Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding

Most of the time, moms do not need to adhere to a particular diet when they are breastfeeding their little one! But sometimes there is a chance that your little one might be slightly fussy or even gassy after a particular food that you might have consumed. If you think that, that particular food product might be a cause of the gassiness in your little one, try avoiding it for a few days and see if that helps. It is also true that some strongly flavoured foods might even end up changing the flavour of your milk, which in turn might make your little one slightly apprehensive to feed. So in order to avoid any such problems, there are certain foods that you might need to steer away from.

• Citrus Fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Also, try to avoid their juices.
• Vegetables that might cause gas like onion, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc.
• Spices like garlic, chilli and cinnamon
• Berries like strawberries in particular
• Fruits that might cause loose motions or are laxative in nature like prunes or cherries
• Chocolates
• Too much coffee is also not advised during breastfeeding. A cup or even two a day is alright, but try not to have more than that.
• Avoid having alcohol since the alcohol content in your blood can easily get into your milk and affect your little one too.
• In case you suspect that your baby might be allergic to a certain type of food like soy or nuts or shellfish, consuming the same, more than 6 hours prior to feeding your munchkin is advised.

However, before you decide to eliminate specific foods from your diet, it is always better that you consult with your doctor. This will help ensure that by eliminating a certain food from your diet, you do not end up causing a nutritional imbalance in your body, which could prove bad for you and your baby both. It is also important to ensure that no drug/medicine is taken while breastfeeding without asking your doctor.