Foods to Avoid During Nursing

Foods to Avoid During Nursing
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There is a lot of conflicting advice regarding what to avoid eating while breastfeeding. According to the La Leche League, no foods are strictly off limits, but there are some guidelines to assist you in making the best choices for the nutrition of you and your baby. A healthy, well-balanced diet is encouraged.

Allergies

A woman with a strong family history of allergies may want to avoid known allergens while pregnant and nursing. Pay attention to your baby for negative changes in behavior related to certain foods. You may need to try eliminating items from your diet to narrow down what is causing discomfort in your child.

Caffeine

It is a good idea to limit the amount of caffeine consumed. Caffeine can build up in a baby's system, and their immature bodies do not process it well. If there is a relationship between taking in caffeine and the baby being fussy, you may want to cut it out completely for a while.

Alcohol

An occasional drink is fine while breastfeeding but two or more drinks in a row will cause alcohol to be detectable in breast milk. If you plan on having more than one drink at a time, feed your baby before having your drinks and wait two hours per drink before resuming breastfeeding to avoid any alcohol getting to the baby.

References

Article reviewed by JudithT Last updated on: Oct 3, 2010

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