Diet for breast feeding mothers

Mothers who practice breast feeding should have balanced diet in order to provide nutrition for both the mother and baby. Dieting while breast feeding is very crucial as this will affect mother and infant health.

Quantity of milk a mother produce very much depends on the mother's diet. Food that absorb mother not only fulfils mother nutritional needs but also enables her to produce milk. Normally mother nutritional needs are greater during postnatal period. Nursing mothers who do not feed herself properly will actually deteriorate her own health. Without sufficient nourishment during nursing period, mother’s body will make producing milk the first priority and mother’s own health will be affected.

In order to maintain mother health at nursing period, a balanced diet with calcium should be taken. Fruits, vegetables, whole-grain cereals, breads, eggs, meat or beans, milk and dairy product (cheese) should consist in daily meal. Consume balanced diet which include carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.Nursing mothers will need to have 500 or more calorie than usual. Remove empty calories from your diet as much as possible but try to get as much nutrition as you can from the foods you had. Nursing period is not the time to go for diet to lose weight, because by practicing healthy diet the excessive weight will decrease naturally. Try to spread the calorie intake to over five meals, breakfast, lunch, after non snack, dinner and extra evening snack. Make sure your diet is rich in calcium and iron. In order to help your body absorb iron better, taking iron rich foods which contain vitamin C.

Nursing mother need to drink plenty of fluids. The high water consumption will increase quarterly per day. Higher consumption of fluids is essential for breast feeding mothers. During breast feeding period, mothers tend to be thirsty during feeding session this happened because part of the water consumption goes directly to milk production. Practice drinking a glass of water before nursing session.

Smoking should be avoided for breast feeding mom. As this is harmful for baby and also decrease the milk production. Mom who breast feeding should avoid caffeinated and alcohol intake before nursing. Intake of alcohol will pass through milk in less than an hour which will retard the growth of the infant. If you want to take alcoholic or caffeinated drinks, only do it when you need not have to nurse for few hours and only one or two drinks are allowed in one day.

Dieting while breast feeding is very crucial in determine mother and baby health.