fiber cannot pass through breast milk; therefore your baby probably won't be gassy just because a certain food makes you gassy.

Gas is Normal

Gas (or wind) is a normal and desired function of healthy intestines.The absence of gas usually indicates a health problem. Babies cannot easily communicate the difference between the discomfort of gas pressure and true pain. You may worry that your baby is suffering when he is only experiencing normal gas pressure.

Spices

Spices such as garlic and chili pepper usually don�t cause any trouble either. In fact, some research has shown that babies love the flavor of garlic and vanilla in your milk.

If your baby really likes the flavor, he may want to nurse even longer to enjoy the flavor longer. These flavors are also beneficial for your baby to sample if they are part of your normal diet.

Other substances

There may be some foods you should consume in moderation such as caffeine or alcohol , but even these substances usually don�t need to be completely avoided.

Your baby may be sensitive to certain foods due to food allergy or food intolerance. These foods will be specific to the individual mother/baby pair.

How do you know if you need to avoid a specific food?

Step One: Know your baby

Is your baby fussy or excessively gassy? Is he eating less than usual? Has your baby�s diaper output changed? Does he have constipation or diarrhea? Eczema? Congestion?

These signals may or may not be because of something you ate. Fussiness may be the result of tiredness, over stimulation, a change in routine, or any number of other perfectly normal causes.

Changes in stool patterns can also have other causes. Make a note of these changes, but don�t be too quick to place blame and avoid a certain food as there may be more to the story.

Step Two: Know your baby�s history

Are you, the baby�s father, or baby�s siblings allergic to certain foods? The most common foods that cause trouble are:
� dairy products
� soy
� shellfish
� wheat
� tree nuts
� peanuts
� egg whites

If anyone from your family or from the baby�s father�s family have an allergy to any of these foods, you should be especially aware of how your baby reacts when you consume those foods while breastfeeding.

The allergy is usually to the protein component of these foods. The protein passes easily into your milk and can then be consumed by your baby.

Milk (dairy) products are the most frequent offenders. Click here for more information on eliminating dairy from your diet.

Children often outgrow their sensitivity to milk and soy products, but allergies to nuts and shell fish tend to continue or get even worse with time.

Again, don�t be too quick to place the blame on any one thing.

Step Three: Know the details

What did you eat? How much did you eat? When did you eat it? If you suspect your baby is sensitive to something you ate, start keeping a record.

If you ate the food a few days ago, it is not likely the cause of the problem. If you ate it less than 12 hours ago (2-6 hours is the average), it might be to blame. Write down What, When, How Much, and Baby�s Reaction. Once you have completed these three steps, decide if you think there is really a problem or if your baby is just going through some normal changes. You know your baby better than anyone. Trust yourself. If you know something isn�t right, it is time to get your baby evaluated.

Step Four: Call in the experts

Before you start eliminating things from your diet, contact your health care provider and discuss your concerns.

Even if you are certain it is a food causing the trouble, your health care provider may need to run additional tests to ensure these symptoms don�t point to a more serious problem. Often, if your baby is sensitive or allergic to one thing, there may be others as well.
Your health care provider can also help you monitor changes if you eliminate the offending foods from your diet.

The Bottom Line:

There is no reason to restrict your diet unless your baby has shown clear signs of trouble. Your baby is a unique person, so foods that bother other babies aren�t destined to spell trouble for yours.

Do you need to avoid certain foods due to a diagnosed food allergy?Click here for more information.

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