Your pregnancy must have been fraught with dilemmas as to whether you can consume a particular type of food, and you might have been looking forward to delivery just so you can go back to eating whatever you want. Unfortunately, there are some types of food that mothers should not consume even while breastfeeding their baby.
Fishes have been the cause of a lot of confusion among mothers during the time of pregnancy. Similarly, you will need to think long and hard before cooking fish or including it as a part of your meal even when you are breastfeeding. Some types of fish are dangerous, while others are healthy- so choose wisely. In this article, let us take a look at which types of fish are harmless, and other aspects related to including it in your meal plans.
Actually, it has been found via extensive research that consuming fishes while breastfeeding is actually necessary for the health of the child. This means that you will have to increase your fish consumption so that your child grows up to be healthier. However, you need to remember that the fish should not contain any harsh chemicals, like mercury.
Fishes have a range of important vitamins and nutrients, like EPA, DHA and vitamin D. Fishes are also rich in iodine, magnesium, iron and copper, all of which play a huge role in the development of your child. Therefore, you must definitely add it to your meal plan in order to make your baby healthier.
It was actually found that the children of mothers who consumed fish during breastfeeding were healthier than the ones whose mothers did not touch it during the course of pregnancy and breastfeeding. Therefore, fish is a definite yes during the time of lactation.
There are a lot of benefits to having fish when you are nursing your baby. Some of these are given below.
Therefore, it is a good idea for women to consume fish when they are breastfeeding, for the health of their child. However, the fish must be safe to consume.
While consuming fish is important for the benefit of your baby, it also important that you check whether the fish is safe before eating it. There are a lot of side-effects to consuming fish:
You can check whether the fish is fresh by simply observing the outer surface of its body. If the scales are shiny and firm, it means that the fish you have is fresh. Else, if it looks dull and unappealing, you should not buy the fish.
There are a lot of safe fishes for breastfeeding moms, which contribute effectively towards the health of your child. These include:
Similarly, there are some types of fish not recommended to eat while breastfeeding for mothers. These contain harmful chemicals like mercury, which can affect the health of the child adversely. These include:
Some food items like eggs, milk and yoghurt are now fortified with Omega-3s, but they contain only ALA- while it does provide some benefits, you will not get EPA or DHA from these food items. Flaxseed is also another food item with ALA. Therefore, you will have to opt for omega-3s supplements in order to get the required amount of the nutrient.
Even though fish can provide a lot of nutrition and health benefits to your baby, you need to be careful about whether it contains any harmful substances before consuming them if you are nursing. The harmful effects far outweigh the benefits, so check thoroughly before you eat fish- else, opt for supplements.