Breast Feeding

Foods to Avoid While Breast Feeding

Till a certain age, a baby totally depends on the mother’s milk for all his dietary needs. While breastfeeding, what goes into the mother’s body goes into the baby too. It is very necessary for a feeding mother to have a proper and well balanced diet. Any deficiency in her will lead to a deficiency in the baby too. While deciding on the diet for a lactating mother, diverse food items should be included so that she, along the baby, gets all the necessary nutrients. At the same time, care should be taken not to include those food items that might cause trouble for the baby. In this article, we will tell you about the foods to avoid while breastfeeding.

List of Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding

• Spices such as garlic, chili, cinnamon, and pepper should be avoided during breastfeeding. They might lead to gas problem in the baby.
• Strongly flavored foods like garlic change the taste of the breast milk. If you baby starts avoiding breast milk, it is better to check whether you had some strong flavored food in the recent past and avoid the same.
• Citrus fruits, that contain vitamin C, should be avoided. Such foods can lead to nappy rash in the baby.
• Do not take too much caffeine during breastfeeding. Though nobody is advising to avoid it altogether, make sure to limit it to a moderate amount only. Apart from coffee, some sodas, teas and over-the-counter medicines also contain caffeine. So, decide on the intake accordingly.
• Avoid alcohol as much as you can. Infact, if possible, stop taking alcohol in any form during the breast feeding phase.
• The same case goes for tobacco too. Do not smoke and avoid any other form of tobacco consumption too.
• It is recommended not to have vegetables like cabbage, onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower and cucumber while feeding the baby.
• Soy, nuts, peanuts, dairy products, wheat, egg and corn are some of the other food products that might cause an allergy in your baby and should be taken after consulting the doctor.