Hypoallergenic Diet For Nursing Mothers

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Hypoallergenic diet for moms

Allergy is an unpredictable and insidious ailment. In newborns, it can appear as a result of a congenital disease, weak immunity, and also because of a negative reaction to a substance from the external environment. Considering that the baby's nutrition in the first months of life consists exclusively of breast milk, allergens enter the body with it. Therefore, a hypoallergenic diet is recommended for nursing mothers. It will help avoid allergic reactions and possible further complications in the infant.

Allergy in a baby can manifest itself as a rash on the skin or diarrhea, and any substance from the mother's food can act as an allergen. There are cases of severe allergic reactions in which the child's life is threatened - respiratory tract spasm, anaphylactic shock. A hypoallergenic diet can protect an infant. It is based on limiting the intake of aggressive substances (allergens) in the baby's body with breast milk.

Content:

• Basic nutritional rules
• Features of nutrition in different months
• Diet of a nursing mother in the first month
• Mom's diet for colic in the baby
• Diet for nursing mothers according to Komarovsky
• Mom's diet with lactase deficiency
• Diet of a nursing mother with diathesis

Basic nutritional rules

Basic nutritional rules when applying a hypoallergenic diet:

• The diet is followed daily until the child is three months old, and if there is no allergic reaction, then the mother's diet can be gradually expanded;
• You can not use prohibited foods even in minimal portions in order to avoid provoking allergies;
• Be sure to keep a food diary, record the mother's diet and the baby's reaction to it;
• A new food product is introduced once every two weeks, if there is no negative reaction to it, another new food can be added after two weeks.

A nursing mother, first of all, should make a menu for herself from products that belong to the group of low allergenic ones, and when choosing vegetables and fruits, give preference to those that grow in her place of residence.

Low allergy products table:

List of products
Cereals	Rice, buckwheat, oatmeal
Meat	Turkey and chicken fillet, rabbit
Vegetables	Cucumbers, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and white cabbage, turnips
Greens	Green salad, parsley, dill
Oil	Sunflower, olive
Fruit	Green apples, pears, white currants, white cherries, gooseberries
Dried fruits	Dried apples and pears
Beverages	Fruit compote (no sugar), rosehip decoction, green tea (no sugar), mineral water (no gas)

If the baby does not have rashes or other manifestations of allergies, a nursing mother can add foods of moderate allergic activity to her diet. These include organ meats, corn loaves and biscuits. Fruits of average allergic activity include apricots, cranberries, currants (red and black), watermelons; to vegetables - all legumes, potatoes, peas, bell peppers (green). The lack of protein in the body can be replenished with biokefir or bioyogurt.

A group of highly allergenic foods should be excluded from the diet of a nursing mother.

On the subject: Cow and goat milk for children - why is it harmful and dangerous?

List of prohibited products:

• Fish caviar, seafood, fatty fish;
• Cheese (spicy), fatty whole milk, natural yogurt, fatty cottage cheese;
• Kashi - wheat, semolina;
• Sausage and smoked products, eggs;
• Pickled and canned foods;
• Pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, hot seasonings and spices;
• Brightly colored vegetables and fruits, all citrus fruits;
• Finished products containing flavors and colors, carbonated drinks, cocoa, coffee, alcohol;
• Honey, nuts, chocolate, caramel, dates, dried apricots, figs.

It is recommended to steam, bake or boil dishes. By limiting the diet, it is necessary to avoid monotony in food and change the combinations of foods on the menu of a nursing mother daily. Nutrition should be complete, then your child will receive the entire set of necessary substances. The calorie content of food should be increased at the expense of permitted foods.

It is important to follow a hypoallergenic diet for the first months after the birth of your baby. In newborns, the formation of the immune system is still taking place, so allergens entering the body can manifest themselves much later. Allergy is insidious, and the absence of obvious signs of it should not allow a nursing mother to switch to her usual diet, otherwise serious complications can be provoked. All women during lactation should adhere to a hypoallergenic diet.

Read More: 10 Mistakes Lactating Moms Make While Breastfeeding

Features of nutrition in different months

In the process of feeding a child, a woman's body produces 500-800 ml of milk per day. This requires additional energy, therefore, the calorie content of your diet needs to be increased by 500 calories per day. Adequate nutrition is important for both the baby and the mother. The baby has a priority in this matter - the female body produces milk that the baby needs, and if the mother does not eat well, then she ruins her health.

In the first months of feeding, you need to drink up to three liters of water per day. In lactating women, some of the water in the body is spent on milk production. Don't overdo it - too much liquid will degrade the quality of your milk. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. They help the body recover after childbirth. Fresh fruits must be grown on the territory of your residence, that is, it is better to exclude adapted, exotic plants.

