Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding

Are you looking for the most important foods to avoid while breastfeeding that may cause discomfort for you or your little one?

Many new mothers feel unsure about what is safe to eat. This guide gives you clear answers so you can find the solution you are searching for here.

Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding

Medically, a mother can eat anything, even during lactation. Theoretically speaking, no food can be harmful to a mother’s health just because she is breastfeeding. But there are some foods that can be transported into breast milk, and traces of these can cause certain problems to the child.

These foods are a cause of concern for all breastfeeding mothers. Here is a list of foods to avoid while breastfeeding.

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Coffee – This can be a source of trouble in many cases, as a child’s digestive system is unable to digest and excrete caffeine effectively.

Drinking a few cups of coffee in the day can pass on traces of caffeine in the milk to cause problems like crankiness, sleeplessness, etc. Coffee is a food to avoid while breastfeeding.

Chocolate – Like coffee, dark chocolates or even simple chocolates are high on caffeine too. Chocolate can be a favourite of many women, but this is a food to avoid while breastfeeding to prevent undue strain on the child’s digestive system.

Citrus Fruits – These are high in vitamin C, and generally no one would ever imagine that these can be a cause of trouble in any case, but in the case of breastfeeding mothers, these are foods to avoid.

Citrus fruits can irritate a child’s GI tract and cause problems like spitting up, diaper rash, and fussiness. Not only citrus fruits, but all types of high vitamin C foods are foods to avoid while breastfeeding.

Spicy Foods – Like citrus fruits and foods, even spicy foods are a cause of problems and are foods to avoid while breastfeeding.

Eating too much or even moderately hot foods can make a child irritated and fussy. There are some spices that stay in the blood for a longer period and can be problematic for the mother’s health, too.

Garlic  – This particular spice can even stop a baby from consuming milk; the aroma of this spice can even come in the milk and make the child fussy at the breast.

The traces of it in the milk can cause gassiness or bloating in the baby, so it is a food to avoid while breastfeeding.

Alcohol – In very limited quantities, alcohol is not a problem, but not more than a glass of wine during dinner or lunch. Even a moderately high amount of alcohol or alcoholic beverages can be problematic.

Peanuts – If you have a family history of being allergic to peanuts, this is a food to avoid while breastfeeding right from the beginning.

Even if you or any of your close relatives is not allergic to this food, avoiding its intake during the lactation period is good.

Wheat – This is a commonly used grain, but it can be a cause of allergy in many cases. Children may show symptoms like inconsolable crying, bloody stools, or pain in the body or abdomen.

Do not consume wheat at all for one or two weeks, and if symptoms improve, wheat is the food to avoid while breastfeeding for you.

Dairy Products – You need to go with these products with caution, as some babies show allergic symptoms towards these foods, while some do not. Cow’s milk, in particular, has been popular for causing the problem.

Either avoid yoghurt, milk, and cheese completely or begin with moderate consumption to check if your baby is allergic or intolerant to the traces of these foods in breast milk.

If he shows any symptoms like bloating or uneasiness, dairy products are foods to avoid while breastfeeding.

Corn – If your baby has rashes or remains uneasy during most of the day, try to eliminate corn from the diet. This food is infamous for causing mild to moderate allergies in breastfed babies. If symptoms improve, corn is a food to avoid while breastfeeding.

Soy – Generally, babies showing signs of intolerance to dairy products are intolerant to soy products as well. If you are consuming soy products and your baby is showing symptoms of uneasiness, bloating, etc., avoid these foods in your diet.

Fish – Like peanut fish are well-known for their allergy-causing properties in many. Avoid using fish in your diet if your child is unreasonably uneasy and spitting up. These symptoms are probably due to intolerance to traces of compounds supplemented by fish.

Peppermint Tea – This too is one of the healthy drinks and recommended to people for regular intake, but if you are a lactating mother, this can reduce the quantity of milk.

A lesser availability of milk can irritate a child and make him cry or reduce his appetite. Peppermint tea is a food to avoid while breastfeeding.

Parsley – Just like peppermint, parsley is a healthy food, but a food to avoid while breastfeeding. This too has adverse effects on milk supply and can be problematic for the child and the mother.

Eggs – If the child shows symptoms of allergy due to eggs, the mother needs to avoid all kinds of foods that may contain eggs.

Simply not eating eggs is not sufficient to curb the irritation and allergy in a child, as even a small quantity used in cooking or preparing any cuisine can also cause problems to the baby.

Identify food items in your diet list that contain eggs and eliminate them for the duration you are feeding the baby.