Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding

While it is a good idea to eat a varied diet during the postpartum period, some foods tend to irritate the baby's stomach and are better off avoided. This varies from baby to baby, some will have stomachs that are more sensitive than others. Just about everything goes through the breast milk, so some care is required.

You will notice that your baby is gassy, colicky and fussier than normal when his tummy is upset. He may also spit up or vomit frequently. When this happens, it isn't necessarily related to food, but you might notice that it only happens when you eat chocolate, for example. If this is the case, the obvious solution is to eliminate the irritating food from your diet and see if that helps.

As each baby is different, there is no use in saying "don't eat this, stay away from that", but there are a few foods to watch out for when you are breastfeeding. When you notice that your baby has an upset tummy, check to see if you had one of these troublemakers shortly before.

Chocolate has long been a guilty party in baby colic. Some women find that drinking hot cocoa or a carob drink can help ease the problems, while still satisfying the craving for chocolate. You might want to avoid this one from the start if you have had problems with chocolate and a previous fussy baby.

Avocado is also said to cause problems with upset stomachs in babies, as it reacts with other ingredients in the breast milk. Avocado is an excellent nutritional fruit, however, so if your baby doesn't seem to mind it, go ahead and include guacamole in your diet. It provides plenty of vitamin C and healthy fats.

Greasy foods, such as potato chips and fries should be on your bad food list anyway, if you are breastfeeding, since they are high calorie and low nutrition. The grease can also cause problems with the breast milk and irritate tiny tummies.

Condiments seem to be particularly difficult for babies to handle, so you might want to limit your use of them. At the very least, try one at a time so you know which ones cause problems, since it can be very hard to diagnose if you load your plate up with all the problem foods at once!

Onions and garlic tend to be a source of trouble for many breastfeeding mothers. Raw onions or garlic tend to be quite strong and they can really flavor the breast milk. Your baby may refuse to nurse after you have eaten one of these powerful vegetables. The strength will be diminished by cooking, but these two common condiments still might upset your little one's tummy.

There's no need to cut out all of these foods, but do pay attention to how your baby reacts after you have eaten them. If you find that he is particularly intolerant of one or more, it will help a lot to cut these foods right out of your diet. You will both be happier.