These five foods should be avoided while breastfeeding

Breast milk is extremely nutritious and is believed to be integral for a newborn's survival, especially during the first six months of their life. Therefore, it is important to understand the nutritional requirements of a lactating woman. A new mother may get exhausted soon after giving birth to a kid if she does not receive appropriate care during her pregnancy. Lactating mothers require a healthier diet and more nutrition. This increased intake is essential for the production of colostrum, which is followed by the body producing breast milk. While the composition of breast milk is tightly regulated by a woman's body only, research suggests that what a new mother eats does have some effect. In general, nothing should be completely avoided by lactating mothers. Instead, women should have a balanced and varied diet. Still, there are some foods and beverages that should be consumed in limited amounts while breastfeeding.As Breastfeeding Week 2022 is about to end, let's have a look at award-winning nutritionist Lovneet Batra's post where she writes about the things that should be consumed in limited amounts by lactating mothers:Coffee: Coffee is a very well known source of caffeine and babies find it difficult to break down and get rid of caffeine. Consequently, large amounts of it could accumulate in your baby’s system over time, causing irritability and sleeping issues.Peppermint: Some herbs are believed to reduce milk supply. This includes peppermint. These herbs are known as anti-galactagogues.Alcohol: Abstinence from alcohol is the best option during breastfeeding. Alcohol inhibits your milk ejection (let down) reflex. Thus it becomes harder for the baby to get your milk. Moreover, alcohol consumption can reduce the infant's milk intake by 20 to 23 percent and lead to infant agitation and poor sleep patterns.Avoid Unpasteurized milk products: Any raw food can become a source of infection. It is well known that drinking unpasteurized milk increases the risk for acquiring C. jejuni infections. So, consumption of unpasteurized milk may lead to food poisoning where bacteria may reach the breast milk and cause infection in the baby as well.Artificial sweeteners: It’s better to include 10-15grams of jaggery and avoid artificial sweeteners.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.