BEST DIET CHART FOR LACTATING MOTHER’S

It’s no secret that the newborn baby derives all the nutrition from the mother’s milk. So, the mother’s nutrition and diet are equally important to the baby, if not more. Whatever the mother eats is being utilized in lactation. So having a wholesome diet becomes more important during this time than ever in a women’s life. Women search on the internet, for ‘lactating mother’s diet chart’ and get lost for hours, without gathering some solid information in the end. Budding Star would like to end the confusion, once and for all. We are sharing lactating mother diet chart Indian for Indian mothers. This vegetarian diet plan for breastfeeding mothers is easy to follow and includes food items that are easily available in your kitchen.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

Foods to include in Indian Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers

Foods to avoid in Indian Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers

Indian Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers

This article is for new Mothers who breastfeed their baby and for To-be Mothers. The post describes Indian Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers. Now days, most of the mothers opt to breastfeed as breast milk provides best nutrition to the baby. Even WHO recommends that breast milk should be continued to be part of a child’s diet, up to 2 years of age and beyond. Before describing the Food chart for breastfeeding mothers, let’s read the benefits of breastfeeding.

It’s no secret that the newborn baby derives all the nutrition from the mother’s milk. So, the mother’s nutrition and diet are equally important to the baby, if not more. Whatever the mother eats is being utilized in lactation. So having a wholesome diet becomes more important during this time than ever in a women’s life. Women search on the internet, for ‘lactating mother’s diet chart’ and get lost for hours, without gathering some solid information in the end. Budding Star would like to end the confusion, once and for all.

Benefits of breastfeeding a baby:

• Breast milk contains all the nutrients the infant needs for proper growth and development.
• It promotes brain development of baby.
• Breast milk is a great way to improve and increase immunity in kids, because it contains antibodies and white blood cells, which boost the immune system and help the body to fight against diseases.
• It also helps Mothers in shedding their post- pregnancy weight more easily.

Thus, it is recommended to breastfeed a baby at least up to 6 months. It can be extended along with solid diet, and it is no harm if one pursues breastfeeding up to 2 years of age and beyond. Do remember Moms! Your baby’s growth is the utmost thing and it all depends on you. So, go ahead and nurse your baby for as long as it feels right to you. The longer you breastfeed, the greater the protective effects.

We all know whatever a mother eats a food, a baby can taste it in her milk. So, in a way a baby eats whatever goes in his/her mother’s tummy. Thus, a breastfeeding mother need to be very cautious about her diet. But it doesn’t mean that anything you eat or drink while breastfeeding can cause colic (indigestion) to your baby. There could be many other reasons of colic like if your baby not being latch on well, or swallowing milk too fast, and inhaling too much air.

Before penning down Indian Diet Plan for Breastfeeding mothers, let us first find the list of foods that you should include and avoid while Breastfeeding.

Foods to include in Indian Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers:

Those days are gone now when a mother was made to eat khichdi and porridges for months post-delivery. But now, diet plan for lactating mother includes all the best part of traditional and modern diet. Let’s find out list of foods that can be included in Indian Diet Plan for Breastfeeding mothers.

So, here’s an Indian diet chart for lactating mothers:

1.  Proteins:

Add Masoor dal, green moong dal, paneer, and kidney beans to your diet if you want protein in your diet. If you are looking for a vegetarian diet plan for lactating mothers, pulses have to be there. Every post-partum Indian diet during breastfeeding should have protein in it.

Non-Vegetarians Mothers can include eggs, fish, and boiled chicken as per your preference. All include a lot of protein to nourish and support your baby’s growth and to have a steady supply of milk.

*Avoid curd in the first two months after delivery and can start consuming it from 3rd month onwards.

2. Liquids:

When you breastfeed, your body experiences plenty of loss of fluids as breast-milk comprises 90% water. To make it up this loss, a lactating mother should consume enough liquids. You should have at least 8 glasses of water in a day. Intake of liquids also helps in milk production. If it is not enough, it may lead to dehydration, lesser production milk, constipation, dry skin, etc.

