
There are general approaches that any mother can use to normalize her breastfeeding diet. Every mother worries about how healthy her milk will be for the baby. What products you can eat, and what you can eat in the first days, what should be the diet when breastfeeding a newborn baby? Can the diet during gv affect the composition of milk?
Basic principles of breastfeeding
Nutrition of mothers during breastfeeding should not differ radically from that of pregnancy. Intrauterine baby receives everything necessary for life and development with the blood of the mother, and the time to get acquainted with many products that are part of the familiar diet of the mother, the child has already been, his body will not perceive them as something unknown. So make radical changes in the diet is not necessary. It is not known how the baby will react to the introduction of a new food into the diet when breastfeeding.
Also, every mom would like to provide such a diet so that there are no problems with the tummy of the youngest. Discomfort is diarrhea in a baby, and constipation in a baby, but the discomfort is also delivered: colic, regurgitation, bloating, and no defecation.
Let’s look briefly at what you can eat while breastfeeding. Nutrient requirements during lactation are satisfied by the increased appetite and the mother’s body reserves created during pregnancy.
Depending on lifestyle, a nursing mother should get approximately:
- 110-140 g/d of protein;
- 80-110 g/d of fat;
- 325-450 g/d of carbohydrates.
What can a mother eat when breastfeeding?
The daily list of foods during gv should include:
- poultry or fish — about 200 g;
- Milk and dairy products — up to 1 liter;
- Cottage cheese (including curd products) — from 100 to 200 g;
- about 500 g of vegetables;
- about 500 g of fruit.
Products that should and can be breastfed:
- Bread, whole grain or wheat and rye, a few slices;
- Freshly squeezed juices in small quantities after one month of feeding;
- Kashi can be eaten in gw — any, especially oatmeal, rice, buckwheat, also can and pearl barley and wheat porridge in gw;
- A variety of soups, first with vegetable broth, then with broth from poultry, chicken, turkey broth;
- Dishes of lean, lean meat, some red meat (100 grams per week), as well as poultry, turkey, rabbit, chicken;
- Vegetables, in boiled or baked form, then a little bit and in the raw — a slice of cucumber, a slice of tomato, and gradually increase the amount;
- Multivitamins during pregnancy, which contain vitamins and minerals in the amount of MSN (recommended daily allowance) for breastfeeding mothers, and Omega 3.
By sticking to these simple guidelines, knowing what you can eat when you’re np, it’s easier to think through your personal np diet and recipes. The main indicator that you are doing everything right is your energy, excellent health, and good digestion for you and your baby.
Should I take vitamins while breastfeeding?
Your family doctor or pediatrician can give you the best answer to the question: what vitamins you can take while breastfeeding? Vitamins for women during pregnancy are very important.
The best option if the mother will take a multivitamin during pregnancy, designed specifically for breastfeeding women. However, the composition of breast milk includes, in addition to vitamins, a lot of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, minerals.
It is necessary that the diet during pregnancy can replenish all the necessary nutrients for the mother and the child.
There is an opinion that the mother’s diet on breastfeeding has no effect on the composition of breast milk, because milk is produced from blood plasma. In fact, milk is not produced from the plasma itself, but from nutrients that enter the bloodstream from the gastrointestinal tract. And all this flow of nutrients goes to the needs of all organs and cells of the mother’s body. Getting into the bloodstream in the mammary glands, amino acids and other assimilated substances are the building blocks for the synthesis of breast milk.
Can I drink vitamins for hair while breastfeeding?
It is important to understand that the deterioration and hair loss is a consequence of deficiency not only of vitamins, but also of protein, in particular the amino acids lysine and cysteine. Mineral deficiencies (zinc, selenium, iron) in the diet can also lead to hair loss, without correction of protein and mineral nutrition, Vitamins can not always help. That’s why it’s recommended to consult a doctor. Your doctor will work with you to assess your diet, to look at the composition of the vitamins for hair loss during pregnancy, and advise what else you need to add to them.
Proper nutrition during pregnancy is a mother’s diet during pregnancy, which provides the mother’s body with all the important nutrients and energy to support her health, and besides this it can provide continued breastfeeding and an optimal composition of the milk.
Can I go on a diet while breastfeeding?
Is it necessary to go on a diet when breastfeeding?
It depends on what kind of diet we are talking about. The first 6 months of life as a child’s mother and so have to observe a number of restrictions, many drinks, foods and dishes are either prohibited, or very limited. If the baby has a problem with his tummy, the list of dishes that should be limited pediatrician usually expands.
Do I need extra calories when breastfeeding?
