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| BEST FOOD FOR NEW MOMS |
Breastfeeding is a natural way
of nourishing your newborn baby with all the essential nutrients that facilitate
his/her growth and development. Breastfeeding also helps build the baby's immune system. A lactating mother shares her nutrients with the baby through her
milk.
All mothers wish to give the best
of everything to their babies. However, most of the nursing mothers are
confused about do, don’ts of the postpartum journey. If you are breastfeeding
mother, eat smart, and right proportions yourself to provide your baby with
some wholesome nutrition. Milk production puts a breast-feeding mother’s body
on additional stress and thus right diet is important for their mother. Maybe you
need to avoid certain foods to prevent allergies or digestive problems in your
baby. Perhaps you are you need to eat special foods to make the best quality
milk or the right amount of milk for your baby.
Nutritional requirement of a
breastfeeding mother is to some extent similar to the requirements of a
pregnant mother. Hence, new mothers are recommended to continue to follow the
same diet as they were taking during their pregnancy. However, the calorie requirement
of a breastfeeding mother is more than a pregnant mother. Breastfeeding mother
required to take an additional 200 calories than the recommended calorie intake
during pregnancy. It must be kept in mind that the required calorie must come
from nutritional foods rather than an empty calorie from sugary food. If you are
concerned about consuming extra calorie, then do not get worried, a breastfeeding
mother sheds about 1 to 4 kilogram every month even on consuming high-calorie
diet. A mother has to understand the basics of breastfeeding nutrition at first.
Therefore, let us focus on some important nutrients for breastfeeding.
PROTEIN
Protein is the building blog of
the body and is the essential nutrient for growth, maintenance, and repair of
cells. Newborn babies require a huge amount of protein, which is present in
ample amount in breast milk. Therefore, an extra amount of protein you need to
add to your diet to meet the daily protein requirement, both yourself and your
baby. A breastfeeding mother requires taking on an average of 75 grams of protein a
day for the first 6 months and 68 grams of protein in the next 6 to 12 months.
Eggs, dairy, meat, beans, soy products, pulses and nuts are some excellent sources
of protein.
INCLUDE GALACTOLOGUES
GALACTOLOGUES are substances
present in foods that naturally help to increase breast milk production to
feed the baby. Do not forget to include these foods enriched with
GALACTOLOGUES. Traditionally new mothers are suggested to incorporate foods
that are naturally loaded with nutrients that help optimize milk secretion. Usually,
your regular diet may not boost milk production, and your baby may not get
enough breast milk, essential in the initial years of growth. Some of those lactogenic foods popularly given
to a new mother to enhance milk production are sesame seeds, almonds, fennel, fenugreek,
ghee, chickpea, garlic, and ginger. These can be easily included in your diet
to increase milk secretion naturally.
ENERGY
As discussed above a breastfeeding mother has to include extra calorie for increased milk production. The
minimum recommended daily calorie intake for a non-breastfeeding or non-pregnant
woman is 2000 calories while lactation demands an additional 500 calorie suggested for a breast-feeding mother. Eat nutrient-dense
foods for this extra energy. Whole
grains, oatmeal, potato, rice, barley, ragi, and fruits are a few foods giving a nutritious source of energy.
FAT
Fats are the primary source of breastfeeding mothers. You must choose foods with healthy fat to keep you and
your baby in good health. Sources of healthy fat are olive oil, canola oil,
nuts and seeds, Avogadro as well as fatty fish like salmon. Restrict the intake
of saturated and trans fat as this category of fat is considered to be
unhealthy. Whole milk, butter, tropical oils such as palm and kernel, lard and
high-fat meats contain saturated fat and unfit for new mothers. Whereas trans
fat is present in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.
VITAMINS and
MINERALS
You need to take more vitamins like
vitamin A, B6, B12, and folic acid for yourself and your feeding baby. Minerals
like iron and calcium are especially important for breastfed babies. You may
not need to add more than the recommended amount of these vitamins and minerals but
pay attention to your diet so that you are taking a sufficient amount of these
nutrients to fulfill your daily-recommended dose. Incorporate all these vital
vitamins and minerals in the diet for a healthy breastfeeding journey for you
and your baby. Few foods that are rich in the vitamin and the mineral are
spinach, carrot, chickpea, broccoli, salmon, almonds, lentils, beans, tuna,
kiwi, brussels sprout, plain yogurt, dark and green leafy vegetables.
When you are breastfeeding, it is
normal to be thirstier than usual, due to increased secretion of the hormone
oxytocin. Your oxytocin levels increase when your baby latches onto your breast
and this, in turn, initiates your milk to start flowing. This also stimulates your
thirst, so drink enough water to meet the increased requirement for milk
production. Mothers who are breastfeeding should take an ample amount of fluid
specially water along with eating a well-balanced diet. This ensure an adequate supply of milk. Drink
at least 8 glasses of water every day. Avoid alcohol and aerated drinks. Alcohol makes its way into your breast
milk but babies metabolize the alcohol at only half the rate of adults. So
avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. Also, avoid drinking
coffee. Coffee contains caffeine and this caffeine passes on to your baby
through breast milk. Newborn babies are more sensitive to caffeine. If the lactating mother takes coffee, it might happen that her baby develops a sleeping problem and stay irritated. Lack of good sleep will hamper your baby’s
growth. Switch to healthier options instead to stay hydrated such as fresh
fruit juices, green coconut, and
lemon juice.
So, make a smart choice regarding
your own nutrition and cherish the pleasant motherhood. Experience while
watching your newborn grown up.
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