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Get nutrition for breast-feeding

Nutrition during breast-feeding is vitally important, for the mother as much as for the baby. The energy, protein and other nutrients in breast-milk come from the mother’s diet or from her body stores. If there are nutritional shortages at this time the mother’s body will ensure that her milk, and thereby the growing baby, receive the necessary nutrients.

The mother’s own energy and nutrient reserves will suffer, a process called maternal depletion. All breast-feeding mothers should therefore know how to optimise their nutritional intake for optimal health.

Nutritional requirements

Normal daily requirements of some essential nutrients are compared with those during pregnancy and breast-feeding.

Nutritional recommendations during breast-feeding

Nutrient:    Calcium (1 300 mg per day)
Function:    Building material for bone as well as maintenance of the mother’s bone density
Sources:    Dairy products, tinned sardines (bones), anchovy paste, dark green leafy vegetables, almonds. Since it is unlikely that optimal daily dietary intake of calcium will be achieved, supplementation is highly recommended

Nutrient:    Magnesium (310 mg per day)
Function:    Helps with calcium absorption, building of bone tissue and muscle development and functioning
Sources:    Dark-green leafy vegetables, legumes, sardines, breakfast cereals, lean red meat, nuts

Nutrient:    Zinc (12 mg per day)
Function:    Formation of DNA (genetic material), tissue formation and maintenance in mother and baby
Sources:    Lean meat, seafood, whole grains, dried beans, eggs

Nutrient:    Vitamin B2 (1.3 mg per day)
Function:    Energy metabolism, assists growth and development of new body tissues in mother and baby
Sources:    Whole grains, breakfast cereals, dairy, eggs, legumes, nuts, green vegetables

Nutrient:    Vitamin B6 (2 mg per day)
Function:    Supports protein metabolism that forms part of the growth of new body tissues in mother and baby
Sources:    Eggs, lean meat, whole grains, nuts, dairy

Nutrient:    Vitamin B12 (2.8 µg per day)
Function:    Important for division of blood cells and may help in the prevention of anaemia
Sources:    Lean meat and poultry, dairy, eggs

Did you know?


Since it is highly unlikely that you’ll be able to achieve sufficient calcium intake to meet the increased needs resulting from breast-milk production, supplementation is vital. To ensure optimal nutritional value, make sure that your calcium supplement is formulated with magnesium and vitamin D.

Supplemental intake of 400 - 800 mg per day is recommended over and above typical dietary intake, which usually ranges from 400 to 800 mg per day.

Things to think twice about

Gas-forming and spicy foods

Some babies have colicky symptoms after their mothers have consumed very spicy foods or those known to be gas forming, such as hot and spicy curries, lentils, beans, broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts and onions.

It is therefore best to stick to mildly flavoured foods and to vegetables that don’t form gas, such as pumpkin, butternut, baby marrows, gem squash, patty pans, carrots, parsnips, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Alcohol

Although the rules regarding alcohol intake are less strict during breast-feeding than during pregnancy, it’s probably still ideal to try to avoid it. Fluid requirements are increased during breast-feeding, and alcohol is known to cause dehydration, which can interfere with fluid balance.

What’s more, alcoholic beverages typically consist mostly of ‘empty calories’, with hardly any essential nutrients, and the metabolism of alcohol by the liver utilises B vitamins, which further increases nutritional requirements.

Caffeine


As a central nervous system stimulant, caffeine should be avoided during breast-feeding. Sleeping problems in babies are common when they are breast-fed by moms who consume caffeine and other products containing stimulants.

Caffeine is found in coffee, Ceylon tea, green tea, chocolate, cola drinks, energy drinks and tonics, and some ‘over-the-counter’ painkillers.  Check the nutritional information on food labels, as well as the labels on your medications.

Food additives

Try to eat foods in their most natural form (whole foods). Where possible, avoid any foods with added preservatives, artificial flavourants, colourants, stabilisers, etc.

