Nutrition during breastfeeding: Eating healthy for mother & baby
Just as your body nourished your baby during pregnancy, it is also prepared to nourish it with breast milk after birth. However, while pregnant women are advised to avoid certain foods, no special diet is required during breastfeeding. Nevertheless, you should still focus on a healthy diet to ensure that your milk is rich in all the essential nutrients.
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Only eat healthy food for two
Breastfeeding mothers do not need to eat for two when it comes to calories. The additional calorie requirement while breastfeeding is about 200 to 600 kcal. If a mom in the demanding baby routine does not have enough time to eat sufficiently, the body will first use up the fat reserves accumulated during pregnancy.
Breast milk is optimally composed for your baby - provided that the mother eats a healthy and balanced diet. Breast milk consists of 85 percent water, which meets the baby's fluid needs. The remaining 15 percent includes carbohydrates, lactose, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements - basically everything the baby needs.
The healthy care of the mother
The milk is always produced in a way that ensures the baby is well taken care of: protein, lactose, and immune substances automatically pass from the food into the milk in sufficient quantities. Important micronutrients - such as vitamins and trace elements - also transfer to the breast milk. In order to ensure that there is enough left for the mother herself in the end, breastfeeding women should pay special attention to a micronutrient-rich diet.
By the way: The assumption that breastfeeding mothers should not eat citrus fruits or gassy foods such as legumes is now considered outdated. As a breastfeeding mother, you can eat whatever you like. However, if you suspect that your baby reacts strongly to a particular food, you should refrain from it for a few days and observe if there are any changes.
Important Micronutrients for Mother and Child
Caring for a baby and the associated initial sleep deprivation often drains a mother's strength. Breastfeeding also consumes energy and micronutrients. To support the immune system, mothers should pay particular attention to iron, copper, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. Folic acid, magnesium, iron, niacin, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 help reduce tiredness and fatigue. Niacin, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6, along with vitamin B1 and vitamin B2, are also involved in energy metabolism. Vitamin D, vitamin K, and manganese support bones and joints.