Foods To Avoid While Breastfeeding - Happy Family Organics

Read time: 6 minutes

What should I know about foods to avoid while breastfeeding?

• Recognize which foods are safe to enjoy now that you’re breastfeeding

• Which foods and ingredients are risky and why

As with pregnancy, what you eat while breastfeeding is key to your baby’s nutrition.1,2,3 It’s important to continue making healthy choices emphasizing whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean protein, low fat dairy (or non-dairy alternatives), nuts and seeds.

Maintaining healthy eating habits while breastfeeding will not only keep you and your baby well nourished, but will also support baby’s developing (and lasting) taste for healthy foods.4,5

Read more: Picky Eating: Taste Imprinting During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Good news: Many of the foods you had to avoid during pregnancy you are now allowed to eat! This is because a breastfeeding mother is no longer at higher risk for contracting foodborne illnesses and because your physiology and babies’ are not nearly as connected as they were when baby was in utero.6

What are foods you can eat while breastfeeding but had to avoid while pregnant?

• Raw or undercooked eggs, fish, meat and poultry (Continue to practice good food safety)

• Deli meats, charcuterie, and hot dogs (be mindful that these foods are often high in sodium and nitrates)

• Pâté, meat spreads, smoked seafood and mayonnaise-based salads made in a store, like egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad or seafood salad

• Unpasteurized dairy products, ciders, and store-bought unpasteurized juices

Learn more: What To Eat While Breastfeeding

What about honey while breastfeeding?

You can continue to eat honey, even though your baby cannot. Honey and some corn syrups pose a risk for babies under the age of 1 due to the potential for botulism, a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by the botulinum toxin.

The good news is that a breastfeeding mother’s gastrointestinal system usually destroys any present spores before entering her bloodstream and breastmilk. If the botulism spore does get through her intestines, it is too big to enter breastmilk.7

Do I need to avoid ‘gassy’ foods while breastfeeding?

Acidic foods (like citrus fruit and tomatoes), spicy or strong-flavored foods (like garlic or hot sauce), and “gassy foods” (like broccoli and cauliflower) are often associated with baby gassiness and fussiness, but they are no more likely than other foods to bother babies.8,9,10

In fact, there are many other reasons a baby may be gassy that has nothing to do with the foods you are eating.

Know that unless you see a direct relationship between specific foods and the same reaction in baby every time, there is no need to limit your diet.

If you are wondering why your little one may be gassy or fussy, our team of registered dietitian nutritionists, fellow moms, and lactation specialists, are available from Monday – Friday 8 am – 6 pm (ET) to help figure out what may be going on. Chat now!

Think your baby is reacting to something in your breastmilk? Read more here.