Breastfeeding Nutrition
Breastfeeding nutrition is largely ignored and the health of our mothers and their baby's suffers as a result. If you are breastfeeding or pregnant and planning to breastfeed, the following information will quite literally save your health.
Breastfeeding is best for your baby, but is it best for you?A commonly held misconception in our society is that as long as you avoid alcohol and caffeine, your diet doesn’t matter while you’re breastfeeding. But if you ask any dairy farmer or animal breeder they will tell you in no uncertain terms that diet and nutrition do matter, both for the mother and her litter. Animals born to nutritionally deficient mothers do not thrive and are prone to disease and are often formula fed to avoid this.Better breastfeeding nutrition is one of the answers to this problem. Learn about the foods which make or break your nutrition while breastfeeding and the supplements you should avoid or consider using. The following information is essential for:
Pregnancy and breastfeeding is the single most effective way to nutritionally bankrupt yourself. Your body donates large percentages of essential nutrients to your baby to ensure them the best possible start in life - and you wouldn't have it any other way. However, if your nutrient stores were marginal before you fell pregnant due to illness, dieting, medication, partying, stress or a poor diet, the nutritional demands of pregnancy followed by breastfeeding can be catastrophic to your health. I believe that this is one of the reasons that post natal depression, allergies and an inability to breastfeed for many, many reasons abound in our society today. Traditional cultures and societies understood the toll that pregnancy and breastfeeding has on a mother. Most of these cultures and societies had special nourishing foods, foods often held in sacred regard by the tribe for their nourishing effects upon health. Women were fed these special nourishing foods before, during and after pregnancy to ensure that both mother and child started their life together healthy and happy. Breastfeeding nutrition was widely practiced in traditional cultures. In our society when a woman has a baby we take her chocolates to the hospital. Many women are so overwhelmed and tired in the early months of motherhood that they fall into the trap of depending upon foods that provide that instant "sugar hit" for instant energy to get them through each day. These sugar laden, processed foods only serve to deplete nutrients essential for the health of a mother and her baby. It's no surprise that many women struggle to breastfeed in our society. While the feeding and positioning techniques provided by a lactation consultant are important factors in ensuring successful breastfeeding, I believe that breastfeeding nutrition is even more crucial and all but ignored by the majority of health professionals. Or even worse, health professionals perpetuate the myth that diet and nutrition are not important or that the answer lies in a single ‘pregnancy and breastfeeding supplement’. Breastfeeding Super Foods Many of the ‘sacred’ nutrition super foods used by our ancestors and traditional cultures are foods that most of us would turn our noses up at today thinking them to be disgusting. Breastfeeding Super Star Nutrients These are the nutrients essential to successful breastfeeding and a happy, healthy mother and child. Avoiding Nutritional Bankruptcy Breastfeeding Diet
The Problems with Politically Correct Nutrition Politically correct nutrition told us that eggs where cholesterol containing killers and should be avoided like the plague only to end up with egg on their faces when eggs where recently redeemed for the super food they are. Politically correct nutrition is responsible for our current health crisis with skyrocketing rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease which are crippling our health care systems. Supplements For Breastfeeding Mothers Here are some of the supplements that may be helpful for breastfeeding mothers and the supplements you should avoid Common Breastfeeding Problems Mastitis, cracked nipples, thrush, fatigue and depression can all impact upon your ability to breastfeed and enjoy your new life as a mother. Many, if not most can be successfully treated with natural remedies and super foods. Breastfeeding Nutrition Links and Other Breastfeeding Resources Australian Nursing Mothers Association Selected articles:
Selected articles:
“Let's keep in mind the ultimate goal. The goal is healthy children—not breastfeeding for the sake of breastfeeding and not convenience feeding with store-bought foods—but healthy children. It is a goal that requires wisdom, dedication, patience, hard work and mutual support among breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding mothers." Sally Fallon and Mary Enig Successful Breastfeeding...And Successful Alternatives Thank you for visiting the Natural Health Hub and Breastfeeding Nutrition. Please return to visit soon, exciting new links will be added every few days. Yours in good health
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