What Can a Breastfeeding Mom Eat? Nutrition While Nursing

Moms-to-be watch out for certain foods during pregnancy, such as sushi, mold-ripened cheeses, or foods that haven't been heat-treated. This is certainly justified and protects both mom and baby from various unpleasant illnesses.

But does it make sense, after the long-awaited baby arrives, to deny yourself something your body is genuinely craving?

According to information from the Mamila organization:

Mothers can eat everything without restriction, and excluding any food requires a specific reason — there's no need to preventively or blanket-exclude certain foods.

There's no need to follow any special "diet" during breastfeeding, nor to preventively cut foods from your diet. Many breastfeeding women, in their sincere effort to do the best thing, cut out so many foods that they end up lacking the nutrients and energy needed to care for their baby.

I'm convinced that breast milk is a uniquely and precisely mixed cocktail tailored to the baby, and breastfeeding is the best thing a mom can give her child.

My personal experience is this — after both births, I was incredibly thirsty, especially in the first weeks. Especially at night, and I didn't worry about whether I'd had 3 or 4 liters of water that day — my body simply demanded it. With both children, I had huge cravings for sweets. It definitely wasn't ideal, and the things I'd avoided more during pregnancy — various cookies and cakes — I allowed myself guilt-free during breastfeeding. Milk production means an increased load and energy expenditure for the mother's body. There were certainly also energy deficits from lack of sleep. For that reason, and because I enjoy it, I added coffee. Just 2 cups a day — it gave me a boost, it didn't bother the kids falling asleep, and it made my day more pleasant and calmed my nerves :-)

There is a list of "forbidden foods during breastfeeding" out there, and you can certainly find it. But I believe every mom should test it out with her own baby, rather than immediately excluding foods that actually have a positive effect.

The baby gets used to different flavors, and breast milk protects the baby's digestive tract and strengthens their immunity. It's not true that citrus fruits reduce milk production. It's also not true that avoiding potential allergens protects the child from allergies (the opposite is likely closer to the truth). (Mamila)

With my son, repeated testing confirmed that he couldn't tolerate cabbage and it upset his tummy. Nothing else. And with my daughter? She cried for the first three months regardless of what I ate. :-)

So, what's the takeaway?

It's good for a breastfeeding woman to eat healthily — after all, she needs a healthy diet just like anyone else :-) And every body and every little person is unique, so I recommend a trial-and-error approach. Test what doesn't agree with your baby. Looking back, one tearful day is negligible in the grand scheme of motherhood, even though for a new mom in that period, the days feel long and are simply either good or bad :-)