Eating a well balanced diet is always a good choice for new moms. But many new moms wonder how breastfeeding will affect their child and their diet. You probably don’t need to make any major changes to what you eat or drink when you’re nursing, though there are a few important considerations to keep in mind, like avoiding alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs of any kind and avoiding caffeine are some of the most important. Also, it’s important to minimize your exposure to contaminants in your food, body care products (they go directly into your blood stream through your skin, without being filtered) or environment, while you’re nursing. Pesticides, insecticides, and other chemicals that you ingest or put on your body will get into your breast milk.
You want to be aware that your body also draws on its reserves, when you don’t get the nutrients you need from your diet and that can eventually make you become depleted. That is not good, because you need strength and stamina to handle the physical demands of caring for your new baby. So a high nutrient rich diet is recommended.
Some of the best snacks are simply fresh fruits and vegetables cut up into bite sized pieces. I frequently take raw, freshly washed green beans or raw okra and rub or sprinkle unrefined sea salt on them. They make a great snack! Green beans have an insulin-type of effect on the body, so they make particularly good snacks for anyone who has to regulate their blood sugar.
Place about a half of a cup in small snack containers or zip lock baggies. That way, you can then grab them quickly throughout the week for quick snacks. They taste delicious.
Hummus is a high fiber food that is easy and inexpensive to make or buy. I make mine with a variety of beans. Hummus goes well with whole grain, gluten-free crackers, chips, cut up veggies (example: red bell pepper or sliced cucumber), pita chips, etc. I use it as my sandwich spread for many things. It is a delicious high protein staple to keep around for emergency snacks or meals.
Be careful to avoid artificial ingredients and additives like dyes, sweeteners, flavorings, growth hormones and antibiotics (given to animals) and toxins from the ocean or environment (as in fish). They can be toxic to you and your child. I expand on this and how it can affect your child’s brain health as well as their behavior and physical growth in my healthy cookbook, “Raising Healthy Children.”
Raisins and dates (pitted) are both a good source of carbohydrates for energy.
Dates are an excellent source of potassium, sulphur, iron, and magnesium.. Raisins are also rich in B vitamins, iron, and potassium. This might seem surprising, but compounds found in raisins fight bacteria in the mouth that cause cavities and gum disease.
Also, nutrient dense smoothies with the proper amount of healthy fats, super foods, protein, etc. are an easy way to get intense nutrition in an easy effective way.
I have many great recipes in my healthy, award winning cookbook: “Raising Healthy Children.”
If you are concerned about pesticides or the high cost of organically grown food, you can check the list created by the Environmental Working Group, and their list of the worst foods tested for highest for pesticides, They call them the dirty dozen. They list them from worst to least. Some of them listed as the most toxic are: strawberries apples, celery, peaches, spinach, imported nectarines and grapes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce, and kale and collard greens.
The clean fifteen list of fruits and vegetables that had the lowest amount of pesticide residue were onions, sweet corn, pineapples, avocados, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, and mushrooms.
If you are concerned about losing some of the weight you had gain from pregnancy, you might plan to take up to a year to get back to your pre-pregnancy/normal weight.
Some new moms find the weight just seems to fall off, while others don’t lose much. This will all depend your food choices, your activity level, your metabolism and on your own body,
I suggest avoiding any kind of weight loss plan for a couple of months after your child is born. A low calorie diet can drain your energy and limit your milk supply. Also, always stay hydrated. This is critically important for your and your child’s health and well-being.
When you combine healthy eating with moderate exercise, this can be a safe and effective way of losing weight and getting back into shape.
Enjoy this time with your child, it goes very quickly and it’s one of the most important parts of your child’s life. So, relax, enjoy and find peaceful moments in your time together.
By Nancy Addison CHC, AADP, CSN, CPT
copyright@nancyaddison2015
For more information go to: www.organichealthylife.com
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