After the birth of a baby, a woman is recommended to adhere to a certain diet. When breastfeeding, many familiar foods will have to be abandoned for a while, because the baby's reaction to them can be negative. This manifests itself, as a rule, in the form of abdominal pain or rashes on the skin. To avoid this, it is recommended to replace delicious chocolate candies, cakes and pastries with dates and prunes. About whether dried fruits can be breastfed and which ones, we will tell in our article. Be sure to dwell on how quickly after childbirth they are allowed to enter the diet and how they are useful for the body of a woman and a child.
Dried fruits in the diet of a nursing mother
At the stage of lactation and in the first weeks after birth, the womanโs menu is dietary. The diet mainly includes cereals cooked on water, boiled meat, sour-milk products. But milk, pastries, coffee, chocolate and other sweets are excluded from the menu, as they can cause a child to colic and allergies. Most of these products are recommended to be introduced into the motherโs diet after the baby is 1 year old. However, for the usual sweets there is a very useful alternative - dates, dried apricots, prunes, raisins, etc. Dried fruits can be and should be consumed during breastfeeding. They will make the composition of milk richer in the content of vitamins and minerals.
When breastfeeding, it is recommended to introduce any products into a womanโs diet gradually, each time observing the babyโs reaction to them. And dried fruits are no exception. If their use causes a child to have redness of the skin, itching, irritation or abdominal pain, these products should be immediately excluded from the diet.
It will be useful for nursing mothers to know that dried fruits are very useful for breastfeeding. Thanks to them, it is possible to improve the condition of hair and nails, increase immunity and mood, improve the digestive tract, which is especially true for constipation. Dried fruits are a whole natural pharmacy. That's just to use them properly, so as not to harm the health of the baby.
What dried fruits can I breastfeed?
Almost any vegetables and fruits can be dried and dried. And most of them a nursing mother can include in her diet, without fear for the health of the baby. If we talk in more detail about what dried fruits can be breastfed, you should start with the dried fruits of those trees that grow in the local region: apples, pears, raisins, dried apricots, prunes. They are well tolerated by the body and practically do not cause allergic reactions.
In addition to the above fruits, dates, dried bananas, figs, dried cherries and cranberries will be equally useful. Natural dried fruits are prepared in such a way as to preserve a maximum of vitamins and minerals in them. This is a great alternative to pastries and chocolates.
What dried fruit can be in the first month after birth?
Dried and dried fruits to a nursing mother can be included in the diet in moderation. With the unlimited use of dried fruits, the following negative reactions may occur:
- Allergy. It is impossible to predict how the baby's body will react to a particular product. In children prone to allergies, skin rashes may appear even after the mother has consumed dried apples. Other babies tolerate even the fruits of citrus.
- Digestive upset. Some dried fruits, such as prunes and figs, have a laxative effect. They cause bloating and stool disorder not only in the mother, but also in the baby.
In the 1st month of breastfeeding, it is advisable to completely abandon dried fruits, so as not to provoke intestinal colic in the child. During this period, rose hips and dried apples are considered the safest. They are allowed to be used already from the first days of the baby's life, at the stage of lactation. Decoctions prepared from these fruits will increase the amount of breast milk and enrich it with vitamin C.
In the second month of breastfeeding from dried fruits, dates can be included in the diet. They rarely cause any negative reactions. Dried apricots and raisins in this period can be consumed only in the form of compotes and decoctions. It is also advisable to refrain from prunes until the baby is 8 weeks old. Gradually, figs, dried pears and other fruits can be added to the menu. As a rule, all children calmly tolerate dried fruits by the age of three months.
Dates and their benefits for the body
Some dried fruits during breastfeeding increase the amount of milk produced. These include dates - tasty and healthy edible fruits of the date palm. It is very important to include them in the diet during breastfeeding. The fact is that dates contain substances that stimulate the production of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for successful lactation. In addition, the use of these dried fruits contributes to:
- strengthening immunity;
- increase mood, relieve fatigue;
- the formation and strengthening of bone tissue;
- improving memory and stimulating brain function;
- bowel cleansing;
- normalize the acidity of the stomach and eliminate heartburn.
It is recommended that a nursing mother eat up to 5 dates per day. You should choose fresh and high-quality fruits with a smooth, slightly shiny surface. They should not have crystals of sugar or mold. Before use, dried fruit must be doused with boiling water.
Mom's raisins in breastfeeding
Dried grapes contain a large amount of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. Regular use of raisins improves skin condition and complexion, smoothes fine wrinkles, and heals tissues, including postoperative scars. And all this thanks to the flavonoids contained in it - substances that fight the free radicals that are dangerous to the body.
Raisins are among the recommended for breastfeeding dried fruits. It is useful for the body of a nursing mother as follows:
- maintaining heart function;
- suppression of hunger;
- vascular improvement;
- strengthening the immune system;
- raising vitality;
- improvement of well-being and mood;
- normalization of the nervous system.
Both light and dark raisins in many respects surpass fresh grapes, since they rarely cause bloating in a child. In addition, such dried fruits do not contain aggressive fruit acids that adversely affect tooth enamel and gastric mucosa. To benefit the body, a woman is recommended to eat up to 50 g of raisins per day.