A woman's nutrition in the first month of feeding should consist of lean meats, stewed or boiled. Once a week, it is possible to add lean fish (hake, pike perch, cod) to the menu. Dairy products are allowed in small quantities and infrequently. One egg can be eaten twice a week. If you want bread, then only coarse grinding and from rye flour. Give preference to buckwheat, rice or oatmeal. Add butter (corn, olive, sunflower) to dishes no more than 15 g per day and butter (up to 30 g per day).

Fresh and stewed vegetables, as well as berries and fruits, apple and pear compotes are welcome. Pastilles and marshmallows will help to diversify food, but in small portions. The main thing to remember is that children are individual, and even those foods that are indicated in the list of safe can cause allergies. Therefore, introducing a new product into the mother's diet, one should observe the child's reaction and take timely measures.

A feeding period of two to six months allows you to expand the limits of the diet, but proper nutrition always dominates the menu. It is allowed to reduce the volume of raw fruits and vegetables, add cereals.

Fried foods can be added to the diet for six to 12 months, but they should not be greasy. Gradually start eating exotic fruits, in the morning you can pamper yourself with a piece of chocolate. Observe how your child reacts to these innovations. After a year of feeding, the mother can return to her normal diet.

Read More: 100 and 1 Lactation Tips

Diet in the first month

The importance of breastfeeding for a newborn is difficult to overestimate. Therefore, the main task of the mother is the correct selection of foodstuffs that will make breast milk of high quality and healthy. The health and calmness of the child depends on what the mother eats. A breastfeeding woman's menu should include foods that can provide her with enough energy and provide adequate breastfeeding for her baby, especially in the first weeks of life.

A week and a half after the birth of the child, the mother is allowed to eat:

• Baked apples, pears;
• Porridge on the water (buckwheat, oatmeal, rice, barley, millet);
• Lean soups and meats;
• Compotes, tea, still mineral water, rosehip decoction - up to three liters per day;
• Vegetable oils (olive, sunflower, corn) - 15 g per day;
• Butter - 30 g per day.

On the tenth day, the following are introduced into the food:

• Ryazhenka, kefir, low-fat cottage cheese;
• Lean fish in boiled (baked) form;
• Eggs, bran bread, hard cheese (mild), pasta (in small quantities);
• Boiled, stewed or baked vegetables - pumpkin, beets, carrots, onions, zucchini, cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower);
• Croutons (without raisins), biscuits, bagels.

Prohibited Products:

• Cow's milk (whole), sour cream;
• Fatty, strong meat broth;
• Raisins and other dried fruits;
• Coffee, cocoa;
• Exotic vegetables and fruits, especially raw;
• Fresh baked goods using premium flour;
• Alcoholic and carbonated drinks.

Questions on the preparation of the diet of a nursing mother should be resolved with a doctor. Keep a food diary to help you analyze problems.

Read more: The very first month of feeding a newborn - which is better to eat?

Mom's diet for colic in the baby

A characteristic symptom of colic in a baby is intense pain in the form of short-term attacks with frequent repetitions. The reasons are different, and only a doctor can determine them. If colic in a child begins immediately after eating, then we can say that the cause of the pain is in the intestines, that is, directly in the food that the baby ate. For infants, the main food is mother's milk. Therefore, the mother must change her diet. There are two more points that affect the increase in colic - overfeeding and overheating of the child.

In order for the baby to avoid colic, the mother should not eat yoghurts, milk, ice cream, and cheeses. It is worth abandoning products containing cow's milk altogether, since it contains a foreign protein that passes into breast milk and provokes pain. Raw white cabbage, grapes and apple peel can also become provocateurs. Canned food, semi-finished products, mayonnaise, chocolate, sweet drinks with gas, smoked meats, potatoes and pasta in large quantities should be banned for use.

The menu of a nursing woman in the presence of colic in a child should consist of lean soups, cereals, boiled in water, boiled vegetables and fish, bran bread or crackers. You can gradually add eggs, low-calorie kefir, baked apples. We recommend unrefined olive or sunflower oil, lean meat. Each time you need to add one new product to the menu, and then it will be clear which of them causes colic.

Diet for nursing mothers according to Komarovsky

Famous pediatrician Komarovsky recommends that women think about their diet during pregnancy. This will allow avoiding allergies, diathesis and other unpleasant diseases in the unborn baby. The choice of food that is healthy for mom and baby is large enough, so there is no need to eat oranges, chocolate, strawberries and other foods that can cause allergies in the child. You shouldn't accumulate problems because of your frivolity or laziness.