Eating «for two», that is, to increase the portion size, you definitely should not. This is a case where it is important quality, not quantity. Mammary glands in any case, produce as much milk as the baby needs, and all the extra, especially fast carbohydrates and sweets, will be deposited in the folds of the hips and waist. This is unlikely to please any woman.
Additional calories are still needed, because milk production is a rather energy-consuming process. How many calories you need when breastfeeding can be calculated, taking into account the physical exertion associated with caring for your baby and housework, according to the WHO formula. On average, energy consumption is 2500-3200 kcal. The same caloric diet should be the same. However, it is known how many calories are consumed during gnf for the synthesis of breast milk, which is about 500 kcal. Therefore, experts advise to increase the caloric content of the diet during gv by about 300 kcal per day.
The difference in the recommended food calorie addition and calorie intake will be about 200 kcal, which contributes to the reduction of overweight
Diets for the purpose of reducing excess weight.
Feeding a baby and a gv weight loss diet are not quite compatible concepts. Any diet for weight loss is based on limiting, including healthy nutrients. Another thing is the right diet during gv for weight loss, provided with all the most necessary substances, vital for both the mother and the baby. This is just an option — how to lose weight while breastfeeding without harming the baby. Diet for weight loss in gv — a menu that excludes rolls, fast carbohydrates and excess saturated fats in the diet. But interval fasting, a ban on eating after 6 p.m., and diets with restrictions on essential nutrients — such as the Dukan diet for gv — are not acceptable for breastfeeding moms, due to the limitation of vital nutrients for the mother and baby.
Weight normalization will be promoted by exercises for weight loss in gv, morning exercise mom — at least 5 — 10 minutes and walks with the baby in the fresh air.
Does a vegetarian diet affect breast milk?
If you follow a vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic or other special diet, you should consult a doctor who will help you balance your diet so that you get all the nutrients your baby needs.
What foods should I avoid when breastfeeding?
There are certain foods and dishes, which a nursing mother can give up 100% and categorically, even if you are in excellent health and have previously allowed yourself to eat them. The child’s digestive system is not ready to accept a number of products and substances.
What products are prohibited during gv? First, let’s consider what is prohibited during gv of beverages.
- Packaged teas and instant coffee are contraindicated in pregnancy. All types of instant coffee are of low quality, contain undesirable doses of caffeine, preservatives and unnecessary additives. Read more about coffee in gv in this article;
- Carbonated bottled mineral water and any kinds of sweet carbonated drinks, including borjomi when you are pregnant should not be drunk;
- Mamachkas who are hoping that a little bit of champagne is allowed while breastfeeding will have to be disappointed;
All alcoholic beverages, especially carbonated ones, are contraindicated. And even sparkling water, including Borjomi.
Let’s see what you can’t eat during gnf.
- Everything cooked in establishments and according to recipes of Fast Food;
- Can I eat canned food in? Can I eat canned sardines in? Any canned food is contraindicated. Olives and olives in can not be eaten either;
- Can I eat sweets while pregnant women? All chocolate and cocoa products, candies, marmalade made with trans fats, dyes, especially bright colors and all types of thickeners, stabilizers and preservatives are prohibited;
- Hot and cold-smoked products. Why you can’t have smoked food in — because smoking creates a lot of harmful substances, including carcinogens;
- Semi-finished products always contain preservatives and temperature storage conditions can be violated, there is a risk of food toxicosis;
- Fish soup, even if it is cooked from good fresh fish, is not compatible with milk.
The above foods are strictly prohibited during pregnancy.
There are a number of products that you can eat, subject to a number of conditions, but it is better not to, especially before the baby reaches the age of 6 months, when you can introduce complementary foods. These are products to which there may be an allergic reaction, and they may not be accepted by the child’s digestive system. In short, if you really want to — you can try, but in a minimal amount in the first half of the day, and if you have previously had no pathological reaction to these products.
Products that are not prohibited, but require restrictions and monitoring of the child at the introduction and therefore cause a number of questions from mothers on their use:
- All kinds of exotic fruits that don’t grow in your area, and you’ve hardly ever encountered them before;
- Red and orange berries and fruits are undesirable when breastfeeding, especially up to 6 months. When is it okay to eat red when you are breastfeeding? In case you know for sure, your baby does not give allergic reactions to red products;
- Can I eat peanuts in gv? Can I eat walnuts during pregnancy? All kinds of nuts (walnuts, cashews, peanuts, etc.) are not recommended during pregnancy, especially during the first six months;
- Can I use garlic when you are breastfeeding? Garlic and anything that can give a bitter or unpleasant taste to milk is not recommended, especially during the first six months;
- Can honey be used during pregnancy? Honey and other bee products may cause allergic reactions in a baby;
- Soybeans, beans, peas and other legumes (especially in the first months of feeding, and then — without pre-soaking) also contribute to bloating and increased gas formation, and hence colic in a baby;
- Fried and salted fish.