You can take water (fennel seeds, ajwain), coconut water, vegetables soups, spinach soup (good source of iron), bottle gourd, beetroot and carrot juice (good source of iron). To quench your thirst, add mint or strawberry in your regular water. You can include vegetables and fruits like watermelon that have high water content in your diet.

You can have herbal teas with safe ingredients like fennel seeds, ajwain, black pepper, etc. It helps in proper digestion and shed some fat also.

*It is recommended to drink liquid half an hour prior before breastfeeding your baby as it makes you thirstier.

3. Whole grains:

They provide essential minerals which are necessary for you and your growing baby. Also, it is easy in digestion for breastfeeding mother.

You can include whole wheat flour, oats, Porridge (daliya), brown rice, quinoa, ragi, museli, khichdi, etc. in your diet chart.

* You can use sprouted grains in place of usual dry grains as they are much healthier. Try Wheat/Ragi/Bajra/Jowar. Make flour of sprouted and dried grains and use it for making porridge.

4. Iron: 

You need to replenish your iron stores in the body after delivery. So, it is essential to include iron rich foods in the Indian Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers.

Vegetarian Mothers can have dry beans, turnip greens, kale, black eyed peas, green leafy vegetables, wholegrain bread and cereals and green peas. If you will cook food in iron vessels with tomatoes, this can also provide some iron content. Almonds and walnut are again good sources. Jaggery is a good source too.

Non-vegetarian Mothers can have liver and organ meat of chicken, meat for replenishing iron content in body.

5. Vitamins:

Vitamins help in developing baby’s growth and boost milk production. Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers should include lots of green vegetables and fruits. You can have bottle gourd, spinach, fenugreek, pumpkins, Tinda, carrots, and beetroots. Fruits like apple, pear, pomegranate, papaya, etc. should be included in your diet. Nursing mothers need more amounts of Vitamin C so a diet filled with strawberries, broccoli, potatoes.

6. Calcium:

This nutrient is very crucial for the right growth of a baby’s bones hence, it should have a place in the diet chart of a breastfeeding mother. Calcium is found in spinach, kale, and mustard greens as well as turnip tops. Milk and all milk-based products like paneer are also durable in an Indian diet for breastfeeding mothers.

The Breastfeeding period can be alienated in 3 stages as below:

Stage 1. First 40 days (post-delivery)
Stage 2. After 40 days till 6 months (Remaining exclusive breastfeeding period)
Stage 3. Extended breastfeeding (ideally till 2 years)

Stage 1. Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers for First 40 days:

Immediate after delivery, the next 40 days are very crucial for a mother and baby. Extra care should be taken as a mother experiences hormonal and physical changes in her body. Her body is healing; regaining strength and producing milk.

Indian Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers :

Important Tips:

• Continue with Folic acid (500 mcg) daily.
• Take Ajwain water after half an hour of meals for healthier digestion.
• Walk for at least 10-15 minutes daily at home only after lunch and dinner.

Note: Indian Diet plan for breastfeeding mothers is framed to just give you an idea about the food items that you can include. You can make changes in timings and according to your acceptability for that food item.

Stage 2. Diet Plan for Breastfeeding Mothers after 40 days till baby is 6 months old:

Once baby turns 5 months old:

• You can have all kinds of beans, potatoes, citric fruits, idli/dosa made up of well fermented batter, onion, even moderate black pepper. Such introduction of foods in the diet will enable baby’s digestive system ready for direct solids as you can start feeding solids once baby turns 6 months old.
• All the extra breakfast or snacks can be skipped slowly now.

*At this stage don’t just rush in for weight loss as it may affect breast milk production and your health too. Remember Moms…. Exclusive Breastfeeding helps in natural weight loss….!!

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About Bharti Sapra

Bharti Sapra is an entrepreneur and mother of two angels. Her interests are reading , writing ,travelling and cooking . She loves to spend time with kids. Her mantra of life is "Always be happy and healthy".

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