During the period of breastfeeding, the mother needs to understand that everything that she eats somehow goes into breast milk. Learn to avoid foods that impair the taste or smell of milk (spicy, sour, and salty foods, and garlic). Our favorite cabbage (white cabbage) and beans increase gas production and even become the culprit for infant diarrhea. Too fatty milk makes it difficult to digest and makes it difficult for mom to express, so reduce the amount of animal fats in your menu and limit yourself to plant fats.

Be sure to monitor how your child reacts to your food. If there is any doubt about the use of any product, eat very little of it and observe the baby. The absence of rashes, indigestion, sleep disturbances indicates the suitability of the product for use, only increase its portions gradually. Avoid drinking too much liquid if the baby is full and there is still milk left. Otherwise, after each feeding, a woman needs to drink up to 0.5 liters of liquid.

[Video] Dr. Komarovsky - 10 Nutrition Tips for a Nursing Mom:

Drinks recommended by Dr. Komarovsky:

• Tea with added milk and sugar;
• Apple and pear compote;
• Small amounts of apple and carrot juices;
• Kefir, fermented baked milk, boiled or baked milk with a fat content of up to 2.5%.

Komarovsky believes that a nursing mother can eat everything, but use a sensible approach. Be careful to eat too salty, acidic and spicy foods. Choose vegetables and fruits grown locally and free of nitrates. Replace store juices with freshly squeezed ones. There is a little, but everything, and not overeat with one thing. Do not postpone the problems that have arisen in the child, but solve with your child's doctor, you should not conduct experiments.

Mom's diet with lactase deficiency

Breastfeeding children are directly dependent on the quality and volume of milk from the mother. This means that a woman's diet should consist of healthy and natural products. Protein meals are very important to the body as it grows. Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins. Dairy products are an important supplier of calcium. However, milk volume also depends on the frequency and duration of breastfeeding. Therefore, for good lactation, it is important to balance the mother's nutrition and adjust the baby's feeding schedule.

Eliminating spicy, smoked, salty dishes and seasonings from the menu is the very first step towards a balanced diet for a nursing woman. Impose a strict taboo on alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, as well as food with preservatives, dyes, stabilizers. Any provocateurs of allergies are subject to an exception from the menu: imported fruits, some varieties of fish, crabs and crayfish, all vegetables and fruits of red color. Reduced consumption of gas-forming products will be correct: sugar, sweet pastries, cabbage, grapes.

A large amount of food and its high calorie content do not always contribute to the production of healthy breast milk. Hormones are responsible for lactation - prolactin (the formation of milk in the mother's body) and oxytocin (the withdrawal of milk outside). And their level in the blood is in direct proportion to the frequency of breastfeeding and how long the baby works while receiving food. The prevention of lactose deficiency can be the refusal or restriction of the consumption of cow's milk and products based on it. Additional drinking - up to 0.5 liters after each feeding - can stimulate the production of breast milk.

The problem of lactase deficiency can be solved by various lactagon drugs. Only a doctor decides on the selection of the right remedy. Perhaps it will cost to adjust the mother's day regimen or to dispense a vitamin complex. The main thing to remember is that a woman who is in a calm state, has enough rest and sleeps well at night, is able to provide her baby with breast milk in the required amount.

Read more: How to increase lactation and improve the quality of breast milk for a nursing mother?

Diet of a nursing mother with diathesis

Babies are more likely to suffer from the appearance of diathesis. This disease is characterized by skin rashes, which is a sign of an allergic reaction. The presence of such a sign serves as a serious argument for the mother to think about the content of her menu. Everything eaten by a lactating woman affects the quality of breast milk and, therefore, the health of the baby. A well-chosen hypoallergenic diet for moms can correct the problem.

With diathesis, overseas fruits, chocolate and other foods that can aggravate the disease are immediately excluded from the diet. It is advisable not to eat eggs, products containing cow's milk, tomatoes, spices, garlic and onions. Caution should be exercised when consuming corn, carrots, cabbage, red fruits, legumes, grapes and plums. These foods may contain diathesis-causing allergens. Therefore, it is important to observe and compare which of the food you eat provokes the disease.

Enrich your meals with cereals, vegetable broths and lean veal soups. Eat apples, herbs, etc., drink herbal teas. Observations show that diathesis is most often provoked by an allergen that is part of cow's milk. This is a good reason to exclude milk from a nursing mother's diet. All issues are resolved individually with a doctor.

The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist

Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).