6 Foods for Breastfeeding Moms to Avoid

Are you wondering if there is any particular food you should skip when breastfeeding? We’re rounding up 6 foods for breastfeeding moms to avoid!

Remember how you had quite a lengthy list of foods to avoid during pregnancy? The good news is, there are really no specific foods breastfeeding moms should avoid mainly because breastmilk is not made from what a mom eats.

“Breastmilk is made in the breasts, directly from a mother’s blood. It is not made directly from the food she eats,” La Leche League explains.

IBCLC-certified lactation consultant Lindsey Shipley tells The Bump the same thing, saying that most breastfeeding moms can continue eating the foods they usually eat. The important thing for breastfeeding moms is a well-balanced diet and moderation.

The more varied a mom’s diet is the better chances that your baby will be exposed to a variety of flavours–helping them become more open to different foods later on.

Now, while you can eat nearly everything, breastfeeding moms still need to set limitations on what to eat because certain foods can affect your milk supply. influence the taste of breast milk. Keep reading to find out 6 foods for breastfeeding moms to avoid!

6 Foods For Breastfeeding Moms To Avoid

1. Alcohol

For the longest time, breastfeeding moms have been told not to drink alcohol at all costs because alcohol passes through breast milk. The latter is a fact, which makes drinking while nursing your baby isn’t ideal.

And if you drink alcohol, it’s not only potentially harmful to your baby’s development and growth but can also impact your milk supply. John Hopkins Medicine also highlights that alcohol “may inhibit your milk flow and reduce the number of milk babies get.”

However, alcohol isn’t a complete no-no. If a breastfeeding mom intends to drink, John Hopkins Medicine recommends waiting two hours after having one drink. Even the CDC says that moderate alcohol consumption of one drink per day is safe for infants.

What is a drink? It’s 12 ounces of 5% beer, 8 ounces of 7% malt liquor, 5 ounces of 12% wine, or 1.5 ounces of 40% liquor.

Why wait for two hours, you ask? This is because alcohol levels are highest in breast milk 30 to 60 minutes after drinking. But do note that the more you drink, the longer you have to wait until you can safely breastfeed again!

2. Caffeine

If you’re a new mama, caffeine is often the one thing helping you get through the craziness and newness of caring for a newborn. However, be careful with your coffee refills, as babies–especially newborns–can be sensitive to caffeine. In general, it’s safe to consume 1-3 cups of coffee per day or up to 300 milligrams per day.

While you may feel energized after your fourth cup of coffee, your baby may act jittery, anxious, or even irritable. If you notice this, it’s a good idea to dial down your caffeine intake. Do note that caffeine moderation doesn’t just apply to coffee but caffeine-rich beverages like tea and soda.

3. High-mercury seafood

While seafood is healthy, certain seafood contains high levels of mercury that can be dangerous to babies. Mercury is a known neurotoxin–a substance that alters the nervous system–that can affect a baby’s brain, so watch out for swordfish, tilefish, bigeye tuna, ahi tuna, shark, and king mackerel.

If you’re craving seafood, a safer option would be shrimp, salmon, and catfish because of their low mercury content.

4. Herbs such as peppermint, parsley, and sage

Herbs are healthy, so why are some of them must be avoided by mamas? While herbs like peppermint, parsley, and sage can help amp up the flavor of your favourite dishes, studies reveal that they also cut or decrease your breast milk supply. Peppermint, for instance, is known as an antigalactagogue that even peppermint candy can have a negative impact on a nursing mama’s milk apply.

5. Processed foods

If you have managed to avoid processed foods and junk foods during your pregnancy, try to keep it up during your breastfeeding journey. With all the unhealthy fats, sugars, and lack of nutrients in them, avoiding them ensures you’re getting healthier foods. But even better, it also increases the chances of your child favoring a healthier diet later on.

6. Cabbage

Did you know that cabbage is widely used as a remedy for breast engorgement and to control breast milk oversupply? Although there’s no solid scientific study to support this, many mamas have shared the wonders of cabbage to manage the overproduction of milk and help them wean their babies. That said, it won’t hurt to avoid eating too much cabbage in order to keep your breast milk supply stable.

Enjoy Your Breastfeeding Journey with Mama’s Choice

Breastfeeding is a journey taken on by many mamas, with no two mamas’ journey the same. However, many mamas also share a common experience in their breastfeeding adventure and that is sore and cracked nipples!

To help support mamas in this wonderful journey, we created Mama’s Choice Intensive Nipple Cream to relieve sore, dry and cracked nipples due to breastfeeding. Our nipple cream for breastfeeding is also specially formulated to be safe for the little one. In fact, you don’t even need to wipe it off before breastfeeding!

Food grade and free of harmful chemicals, we ensure that you can 100% focus on your baby and not worry about the safety of our nipple cream.