Did you know that diet plays a very important role in breast feeding?? A mother who exclusively breast feeds her baby spends an extra 500 calories a day (Wow, isn't that so much more than an hour of brisk walk or half an hour of sweating out on a tread mill?).
A watchful diet can do wonders to the milk secretion as well as shed those extra flabs gained during pregnancy. Breast feeding actually contracts the uterus and brings you back in shape! Ah, yes breast feeding is "win-win" for both the baby and the mother. It provides the BEST nutrition for the baby in the process of mommy losing weight!
All the lactating mothers who breast feed their babies should ensure that they eat a well-balanced diet. It should have the right amount of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibers that would take care of those extra 500 calories required during this blissful period. But yes, do not over indulge yourself in eating table spoons after table spoons of ghee, you would only be adding cushions to the flabs!
Here are few items that I ate during breast feeding and they have done wonders to me. I pretty much ate everything that I have been eating all thru' my life with no restrictions to any food items whatsoever.
1. Aqua!
Drink a lot of water, especially if it is summer. If you are dehydrated the quantity of milk could suffer. Besides, it doesn't hurt to make those extra few rounds to the restroom than to produce less amount of milk if you drink few extra glasses of water. Well, drink at least 1.5 liters to 2 liters of water a day.
2. Moo Juice!
Milk, of course! Breast feeding saps a lot of calcium from the mother's bones and teeth. So it is important that you replenish your reserve of calcium to avoid bone related problems as you grow old. If you are not lactose intolerant and like milk products drink 3 glasses of milk and eat 2 cups of yogurt. It is recommended that you take 1 liter of milk/milk products when you exclusively breast feed. If milk doesn't go well with you, ask your doctor for calicum supplements.
3. Fruits and Veggies!
Ensure there are 2-3 servings of fruits and vegetables in your platter everyday. You can eat any fruit or vegetable you like. Especially choose veggies that have a lot of water content in them (like bottle gourd, white pumpkin).
4. Galactogogues!
Galactogogues are substances that enhance lactation. There are many galactogogues that are gifted to us by nature.
a. Garlic
Eat garlic in what ever form you like. Be it eating raw or drinking the aroma rich garlic rasam or adding the sauteed garlic to dosa or chapati. But if you do not like garlic (for that matter, any other galactogogues) do not force yourself into eating it. Try eating other galactogogues that you enjoy!
b. Oats
Make a porridge out of oats and eat it with milk or butter milk. You could even try eating oats upma.
c. Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
Season all your food items (ones that can be seasoned, ofcourse!!) with an extra teaspoon of cumin seeds. Otherwise, you could also drink Jeera water. Method to prepare jeera water is available online.
d. Almonds
8 to 10 almonds a day does wonders! Eat them just like that. It is not necessary to soak them over night and to remove their skin.
e. Fenugreek
Did your eyes just pop out in shock??? Yes, it is true. Soak two teaspoons of fenugreek for 3 to 4 hours and eat it with curd. Trust me, it tastes pretty good. If the very idea still does not sound very inviting, try seasoning the food items with fenugreek.
At times, despite eating the healthiest of food, a mother could feel that she is not secreting enough milk. Although most of the times it is only psychological(baby ) , it doesn't harm to check with your doctor for herbal and natural drugs that enhance milk production. I am aware of two drugs in India; Lactare and Galact granules (online link unavailable) that enhance lactation. Please check with your doctor before you use any of them.
More on breast feeding to continue...
A watchful diet can do wonders to the milk secretion as well as shed those extra flabs gained during pregnancy. Breast feeding actually contracts the uterus and brings you back in shape! Ah, yes breast feeding is "win-win" for both the baby and the mother. It provides the BEST nutrition for the baby in the process of mommy losing weight!
All the lactating mothers who breast feed their babies should ensure that they eat a well-balanced diet. It should have the right amount of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibers that would take care of those extra 500 calories required during this blissful period. But yes, do not over indulge yourself in eating table spoons after table spoons of ghee, you would only be adding cushions to the flabs!
Here are few items that I ate during breast feeding and they have done wonders to me. I pretty much ate everything that I have been eating all thru' my life with no restrictions to any food items whatsoever.
1. Aqua!
Drink a lot of water, especially if it is summer. If you are dehydrated the quantity of milk could suffer. Besides, it doesn't hurt to make those extra few rounds to the restroom than to produce less amount of milk if you drink few extra glasses of water. Well, drink at least 1.5 liters to 2 liters of water a day.
2. Moo Juice!
Milk, of course! Breast feeding saps a lot of calcium from the mother's bones and teeth. So it is important that you replenish your reserve of calcium to avoid bone related problems as you grow old. If you are not lactose intolerant and like milk products drink 3 glasses of milk and eat 2 cups of yogurt. It is recommended that you take 1 liter of milk/milk products when you exclusively breast feed. If milk doesn't go well with you, ask your doctor for calicum supplements.
3. Fruits and Veggies!
Ensure there are 2-3 servings of fruits and vegetables in your platter everyday. You can eat any fruit or vegetable you like. Especially choose veggies that have a lot of water content in them (like bottle gourd, white pumpkin).
4. Galactogogues!
Galactogogues are substances that enhance lactation. There are many galactogogues that are gifted to us by nature.
a. Garlic
Eat garlic in what ever form you like. Be it eating raw or drinking the aroma rich garlic rasam or adding the sauteed garlic to dosa or chapati. But if you do not like garlic (for that matter, any other galactogogues) do not force yourself into eating it. Try eating other galactogogues that you enjoy!
b. Oats
Make a porridge out of oats and eat it with milk or butter milk. You could even try eating oats upma.
c. Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
Season all your food items (ones that can be seasoned, ofcourse!!) with an extra teaspoon of cumin seeds. Otherwise, you could also drink Jeera water. Method to prepare jeera water is available online.
d. Almonds
8 to 10 almonds a day does wonders! Eat them just like that. It is not necessary to soak them over night and to remove their skin.
e. Fenugreek
Did your eyes just pop out in shock??? Yes, it is true. Soak two teaspoons of fenugreek for 3 to 4 hours and eat it with curd. Trust me, it tastes pretty good. If the very idea still does not sound very inviting, try seasoning the food items with fenugreek.
At times, despite eating the healthiest of food, a mother could feel that she is not secreting enough milk. Although most of the times it is only psychological(baby ) , it doesn't harm to check with your doctor for herbal and natural drugs that enhance milk production. I am aware of two drugs in India; Lactare and Galact granules (online link unavailable) that enhance lactation. Please check with your doctor before you use any of them.
More on breast feeding to continue...
