Nutrition for the Nursing Mother
December 9, 2006 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under health of the mother, nutrition
Five years ago, I thought I ate healthfully. Then I got pregnant and I started paying more attention to the foods I ate and how they affected the fetus. I redoubled my efforts to eat a well-balanced and varied diet of foods, and I investigated organic fruits, vegetables, dairy and meats. I made small changes, including switching to whole-grain breads and eliminating corn syrup from my diet. I continued to make improvements after my baby was born and I was breastfeeding her.
When my baby was ready for solid foods, I learned even more about nutrition. I naturally gravitated away from jarred baby food because I found it easier and more appetizing to offer her freshly-prepared whole foods. She would eat bits of mashed banana or avocado. When she could pick foods up by herself, she enjoyed eating small pieces of steamed broccoli. After a wide variety of foods had been safely introduced, she graduated to eating everything the rest of the family ate.
My husband enjoyed the changes we were making in our diets. Once he realized that he felt better and better with each change, he whole-heartedly supported my efforts. He discovered that organic foods often taste better than their conventionally-grown counterparts, and we chose organic options whenever we could afford them (but particularly for the milk, meat, and those fruits and vegetables on the top 10 lists for pesticides). We joked about Operation EMV, also known as Operation Eat More Vegetables!
Recently I discovered the existence of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm that delivers locally-grown, fresh-picked organic produce. Each week over the summer I received another box of goodies. I was happy to be getting organic foods, and I enjoyed trying a wider variety of fruit and vegetables. When I tried a new recipe for creamed summer squash, my four-year-old commented, “This is so yummy. It must be the patty pans!” I had to laugh because just a week before that I hadn’t even known what a patty pan was!
Has your diet changed since you became pregnant or started nursing? Do you choose organic options for some foods?
We joined a CSA this year, too, and it’s been great. It’s sometimes a cooking challenge, but the produce tastes great and they often have “u-pick” crops, which is fun for kids.
I think it’s wonderful for children to learn where and how their food is grown. Our CSA offered a tour of their farm last fall and my kids really enjoyed it.