Nutritional supplements


Ideally all nutrients should be provided by a healthy, balanced diet. However, the increased nutritional needs during breast-feeding often require supplementary intake. Research has shown that nutrient supplementation supports nutritional status. The nutrients that most often need to be supplemented during breast-feeding are calcium, the B vitamins, selenium, vitamin C and zinc.

Which supplement is best?


Look for a multivitamin specifically designed to meet the increased nutritional demands associated with breast-feeding. Keep in mind that a multivitamin typically supplies small quantities of a large variety of essential nutrients. Since calcium requirements are drastically increased during breast-feeding, it’s essential to take a calcium supplement in addition to a multivitamin.

The multivitamin should be taken in the morning with breakfast, to support optimal absorption of all the essential nutrients. Calcium tablets can be taken at night after the main meal, as the acidity of digestive secretions after a large meal supports calcium absorption. It’s also believed that calcium is best absorbed into bone tissue while the body is at rest, and what’s more, calcium supplements are known to help support peaceful sleep.

Essential fatty acids


DHA, one of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, is a building block for healthy brain and nerve cells. Breast-milk is a vital source of omega-3 fatty acids for the baby, who needs them for optimal development of the brain tissues.

However, insufficient intake by the mother during breast-feeding is unlikely to have a negative effect on the baby’s brain development. It is the mother who will suffer the consequences, since her body will mobilise omega-3 fatty acids from her brain tissue to supply the demands for breast-milk production.

Forgetfulness and memory problems in breast-feeding women are therefore not only the result of sleep deprivation – it is often actual depletion of brain nutrients that affects memory and concentration. It’s advisable for breast-feeding women to eat fatty fish regularly, or to take salmon oil supplements that will help optimise omega-3 fatty acid intake.

Safety First

With all the negative press about potential contamination of fish oil supplements with heavy metals and other harmful toxins that should be avoided during pregnancy and breast-feeding, it is best to take Norwegian salmon oil capsules. Look out for omega-3 or salmon oil capsules that are tested safe from heavy metals and other potential toxins such as pesticides.

Flax seed oil can also be used as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, but larger doses are required because the body doesn’t convert the omega-3 fatty acids in flax seed oil into the biologically active DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids very effectively.

Brewer’s yeast


It is believed that taking brewer’s yeast powder or tablets can improve milk production in breast-feeding women. Although there is very little scientific evidence to support this benefit, brewer’s yeast is a highly nutritious food that can only do you good. It contains protein, essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements that are often difficult to obtain through regular dietary intake.

Did you know?

Most people who suffer with yeast infections such as candida avoid yeast-containing foods or fermented foods. However, brewer’s yeast tablets and powder are made from pulverised, dead yeast cells that are not biologically active and are therefore not able to induce or increase the risk of yeast infections.

In fact, the rich nutritional content of dead yeast cells is probably the reason why brewer’s yeast has been used in the prevention and nutritional management of yeast infections.

Breast is best

Apart from all the well-known physiological and psychological benefits of breast-feeding for babies, it is important to realise that there are many advantages for the mother as well.

Apart from helping her bond with the baby, breast-feeding has physiological benefits. During breast-feeding most mothers find it easy to lose any excess weight they have gained during pregnancy, simply because of the nutritional and energy demands associated with breast-milk production. Breast-feeding is also believed to reduce the risk of breast cancer later in life, epidemiological studies having shown that women who never breast-fed their babies are at higher risk of breast cancer that women who did.

With all the benefits it offers to mom and baby it is clear that breast really is best, and that optimal nutrition during breast-feeding is therefore of central importance.

ANDREA DU PLESSIS, BSC DIETETICS, MPHIL EXERCISE SCIENCE, is a registered dietician with a passion for health care through nutrition, natural remedies and a healthy lifestyle. As head of customer care at Vital Health Foods, she regularly presents talks and educational workshops on nutritional supplements and natural health care.

Follow Andrea on Twitter or ask her a question on Facebook.


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