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The best breast-feeding diet

July 21st, 2005

If you are breast-feeding, you should be applauded since breast milk is the best form of nutrition for your baby, being superior to any alternative. It is always fresh and contains a variety of anti-infectious factors and immune cells. Also, it is the least allergenic of any infant food and automatically encourages close mother-child contact. But what must you eat and what kind of diet should you be following while trying to provide optimal nutrition for your child?

What should you eat? The process of lactation is nutritionally demanding and therefore a nutritious diet is very important. The recommended calorie increase is for an extra 500kcal per day above the levels for non-pregnant women. Maternal fat stores accumulated during pregnancy provide about 100 to 150 kcal per day during the early months of lactation — that is good news — you probably also want to shed those extra kilos.

The more often you breast-feed, the more milk your body will produce and the more energy you will expend — and the quicker you will lose the weight. But, be careful; this is not the time for strict weight-loss diets or crash diets during lactation — this can lead to decreased production of milk each day. Once lactation is well established, a moderate reduction in calorie intake (to increase the rate of fat utilisation) can usually be initiated without any detrimental effects.

A healthy, sensible eating and exercise programme should be your primary focus. The trick is to eat everything in moderation. Try to eat three or six meals a day. In other words, either three larger, fully satisfying meals, or six smaller meals throughout the day. Skipping a meal can result in low blood sugar level, which can cause you to overeat later or at the following meal. If this happens, often you get desperate and eat whatever you can lay your hands on — fatty foods like pastries, biscuits and chocolate which is not going to do much for the waistline.

Breads, cereals and grain products It is best to follow a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet — as recommended by the Food Guide Pyramid. Breads, cereals and grain products like pasta and rice contain mostly carbohydrate and provide the body with energy and are easily burned up by the body. Luckily, carbohydrate foods also make wonderful comfort foods and lead to a calming effect on the brain, as the sleep-inducing hormone serotonin is released after eating carbohydrates that transmits calmness and mood stability to your brain cells.

Unfortunately, carbohydrates — especially bread — have been labelled fattening. Remember, it is not the carbohydrates that are fattening, but what you choose to put on it such as the butter, avocado, full fat cheeses, peanut butter, cold meats, cream sauce etc. In addition, the high fibre content of unrefined carbohydrates means that they help promote satiety, regulate our digestive process and help control our blood sugar levels — all useful in weight control.

Fruits and VegetablesEat lots of fruit and vegetables — the goal is to eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. They are a rich source of vitamins and minerals and are therefore termed our “protective” foods as they help the body fight off sickness and disease.

An added benefit is that they are relatively low in calories and also contribute to our daily fibre intake. Fruits are quick and easy to eat as snacks during the day, as are vegetables at meal times or as snacks. Just be cautious of “windy” foods such as dried fruit, green leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach, onions, peas, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, which could upset your baby’s tummy and cause colic-like symptoms.

Milk and Dairy Products It’s recommended that pregnant and lactating women have a calcium intake of 1 200mg per day. Do this by including at least four to five portions of the following foods in you daily diet:

* 1 glass skim or 2% milk
* 1 fat-free or low-fat yoghurt (175ml)
* 30g reduced fat cheese
* ½ cup ricotta cheese
* 80g sardines
* ½ cup low-fat custard

As you can see, “low-fat” or %E

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