To prevent adverse reactions in the baby while breastfeeding, it's recommended to avoid consuming citrus fruits, cherries, and prunes. Citrus fruits have been associated with digestive problems, fussy behavior, vomiting, and diaper rash in breastfed babies.
Common culprits include beans, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Bloating, burping, and passing gas are normal. But if your baby is gassy or has colic, avoid these foods for a few weeks to see whether they relieve the symptoms.
Any nutritious food eaten in moderation can be included in your diet while you're breastfeeding. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that includes servings from all food groups including grains, fruits, vegetables, milk/milk products and meat/meat alternatives.
In OUR experience, the most common food sensitivities in breastfed babies are: cow's milk (including ALL products made from cow's milk), soy, corn, wheat, eggs, beef, rice, and nuts. Skin testing or blood testing for a food sensitivity is not very accurate at any age.
Food sensitivities and gas in breastfed babies
Some moms swear that when they eat foods such as dairy products, broccoli, cabbage, bananas, eggs, or garlic, their babies are gassy and fussy for up to the next 24 hours.
Eating foods rich in vitamin C is therefore particularly important when you are breastfeeding. Zespri Green kiwifruit is one of the most highly concentrated sources of vitamin C, containing 85 mg per 100 g – that's even more vitamin C than oranges and strawberries!
Strawberries are a nutritious way to add essential vitamins and minerals to your breast-feeding diet. If your baby doesn't have a reaction to them, you can eat them as often as you like.
Although dark chocolate has higher levels of theobromine, most health professionals consider it to be the healthiest option because it contains lower levels of both sugar and fat. Most people can enjoy chocolate as they normally would while breastfeeding without any negative impact on their babies.
Not only are avocados an ideal food for babies and toddlers, they're also a great choice for expecting and breastfeeding mothers. Adequate maternal nutrition is critical for fetal development during pregnancy.
To get the nutrients you need while breastfeeding, follow a healthy eating routine [PDF - 1.9 MB]. Choose a mix of healthy foods you enjoy from each food group, including: Whole fruits — like apples, berries, oranges, mango, and bananas.
Foods and drinks to avoid while breastfeeding
Caffeine passes into breastmilk, so large amounts of tea, coffee and cola drinks are best avoided. Drinking small amounts of drinks with caffeine (3 or less drinks a day) should not be a problem. Alcohol also passes into breastmilk and can affect your baby.
In addition, it is common for mothers to be warned to avoid “gassy foods” such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. Eating such foods can cause gas in the mother's bowel; however, gas and fiber do not pass into breast milk.
Blueberries - Now's the time to eat your fruits! In fact, at least two servings a day is recommended for nursing moms. Blueberries are chock full of vitamins but also offer a good amount of carbohydrates to keep mom full.
Also, you may have to do without acidic fruits like orange, grapefruit, pineapple, kiwi or sour apples at first. However, the fruits that can be tolerated by the vast majority of babies without any problems are avocado, mango, papaya, sweet apples and pears, bananas and melons.
If you suspect that something in your diet might be affecting your baby, avoid the food or drink for up to a week to see if it makes a difference in your baby's behavior. Avoiding certain foods, such as garlic, onions or cabbage, might help. Remember, there's no need to go on a special diet while you're breastfeeding.
Indulging in too much caffeine, alcohol or smoking: All your vices might definitely give you a temporary high but will harm your breastfeeding routine irreparably. This is because caffeine, alcohol and tobacco can all affect your milk supply adversely.
While breastfeeding, calcium requirements increase significantly, so aim for five to six servings a day to meet the extra demands (1 serving = a glass of milk or pot of yogurt or 25g/1oz of cheese).
If you'd like to eat peanuts or foods containing peanuts, such as peanut butter, while breastfeeding, you can do so as part of a healthy, balanced diet (unless, of course, you are allergic to them).
Chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine and larger amounts of the closely related compound, theobromine. It also contains anandamide and two related compounds that stimulate cannabinoid receptors, tryptophan, and polyphenols. [1,2] All of these compounds are detectable in breastmilk in small amounts.