How important is a healthy diet for mother and baby?
Nutrition plays a major role primarily for the health of the nursing mother. The health of the child is also secondarily strongly influenced by the diet and especially by the intake of toxins such as alcohol or nicotine. Therefore, a healthy diet and the avoidance of such toxins are very important, especially during the breastfeeding period. The consequences of malnutrition of the mother are also clearly noticeable for the child. Milk production is restricted and the child does not receive important nutrients.
Special foods
During pregnancy, raw meat should be avoided due to the risk of infection with toxoplasma. This infection, which can also be caused by cats, sometimes leads to severe and irreversible damage to the unborn child. However, this risk no longer exists during the lactation period, which is why it is not necessary to avoid raw meat as a matter of principle.
Raw meat, for example in the form of tartar or a steak, is quickly perishable, so that it should be eaten as soon as possible after purchase. Sufficient cooling is to be ensured for short storage. Consumption of raw meat, especially spoiled meat, can lead to gastrointestinal infections in the mother, which are not dangerous for the baby, but can severely restrict breastfeeding.
Many women refrain from eating spicy foods during their breastfeeding period for fear of harming their child. However, this does not have to be the case.Pungent spices are not harmful to the baby’s health. In fact, some foods and spices can lead to a sore bottom in an infant, but this should be tested.
If a mother feels that her child has not tolerated a particularly spicy food, she can simply leave out the food or spice. However, it is not necessary to give up completely in advance. Raw milk cheese should not be eaten during pregnancy, nor should raw meat and products containing raw eggs.
During the breastfeeding period, however, the consumption of raw milk cheese is harmless. During pregnancy, women are particularly susceptible to infection with Listeria, which is mainly caused by the consumption of products containing raw milk. This can lead to complications in the unborn child.
However, this risk no longer exists during the breastfeeding period, so that the raw milk cheese can be consumed again. During the breastfeeding period, small amounts of coffee, about one to two cups a day, are harmless. There is no need to take a break between coffee consumption and breastfeeding.
However, higher quantities of coffee can be problematic, as small amounts of caffeine pass into breast milk. This can lead to hyperactivity in the infant and problems falling asleep. For this reason, the amount to be drunk should be reduced to one or two cups a day if possible. The same also applies to caffeinated drinks such as cola or iced tea.