How do you make time to prepare healthy meals?
Focus on dishes that do not require much time to prepare and are healthy at the same time. Porridge for breakfast is convenient and healthy.
Many people think you can only have oatmeal, with fruit, raisins, nuts flax seeds and sesame seeds. But breastfeeding can eat the following porridge: — Buckwheat, rice, millet, and pearl millet.
You can eat wheat porridge in the breasts, you can eat semolina porridge in the breasts, they are very fast, and the variety only plays into your hands.
But it is possible to eat pumpkin porridge while pregnant — provided that this porridge is always in your diet, and during pregnancy you also ate it. In other cases it is better to do without it.
For a healthy snack fruit, unsalted nuts, croutons made from fresh bread, a glass of milk or fermented milk drink, dried fruit.
Very nutritious omelets and scrambled eggs with vegetables, quickly cooked chicken broth with eggs and herbs. Choose dishes that you like and are easy to cook at the same time.
Do I need to drink more water when breastfeeding?
Important in the production of milk is sufficient fluid intake by a nursing woman (up to 2.7 liters / day) To orient, whether a woman drinks enough water and liquids should be the color of her urine — urine should be light straw color, almost odorless, and visit the toilet — on average, at intervals of 2 hours — this indicates the norm.
As for fluids, it is important not to increase the amount (if there seems to be little milk) and not to reduce (if there seems to be a lot of milk). Deficiency of water and fluids will adversely affect the mother’s well-being. The first thing you need water for is the removal of water-soluble toxins through the kidneys. Therefore, the norm remains — 30-35 ml per kg of weight of water and about the same amount of liquid in drinks and food.
What water to drink when breastfeeding article.
If I eat a variety of foods, will my baby be less picky about food?
In other words — Will the variety of my diet while breastfeeding affect my baby’s loyalty to those foods later in life?
Breast milk transfers to your baby the taste of the foods and meals you eat. The composition and taste of milk depends on how varied the woman’s diet while breastfeeding. Attention should be paid to expanding the range of food since the transition of the infant to a mixed diet. From 6 months or the appearance of the first tooth, the gastrointestinal tract is ready to accept «adult» food. The variety of the mother’s diet will help the baby to accept new tastes more easily, and the chances that the baby will like new foods increases if the mother has regularly included them in her diet while breastfeeding.
Recommendations for menu planning.

When drawing up a menu, it is important to consider a number of principles or rules.
- the energy content of food must correspond to your energy expenditure. There is a formula that allows you to calculate your energy expenditure during the day and, accordingly, the caloric content of your diet. Dietitians recommend adding 300 kcal to the obtained results;
- Completeness of your diet. Food should include all necessary nutrients (nutrients) in certain proportions. You can take this into account with the help of the pyramid or plate of proper nutrition and the table of portions with regard to energy consumption;
- Correction with dietary supplements according to your individual needs. Given the nutrient deficiencies in today’s diet, correction is needed on a daily basis. Daily nutrient allowances for breastfeeding mothers are known, and they are higher than those for normal and even pregnant women;
- Consideration of compatibility:
- the range of breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes with the principles of rational nutrition;
- with the needs of the body for food at different times of the day;
- compatibility of side dishes to second courses with main products;
- compatibility of foods with one another;
- seasonal compatibility — with the time of year: include cold soups (okroshka, botvina, etc.) in summer, and more vegetable dishes in fall and summer;
- compatibility with national or family traditions (new dishes should not constitute more than 20% of the usual diet).
- Safety consideration. It is important to minimize the number of foods and dishes that may be tasty, but unhealthy. And, if possible, eliminate them from the diet altogether. For example, trans fats, margarine should not be added even to dough;
- Meal regime during the day. Dietetics recommends three meals a day for normal people. For nursing mothers, it is optimal to eat divided meals with healthy snacks such as fruit or dried fruit, apricots, nuts, with an interval of 3-3.5 hours, so that the digestive organs can work with full efficiency. At the same time, the main meals should be breakfast and lunch.
