Some women who choose to breastfeed want to provide the best quality of milk for their baby. Although, the arrival of the baby is a joyful time, it can also become overwhelming when the demands of parenting kicks in.  Moms' may be sleep deprived and still recovering from giving birth that it may be easy to fall of the clean eating train ... Am I right? I'm here to tell you that's okay. So, what can we do help moms' who are breastfeeding? At Gucciardo Specific Chiropractic and Natural Health Center we would like to share some helpful nutrition tips for breastfeeding moms' because you'll need the right types of food to keep up with the physical demands of caring for your little bundle of joy.

You may have been told after the pregnancy you can eat ANYTHING  you want! ... However, it's important to keep in mind that your diet does impact the quality, quantity, and nutritional content of the breast milk.  Breastmilk that is rich in nutrients can help protect the baby from tummy bugs, colds, ear infections, urinary tract infections, help maintain a proper weight, and boost your babies immune system by providing probiotics and good bacteria from your body.  Just like when you were eating a healthy well-balanced diet during your pregnancy, eating healthy while breastfeeding is also important. Moms' who are breast feeding should focus on eating fresh fruits, good sources fats, and foods filled with rich essential vitamins and minerals. It's important also to keep an eye out if your appetite increases during breastfeeding and if you're eating regularly, and what is it that you're eating?

Good Sources of Fats: The fat content in breast milk plays a big role when it comes to moms' diet. The sources of fat you consume will become the main source of fat in your breast milk. A few good sources of fat you can incorporate in your diet are avocados, olive oil, and grass-fed butter. You can also add good sources of Omega 3's and Omega 6's to your diet such as purified fish oil, hemp seeds, and flax seed oil.Essential Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium is important both during pregnancy and breast feeding. Great sources of calcium include, broccoli, rich dark leafy greens, like collard greens and swiss chard, oranges, and almonds. In addition, vitamin D is also essential during breast feeding. However, a good source of vitamin D comes from the sun which we may not get enough access or direct contact with. Thus, a vitamin D supplement may be needed. Drink plenty of water: Staying hydrated is very important, because breast milk is mainly water, a lactating mom needs to replenish her body by drinking water regularly. Teas are also okay but, water is the better choice! Food Allergies: If someone in your family or partner has a food allergy, you may want to hold off on eating those foods while you're breastfeeding.  Avoid Contaminants: If toxic ingredients are  in your food it can become a stress to both you and the baby. If you want you can try to shop locally, for what's in season, check out the "Dirty Dozen," list of produce that are highest in pesticides.

When trying to determine what to eat during breastfeeding it may be difficult or confusing at times but at Gucciardo Specific Chiropractic and Natural Health Center we can help  you with some guidelines along the way. Give our office a call today and let us help you balance out your diet to keep both you and your baby happy and healthy!