Nursing mothers often tend to neglect their feeding as they put much focus on ensuring that the newborns are well fed and comfortable, but as much as your baby needs to be fed constantly, you need much more proper feeding for the benefit of both mother and child.
Foods that increase breast milk production
The period of lactation is the best time to enjoy good food because if breast milk is great for the baby, it is because what you eat is rich in nutrients, and you see the result in the baby’s growth and development as well shown in your body. If you have been worried about choosing the best foods for breastfeeding, this article will show you a list of food recommendations you can select from.
Even though you don’t need to follow a diet routine while breastfeeding, your meals have to be nutritionally balanced in order to get the best. That means lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which are usually high in fibre content as well as foods rich in energy.
Because your body is constantly producing milk for your young one, you need to refill the body with foods that replenish it. These are five categories every nursing mom should consider while choosing her food.
Foods that increase breast milk production are no longer news that you might be breastfeeding your baby for the next 6 to 10 months as the case may be, which means that your breasts have to be in a constant supply of milk day in and day out. If that is the case, your menu should definitely consist of diets that enhance breast milk production. Some of these foods are
Oats meal
In whatever form you may take it, whether as oat-meal, oat bread, cookies, and all, oats are rich in nutrients and especially rich in iron, which every child needs for proper growth and development.
Asides from that, having at least a serving of oatmeal per day gives energy and can lower stress levels. Besides, a hot bowl of oatmeal is a treat you don’t want to miss.
Fenugreek
This wonder seed has been linked one way or the other to the high production of breast milk. It is said to contain a compound that’s similar to the milk-producing hormone, estrogen, and can increase the production of milk in a short time.
The fenugreek seed can be incorporated into meals by blending with other fruits to make smoothies, chewing, or steeping in hot water to make your own tea.
Water
You might be surprised that water made it to the list, but breastfeeding can be dehydrating as well, and you will need to replenish your body with enough fluids to function well. This doesn’t require any extra quantity, but keeping up with the recommended intake consistently keeps your body hydrated.
Fennel seeds
Quite similar to fenugreek in composition and functions. Some researchers have claimed that fennel seed consumption boosts milk production and healthy fat, which results in a healthy weight gain in children.
Foods that boost energy
You need strength to carry out mom’s many duties, and since some of the energy stored up in the body is already being used to produce milk and breastfeed your baby, you need to refuel with more energy supply which can be gotten from most starchy foods like pasta, yam, potatoes and so on.
Potatoes
Including potatoes in your diet boosts your energy level to an extent. Potatoes can be eaten in different ways, which means you don’t have to be stuck with eating the same thing every time. You can make chips, mashed potatoes, and whatever recipe your creative mind can come up with.
Fruits and vegetables
I can’t emphasize enough how important these two food categories are in boosting your immunity against diseases and also improving your health.
Green leafy vegetables are especially known to contain compounds that help in the production of milk and active nutrients that are passed on from your body to your baby through breast milk.
The coloured variants, that is, the red, orange, and purple roots, and leafy veggies like cabbage, carrots, and beetroots, have been known for generations to sustain both mother and child by increasing the quantity of milk a mother produces and the quality which benefits the child.
Nuts and legumes
These two are the main storehouse of nutrients you can find in any diet. Apart from their role in lactation, nuts are loaded with essential minerals and essential fatty acids.
Your daily supply of minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium; and vitamins B and K are well gotten from nuts such as almonds, peanuts, pistachios, walnut, and cashew nuts among many others, while legumes are the main sources of proteins, vitamins and sometimes Phytoestrogens most especially soybean and chickpea. But your diet shouldn’t be restricted to these alone.
Seeds
One thing you should know about seeds is that they contain whatever nutrient you need in the most concentrated form. Seeds are very high in essential fats (melon seed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds) as well as essential minerals needed for growth and development.
Certain seeds also contain a level of fibre (chia seed) that improves digestion, which in turn helps both mother and child stay full for a longer time. Studies have also revealed that some seeds are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and the composition of many other healthy nutrients.
Such seeds include flax seed, hemp seed, and black seed, among many others. Flaxseed is known to control blood glucose levels, for weight loss and prevention of many other diseases, especially for the mother.
Conclusion
Your choice of food doesn’t only affect you but also affects your baby. For the period your baby depends on your breast milk, he or she is what you eat; this is because the quality of the food you consume tells on you, but tells more on the child you are breastfeeding and affects the growth and development of the baby. Whatever you do, be sure to choose the best foods for breastfeeding now that you are a nursing mom. It is no longer about you, but also about your baby.
