If you’re breastfeeding your baby, you’ve made a good choice for a healthy start. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be breastfed or given expressed human milk in preference to other sources of nutrition, such as formula. Once you’re ready to wean your child, however, you may need to make some changes in your diet to prevent weight gain.
Breastfeeding Nutrition
When you are breastfeeding, your diet should contain calcium-rich foods, as well as foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, protein and carbohydrates; you should limit caffeine and alcohol, as they can affect your baby. The nourishment from breast milk comes from the mother’s diet, and a nursing mother needs an extra 400 to 500 calories a day, according to the University of California at Berkeley. Once you stop breastfeeding, however, those extra calories can cause weight gain.
Beverages
A breastfeeding mother needs more fluids – the equivalent of an 8-ounce glass of water eight times a day – according to UC Berkeley. When you wean your child, choose plain water over higher-calorie beverages. You no longer need to restrict your caffeine intake, but remember that beverages such as soda or coffee with sugar and cream add calories. Medline Plus suggests restricting your alcohol intake to no more than one drink a day: 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.
A Healthy Diet
In a healthy diet, according to MayoClinic.com, 45 percent to 65 percent of your calories should come from carbohydrates, 10 percent to 35 percent from protein and 20 percent to 35 percent from fat. MayoClinic.com recommends eating less saturated fat and using healthy oils such as olive oil, as well as ensuring that you eat about 22 to 28 grams of fiber a day. To decrease your calories once you stop breastfeeding, cut out between-meal snacks or change from a higher-calorie snack, such as toast with peanut butter, to an apple or carrot sticks.
Calories
Eat the number of calories recommended for your height, body size and age. Women ages 15 to 50 need about 2,200 calories a day, compared with 2,700 to 2,850 a day when nursing, according to Ann Calandro, a registered nurse and lactation consultant. Pay close attention to portion size, since larger portions contain more calories. Fat can increase calories; if you drink milk, try low-fat or reduced-fat milk rather than whole milk.
References
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk
- University of California at Berkeley: What to Eat When You Are Breastfeeding
- Medline Plus: Alcohol Use and Safe Drinking
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines
- Medline Plus: Caffeine
- Breastfeed.com: Q&A: Weight Gain and Weaning