- After meals the GI tract will thank you for a leisurely walk for half an hour. The main indicator of a balanced diet should be a high level of health, and in an adult, an unchanged body weight as well;
- Sequence of meals — it is no coincidence that such generalizations as first and second course are present in our vocabulary. It has to do with the time food stays and is processed in the stomach. Liquid dishes «leave» the stomach earlier. Salads tend to be served before the first course, because salads — made with fresh vegetables — are sometimes even faster to digest. It all depends on what kind of salad — vegetable or meat — you will eat, and just the same — what kind of soup — a light vegetable broth or, for example, hodgepodge. It makes sense to eat vegetable soup first and then meat salad, or to eat vegetable salad first and then chicken broth soup. The daily menu should include dishes containing vegetable fats, not subjected to heat treatment: salads with dressings in vegetable oil, vinaigrettes.
- A variety of second courses is achieved by including in the menu different products (vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, cereals, cottage cheese, eggs, etc.) and their different types, and attention should be paid to the variety of side dishes and sauces and their proper selection.
Variety is also provided by different methods of cooking: dishes from boiled, poached, fried and baked products, from portioned and smaller pieces, chopping (escalopes, goulash, chopped cutlets, etc.).
The menu also takes into account national tastes, age range, occupational characteristics and family habits. Traditional national dishes should prevail in the menu.
Drawing up a menu is quite a troublesome task. However, once it is made up, you can simply make minor adjustments to the personal desires and wishes of the family
Groups food products | The daily number of portions according to according to energy requirements (kcal) | 1400 | 1700 | 2000 | 2300 | 2600 | 2900 | 3200 |
1 | Cereals, porridge, bread | 5-6 | 6-8 | 7-9 | 8-10 | 10-12 | 12-14 | 14-16 |
2 | Vegetables, legumes and mushrooms | 3 | 3-4 | 3-5 | 4-6 | 4-6 | 4-6 | 5-7 |
3 | Fruits and berries | 2 | 2-4 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 4-6 |
4а | Meat, fish, chicken egg | 1-2 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 4-5 | 4-5 |
4в | Dairy products | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 |
5 | Added dietary fats, nuts, and seeds | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 3-5 | 3-5 |
6 | Sugar, sweets | 0,5-2 | 1-2 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 |
Food portions for an optimal menu
One serving of carbohydrates when breastfeeding (grains and potatoes):
- One slice of bread;
- or four dried breads;
- One small potato (90g);
- Or half a cup of porridge — millet, oatmeal, buckwheat;
- Or half a cup of boiled durum wheat pasta;
- or 3/4 cup of dried cereal (corn flakes);
- Or 1/3 cup cooked rice.
One serving of fruit when breastfeeding:
- One large fruit (apple, pear, orange, banana);
- or three to four small ones (plums, tangerines, strawberries);
- Or half a cup of any berries;
- Or ¼ cup raisins or dried fruit;
- Or ½ cup apple or orange juice.
One serving of vegetables when breastfeeding:
- One fresh vegetable (carrot, cucumber, tomato);
- half a cup of chopped cooked vegetables;
- one cup of chopped fresh vegetables;
- or ½ cup of vegetable juice (tomato, carrot);
- 0.5-1 cup of boiled peas or beans.
One serving of protein products when breastfeeding:
- 1 cup of milk, kefir, ryazhenka, better — with reduced fat content;
- 4-5 tablespoons of low-fat cottage cheese or feta cheese;
- 20 g of cheese (1-1,5 slices);
- 50-80 g cooked fish;
- 50-80 g cooked chicken;
- 90 g tofu cheese (1/2 cup);
- 1 chicken egg; 2 quail eggs.
Fat and sweets during breastfeeding do not need to be completely excluded from the menu. It is enough to observe the measure (1-2 servings) and understand that there may be a lot of hidden fats and sugars in the products of other «floors» (meat, fish, cereals, vegetables and fruits).
One healthy serving of extra fats is:
- 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil;
- 5-10 grams of butter;
- 1 strip of bacon.
One serving of sweet when breastfeeding is:
- 3 caramels;
- 3 tsp. jam/honey;
- 2 to 3 waffles;
- 1 banana;
- 1 marshmallow;
- One small piece of dry biscuit.

Elena Demchenko graduated from Donetsk Medical Institute named after M. Gorky with a degree in pediatrics.
Work experience in medicine: district pediatrician, neonatologist of the department of nursing extremely premature babies, joint stay of mother and child, resuscitation and intensive care of newborns.
Vitamins for breastfeeding
Есть специальные поливитамины при гв, разработанные для беременных и кормящих, например Элевит или Компливит. Как правило, они лучше учитывают потребности кормящих мам в витаминах и минералах.
water when breastfeeding
Сколько воды нужно кормящей женщине.
Норма – 30-35мл на кг веса;
В среднем 2,7+ литра в сутки.
Сoffee when breastfeeding
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