Foods To Avoid While Breastfeeding

Most foods are safe to eat while breastfeeding, mom only needs to start looking at her diet for culprit foods after she has considered other reasons why baby might be cranky…check out the breastfeeding a fussy infant page to find out whether you should change your diet or change something else.

If you think that it's definitely the food in your diet causing the discomfort in baby you can try illuminate one culprit food at a time, until you find the one that might be causing the problems.

The food that you eliminate might take two weeks before it’s completely out of your system. If the gassiness, fussiness and crying does not change with specific food elimination you can rest assured that most babies will usually stop having these types of problems from about three months when their digestive systems start maturing.

The fussiness, if caused through your breast milk is usually the result of something that was eaten three to six hours ago…this will give you kind of an idea on what could be causing the problem.

Your baby’s tolerance to the specific food will change as he gets older and as his system matures. It is best to delay giving the problem food to baby before 12 months, then after this mom can start giving small amounts.

- Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish, king mackerel is the most important food to avoid while breastfeeding (These fish contain a high mercury content)

- Tuna (No more than one tuna steak or two 170g cans a week)

- All fresh water fish that come from places that are known to be contaminated. Read more on eating fish while breastfeeding

- Stay away from artificial sweeteners like saccharin (a sucralose sweetener is safe)

- Stay away from processed foods, they contain too many additives

- Alcohol is allowed in small amounts (Read more on drinking alcohol while breastfeeding )

- The extra fat on meat should be cut off because it absorbs toxins.

- Coffee (limit to two cups a day) or other caffeinated foods and drink. Read more on breastfeeding and caffeine

Avoiding common food allergens can decrease the risk of your baby developing allergic reactions. Not all foods affect all babies in the same way…each mom and baby are different. If you or your husband have any allergic reaction to a specific food, then it's best to avoid that food while breastfeeding.

Common foods to avoid during breastfeeding that are found to cause colic and fussiness in baby

- Extra fussiness

- Constipation or diarrhea

- Abdominal bloating and gas

- Excessive spitting up

- Colic symptoms

- Diaper rash

- Runny nose

- Eczema

Read more on how to handle food sensitivities in the breastfed infant

If you are going to be eliminating something like dairy from your diet you will need to see a dietitian so that they can help balance your diet, also remember to keep taking your vitamins. Any deficiency in your diet can lead to your baby becoming malnourished too.

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