Nutritional Recommendations For Lactating Women

In this article we propose some nutritional recommendations for correct breastfeeding.

Do you want to know the nutritional recommendations during breastfeeding? Well, we advise you to read the following article carefully.

Lactation, along with pregnancy, is a period in which a series of physiological, emotional and environmental changes take place. These changes or alterations require carrying out certain adjustments in the diet.

The purpose is to allow a correct development of the baby and that the mother maintains an optimal state of health. That is why nutritional recommendations during breastfeeding differ in some aspects from those given in other stages of a woman’s life.

Why breastfeed and not choose artificial formulas?

One of the great reasons for choosing breastfeeding as a way of feeding the newborn is the positive impact it has on the health of both the baby and the mother.

Among the many benefits that breast milk brings to the baby, it is worth highlighting the protection against the incidence of certain long-term pathologies, such as autoimmune diseases, diabetes mellitus or obesity. The lower risk of infections, given the perfect hygienic conditions in which breast milk is found, or the psychological protection.

As for the mother, breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk of suffering from some diseases such as type II diabetes mellitus , breast cancer and ovarian cancer. It is also associated with a lower risk of postpartum depression and uterine bleeding, and a better recovery of body weight and silhouette.

In addition, it should be noted that milk is adapted to the nutritional needs of the baby at each moment of its development.

For these reasons, unless there is a medical contraindication, experts from different organizations, such as WHO, recommend that you exclusively breastfeed until 6 months, ” in order to offer your children optimal growth, development and health ” . They also recommend continuing breastfeeding along with complementary feeding until 2 years of age.

Nutritional recommendations

Since the production of milk involves a cost of energy and nutrients, it is important that we provide them through the diet to avoid that these are fully covered at the expense of the mother’s reserves. To guarantee correct nutrition we must take into account the following points:

• Sufficient caloric intake. If we speak in terms of energy, for a correct milk production we must increase, on average, about 500 Kilocalories a day, and these must come from healthy foods.
• Increase iron intake. For this, it is necessary to include in the diet foods rich in this trace element, such as meat, fish, eggs and legumes. In addition, to improve its absorption, foods high in vitamin C should be included, such as peppers, broccoli, kiwi, citrus fruits …
• Increase the consumption of foods of plant origin, promoting the consumption of raw and seasonal fruits and vegetables.This group of foods are a good source of vitamins and minerals especially necessary at this stage, such as folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C or vitamins of group B, among others.

• Increase the intake of calcium. To do this, we can increase the consumption of dairy products (milk, yogurts and cheeses), including between 4 and 6 servings a day, or include other foods rich in this mineral, such as green leafy vegetables, almonds, legumes and sardines canned.
  

More nutritional recommendations

• Consume quality fats. These can be included through the consumption of extra virgin olive oil, fatty fish, avocado, nuts and seeds. We must avoid that the sources of fat come from the intake of pastries, sausages, precooked and other ultra-processed.
• Maintain good hydration. Water is the component with the highest proportion in breast milk, so the needs will be increased depending on its production. But do not worry, there is no fixed amount established, it is enough to pay attention to our thirst mechanism and that the source of hydration is adequate (water).

• Avoid ultra-processed foods. These food products are usually full of poor quality ingredients (refined oils, sugar, hydrogenated fats …), which are harmful to the health of both the newborn and the mother.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages, caffeine, and tobacco. These substances pass to the baby through milk and have adverse effects on their health.