Absolutely all people need vitamins for a normal biochemical process in the body. For nursing mothers, additional sources of vitamins are not just needed, they are extremely necessary, especially in the spring, when stocks accumulated last summer are coming to an end.
Vitamins are organic compounds found in small quantities in our foods. They help the body in the normal metabolism, in growth, reproductive functions, the performance of tissues and organs. Each vitamin has its own function. The body, well provided with vitamins, functions perfectly, but if there is a lack of vitamins, it gives out “alarm” signals in one way or another, which often only an expert can understand.
With mother’s milk, the baby receives everything that is necessary for growth and proper development, so you need to make sure that the necessary trace elements and vitamins get into the body with milk. For nursing mothers, the best way to get vitamins is to eat a balanced diet, but often during breastfeeding, the diet is not as diverse as before pregnancy, for example, you need to completely eliminate foods that contain dyes, preservatives, spicy seasonings, as this may affect on the taste of milk. Consider what vitamins are needed for nursing mothers:
- Vitamin A (it contains dairy products, yellow and green vegetables and fruits);
- Vitamin B6 (found in whole grains and seeds, also in the required amount found in fish, pork, beef);
- Vitamin C (found in raw vegetables and fruits: tomatoes, bell peppers, melons, oranges, broccoli and many others);
- Vitamin D (can be obtained from the liver, eggs, salmon, tuna, milk).
Not only vitamins are important, for pregnant and lactating women are also needed:
- magnesium (contain nuts, wheat germ, cereals, vegetables, seafood);
- calcium (it contains cheeses, yogurt, broccoli, sardines, almonds, spinach, tofu);
- iron (found in beans, spinach, red meat, buckwheat);
- folic acid (found in the liver, yeast products, leafy greens);
- fiber (enters the body from vegetables, grains, fruits, dried beans);
- protein (found in lean meat, tofu, legumes, cheese, eggs, milk).
Calcium is very important during breastfeeding, it is responsible for the formation of bone tissue, is involved in many processes important for the body. When feeding a baby, calcium is able to “wash out” of the mother’s body, which leads to bone weakness and there may be a risk of osteoporosis. Fiber is important in helping the intestines work.
After giving birth, a woman’s energy expenditures are much higher, the usual - “pre-pregnant” routine changes, a lot of pleasant worries and troubles arise, so the need for additional sources of useful substances increases. In order to receive vitamins for nursing mothers, it is enough to enrich the diet with a large number of vegetables, fruits, cereals. If suddenly there is a need for vitamin supplements (with vegetarian nutrition), then you need to see a doctor who will help you choose the option of supplements.
Vitamins for lactating women can be contained in the required amount in vitamin drinks, which are not only tasty, but also healthy. The very first in the list of healthy ones are juices from seasonal vegetables and fruits, which are grown without any “chemistry”. Fruit compotes are not as rich in useful substances as juices, but they are very tasty, the main thing is not to delay the compote cooking process, since fruits will lose vitamins, first of all, this concerns vitamin C. In order to increase the protective properties of the body, you can drink decoctions of fruits and raspberry, mint, rosehip leaves. So it’s not necessary to swallow pills. Vitamins can be found on your own table.