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Breastfeeding mothers should limit caffeine and avoid alcohol and peppermint, which can reduce milk supply. Babies may develop allergies to certain foods, but most mothers can eat anything without harming their baby. Some mothers avoid foods that may cause colic or gas, but it varies by culture.
In most cases, the list of foods to avoid while breastfeeding is short. Although it is usually found in beverages, most nursing mothers tend to limit the amounts of caffeine they consume. Also, alcoholic beverages should be avoided, unless the mother is planning to discard alcohol-affected breast milk. Additionally, peppermint is believed to reduce breast milk supply, so it should generally be avoided. Some babies also develop allergies, so when the allergen is discovered, those would be foods to avoid while breastfeeding.
Caffeine will not harm a nursing infant if consumed by the nursing mother in limited amounts. Most lactation advocates believe that a mother can safely consume about 2 cups (about 476 milliliters) of coffee per day without affecting the baby. If the mother drinks more caffeine than that, she can cause increased sleeplessness in the baby. Caffeine is found in many sources, including coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and chocolate. Chocolate may seem harmless, but since it’s found in so many products, including candy, pudding, cocoa, cookies, and icing, it can put a nursing mother over the recommended limit for caffeine.
Although alcohol is not a food, it is often listed as one of the foods to avoid while breastfeeding. If a nursing mother were to consume multiple alcoholic beverages, it could cause serious permanent damage to a baby. Many mothers tend to avoid alcoholic beverages altogether, while others rule out breast milk that is affected by alcohol. In the meantime, they can give the baby breast milk that they had previously pumped and stored.
Peppermint is often listed as an ingredient to be avoided while breastfeeding as well. It is believed to reduce a mother’s breast milk supply. As a result, a nursing mother should avoid peppermint teas, sweets, cough drops, or foods made with peppermint oil.
Typically, most breastfeeding mothers can eat almost any food item without harming their nursing baby. If a baby develops an allergy to a specific food, it may take time for her to discover which food is causing the problem. Some of the more common offenders include dairy, soy, wheat, tree nuts, and eggs. If a baby or her mother is not allergic to these products, it is not necessary to add them to the list of foods to avoid while breastfeeding.
Some babies also suffer from colic or gas. Although colic or gas can be a natural event, some people believe it comes from the food a mother has eaten. As a result, many mothers avoid foods like onions, garlic, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, cherries, broccoli, and prunes. Sometimes avoiding these products reduces colic or gas symptoms, other times it makes no noticeable change. Also, while avoiding beans may be common in some cultures, such as the United States, nursing mothers in other cultures, such as Africa, would never dream of avoiding such foods.
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