Prunes for a nursing mother
Dried plum has long been known as a folk remedy in the fight against constipation. Dark blue shriveled fruits have a mild laxative effect on the intestines. It is these dried fruits that pediatricians often recommend to a nursing mother if she or the infant have problems with the digestive tract. Prunes have the following beneficial properties:
- normalization of stool and elimination of digestive problems;
- bowel cleansing;
- increased appetite;
- strengthening the walls of blood vessels;
- removing harmful cholesterol from the body;
- improvement of blood composition;
- prevention of atherosclerosis.
Before eating dried fruits, you need to find out in advance with the pediatrician when these dried fruits can be introduced into the diet during breastfeeding. In the first month, prunes are recommended to be completely excluded from the menu. From the second month it can be used only in the form of compotes. And only after the child is 3 months old, prunes can be eaten in their pure form, but not more than 2-3 pieces per day. The fact is that the laxative effect it causes may be too strong for the infant.
The benefits of dried apricots
Among all dried fruits recommended for breastfeeding, dried seedless apricots are distinguished by the richest vitamin composition and a high content of nutrients vital for the human body. The orange color of dried apricots is due to the presence of beta-carotene in it, which along with vitamin A is responsible for eye health and visual acuity. In addition, dried apricots contain B vitamins, as well as C, PP, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. All these substances are equally useful for a nursing mother and baby, since they have the following effect on their body:
- normalize digestion;
- prevent the formation of blood clots;
- improve the structure of the skin;
- help strengthen the heart muscle;
- stabilize blood pressure;
- participate in the removal of excess fluid from the body;
- stimulate the activity of the nervous system.
Enter dried apricots in the menu can be 2 months after birth. On the day, it is recommended to eat no more than 100 g. Otherwise, when overeating dried apricots overeating, the risk of a child's allergies and intestinal upsets increases. When choosing a product, it is important to pay attention to the fact that natural dried apricots are dark orange or brown. Too bright a shade of dried fruits suggests that a large number of chemicals were used to dry them.
Can nuts be breastfed?
An equally important source of vitamins and minerals for a nursing mother is nuts. They contain a whole complex of fatty acids necessary for normal human life. Like dried fruits, it is also recommended to include nuts during breastfeeding in your diet, but only enter them on the menu gradually. Some of their types can cause an allergy in a child. They must be consumed strictly in moderation.
The most useful for nursing mothers are walnuts and cashews. On them, the child is least likely to have an allergy. The daily rate of walnuts per day is 4-5 pieces. They should be introduced into the diet starting from the half of the core, gradually increasing their number over the course of a week. Eat nuts should be in the first half of the day, watching the reaction of the crumbs during the day. Similarly, cashews are introduced into the diet.
Nursing mother should not try nuts in the following cases:
- with allergies to this product;
- in the presence of rashes on the skin of unknown origin;
- with a tendency of the newborn to allergies.
It is worth noting that walnuts are often recommended by pediatricians as a means of increasing the fat content of milk and improving its quality characteristics, enriching it with amino acids, vitamins and complex proteins.
Dried fruit compote recipe for breastfeeding
As you know, warm drinking helps to improve the quality of milk and increase its quantity. In addition to the traditional black and green tea, it is recommended that mom to strengthen lactation 15 minutes before feeding, drinking a glass of dried fruit compote. Itโs not difficult to cook it:
- Dried fruits (200 g) put in a small bowl, pour boiling water and leave for 5 minutes.
- After the specified time, the soaked fruits should be transferred to the pan. Pour dried fruit with clean water (1.5 l). Put the pot on medium heat.
- After boiling water, cook the compote for 2 minutes, adding sugar to taste.
- Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside. Let the compote infuse for 2-3 hours.
Dried fruits in the first month of breastfeeding should be consumed with great care. Therefore, compote prepared on their basis can be replaced with a useful decoction of rose hips and dried apples. You can cook it according to the following recipe:
- Prepare a wide-necked thermos. Pour rosehip (2 tbsp.) And a glass of apple drying into it.
- Boil 1.5 l of water in the kettle.
- Pour dried fruit in a thermos with water.
- Let the compote brew for 6 hours, but it is better to leave it overnight. Due to the fact that the drink is not brewed, but insisted, the vitamin C contained in the rosehip does not have time to break down, while the palatability of the fruits during this time is fully revealed.
Useful sweets with cottage cheese and dried fruits
Thanks to dried fruits during breastfeeding, every nursing mother can please herself with a tasty and healthy treat. Candies prepared according to the following recipe can be prepared with any filling. But they are especially tasty with raisins or prunes. A step-by-step recipe consists of the following steps:
- Grind long cookies (100 g) using a rolling pin or in a blender until crushed.
- Grind cottage cheese (100 g) through a sieve.
- Pour raisins and prunes (50 g) with boiling water for 15 minutes. Then dry the dried fruits and, if necessary, cut into small pieces.
- Combine the cottage cheese, a little sugar and half a cookie crumb. Form balls from the resulting mass. Slightly flatten them in the palm of your hand, put inside the filling of raisins or prunes. Form the balls again.
- Roll the prepared sweets with the remaining crumb, then put in the freezer for 15 minutes. If desired, coconut can be used as a breading.