4 Nutritional Benefits Of Vegetarian Diet For Breastfeeding Mothers
As a lactating mom, do you constantly feel overwhelmed about your diet choices? Are you a vegan worried that you may not consume all the essential nutrients? If you answered yes to these questions, you might want to read our post on vegetarian diet for breastfeeding mothers.
Vegetarians always seem to get the short end of the stick or do they? Here we look at how you can provide for your little angel, without having to turn to meat.
What Is A Balanced Vegetarian Diet?
Typically, a diet that contains all the essential nutrients like minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, etc. in a proportionate amount is balanced. A vegetarian diet helps in the proper functioning of the body. Only a non-vegetarian diet can supplement the body with essential nutrients is a myth. So, don’t worry, you aren’t falling behind your non-vegetarian contemporaries. If you plan your meals properly, then you would not need any dietary supplements.
[ Read: Best Foods For Breastfeeding Moms ]
Benefits Of Vegetarian Diet For Breastfeeding Mothers:
There are many benefits of breastfeeding vegetarian diet plan. Some of them include:
- A well-planned balanced vegetarian diet prevents chronic diseases like heart diseases, cancer, obesity, diabetes, etc. in young mothers.
- A balanced diet boosts milk production and is good for your baby.
- A balanced diet is healthy.
- A balanced diet reduces the risk of health issues like osteoporosis later in life.
[ Read: Fruits To Eat While Breastfeeding ]
Essential Nutrients For Breastfeeding Moms:
Now that we know how beneficial a balanced diet can be let’s look at some essential nutrients you will need as a lactating mom.
Iron:
Consume green leafy or cruciferous vegetables. They contain many essential nutrients and are especially rich in iron. A proper iron intake helps boost RBC production and avoids deficiencies like anemia.
Calcium And Phosphorous:
Calcium is an essential nutrient for you and your little angel. It helps your baby develop strong bones. Calcium also helps you avoid bone-related disorders like osteoporosis later in life.
Protein:
Proteins are the body’s building blocks. They promote collagen production. Collagen is the main structural protein found in animal tissue. Proteins are essential for proper muscle and tissue development.
Vitamins:
As a lactating mom, you need to include vitamins like A, C, B12, etc. in your diet. These vitamins help prevent heart problems, cholesterol related issues, and healthy development of skin, etc. Ensure you include vitamin-rich foods or have multivitamin supplements in your diet.
Carbohydrates And Fats:
Carbohydrates and fats help promote the quality of breast milk. So, include these foods in your diet to have rich breast-milk.
[ Read: Coconut Water While Breastfeeding ]
Nutrition Tips For Breastfeeding Mothers:
Here we list some nutrition tips for breastfeeding moms like you:
- Increase the amount of fluid you consume. Include juices and soups in your diet. Increase your water intake. Drink around 8-10 glasses of water every day.
- Eat nuts viz. Walnuts, cashew nuts, almonds, etc. Nuts are nutrient and calorie rich foods that have many health benefits.
- Have more milk, as it helps increase your calcium and phosphorous reserves. Consume dairy products and drink milk thrice a day.
- Fried food is not healthy, as it contains unhealthy trans fats. The trans fats increase the risk of heart problems. Moreover, fried food lacks many essential nutrients, and you should consider avoiding all fried food when you are breastfeeding.
[ Read: Foods To Increase Breast Milk ]
- Include pulses and lentils in your diet. Pulses (dal) are one of the best protein sources, and they are easily digestible. Have at least two servings of lentils every day to maintain a healthy protein level in your body.
Do you know of any other tips or vegetarian food for breastfeeding mothers?
Tell us about your tips, tricks and vegetarian recipes for breastfeeding moms here. Leave a comment below.
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