5 Best Diet Alternatives for Allergic Breastfeeding Moms
Allergy is a terrible problem for women who are breastfeeding and crave for specific nutrients that can be absolutely impossible to get from foods that you are allergic to. However, this does not mean that you have to miss on them altogether. Quite the contrary, you can easily substitute some foods with other to make sure that you do not have excessive rash while eating enough healthy food to sustain your body during the breastfeeding period. Before we start our list of dietary tips, here are some tips against allergy in general.
- Do not keep your doors and windows open. Use air-conditioning as often as possible.
- Outdoor activities should be avoided when there is too much pollen in the air.
- Shower vigorously after visiting outdoors and “quarantine” clothes.
- Dry bed sheets and clothing indoors to avoid pollen.
- Do not eat foods that may contain unknown ingredients. Rely on organic homemade meals.
- Do not drink dirty possibly contaminated water.
Allergy is obviously triggered by specific allergens meaning that you must avoid them at all costs. This especially important during pregnancy. While your own allergy will not affect your child, having hard times eating and breathing normally will most certainly affect the quality of breastfeeding and its frequency. Little toddlers have to eat a lot in order to grow strong. Insufficient nutrients will significantly reduce the ability of your body to produce milk. Note that milk production is a relatively valuable gift on its own with roughly 20% women being completely unable to produce enough breast milk to feed their babies.
Read also: Pregnancy online guide by My Canadian Pharmacy Team. Week-by-week: mycanadianpharmacyrx.com/pregnancy-week-by-week.html
Eating well and enough is the best way to ensure that your body is ready to produce as much breast milk as required by your child. Amongst drugs safe for pregnancy are some antihistamines. At the same time, you should be avoiding decongestants that are much more dangerous for young women who are pregnant or breastfeed. This means that you must not rely on allergy meds safe for pregnancy and avoid allergens altogether.
This is hard for women who want to keep their diets rich in all sorts of nutrients. It is possible to develop an allergy during pregnancy and continue having it through the breastfeeding period. However, you still need to eat food you like or find ways to substitute them with more appropriate nutrient rich foods. Let’s get rolling!
Alternative #1. Gluten-free and nutrient rich.
People with celiac disease have problems with gluten and must avoid by all means. However, gluten rich foods also provide us with fiber and antioxidants. You can easily substitute gluten containing foods with healthy alternatives that taste good. If you need some whole grain rich in fiber and carbohydrates, eat more corn, beans, lentils, and edamame. All these products are perfect as side dishes and provide you with enough nutrients to make you forget about bread and pasta.
A good source of antioxidants similar to those in gluten containing products is basil. In fact, all sorts of berries and leafy greens can be considered nutritious and healthy sources of natural antioxidants. Remember that you need wholegrain and antioxidants in sufficient amounts and getting them without eating enough substitutes is nearly impossible.
Alternative #2. No Lactose.
There are many people with lactose intolerance and this is the worst kind of allergy since so many everyday products, snacks, and popular fast food items contain lactose in one form or another. This means that you cannot get some of the most common microelements and nutrients that other people receive by simply drinking a cup of milk in the morning or eating a yogurt before bedtime. Dairy products are the most effective sources of several microelements – calcium and vitamin D. You need both to provide your child with them and not suffer from bone waste.
In order to get enough calcium, start eating more salmon, salad kale, rhubarb, and spinach. These vegetables and meat are full of calcium and will prevent you from eating chalk. The vitamin D comes from eggs, tuna, and products with artificially added vitamin D. There are also food supplements that will help you to get enough of these microelements. Without milk the very variety of possible foods shrinks to a small circle. However, this is true only for those who prefer precooked food and shop for cans and preserved foods in supermarkets. A single trip to a farmers’ market will yield you enough products to get all needed nutrients.
Alternative #3. Nutty nuts.
Various nuts are treasures full of valuable nutrients. Eating them if you have an allergy is absolutely prohibited even if you think about using allergy meds safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Nuts are healthy snacks that help athletes to get through the day without eating too much. Lots of calories, omega-3 fatty acids, and protein. Without a sufficient amount of these microelements, your body won’t have enough materials to build healthy tissue and produce milk.
To get omega-3 fatty acids, you will need to consume more vegetable oils (olive and linseed), eat salmon, and eggs. Protein comes in all shapes and colors from various sources including milk, cheese, and red meat without fat. You can also eat lentils and beans to get more protein. Substituting nuts if hard. Many diets rely solely on nuts to carry you through the day without eating three-four times. Nuts are great sources of various micronutrients and act as fundamental components of so-called lowcarb and paleo diets.
Alternative #4. Seafood.
There are poor souls with allergies for seafood. It is really hard to get some of micronutrients that comes from seafood. Fish is rich in protein, omega-3 acids, and other healthy fats. Seafood is a great source of useful antioxidants and microelements like iron. If you don’t eat enough fish and other products that come directly from deep ocean waters, you won’t have enough nutrients. Or so they say. In reality, you can find other sources of these nutrients.
Eat walnuts, eggs, and consume linseed and/or flaxseed oil to get lots of good omega-3 acids and opt for chicken and lean beef when you need a healthy dose of protein. Antioxidants can be extracted from tea, natural coffee, chocolate, strawberries, broccoli, asparagus, and many other foods. If you need a good combo of antioxidants and omega-3, make a salad with tomato, leafy greens, and cucumber with a topping of vinegar and linseed oil. Such salads can be good main dishes or snacks. If you want to make them a bit “heavier” add some nuts to the mix.
Alternative #5. What about eggs?
You don’t have to use allergy drugs safe for pregnancy to eat more eggs which are extremely efficient sources of all types of nutrients and microelements. Eggs provide you with lots of cholesterol which is an essential participant of metabolic processes. Eggs also give you protein and omega-3 fatty acids as well. No wonder we sue eggs in all culinary departments!
To substitute such an important food item, you will need to eat a variety of foods regularly. Omega-3 acids can be extracted from salmon, edible seeds, and a variety of oils. Protein rich foods are dairy products, lean meat, chicken, lobsters, calamari, tuna, lentils, beans, and many others. If you need a healthy infuse of all-important choline (cholesterol), eat more soy, pork, and cashews. Don’t forget that cholesterol is not your enemy number one (like many pseudoscientists try to convince you). Cholesterol is incredibly important for your organism and its ability to build new tissues and transfer nutrients with blood.
Conclusion
Eating healthily is a hard task for a modern mom that wants to breastfeed her child. It is important to provide a non-stop stream of milk and in order to produce enough, you will need to eat all sorts of nutrients. The list of vital microelements can go on for a while and contains a multitude of items such as calcium, vitamin D, antioxidants, iron, cholesterol, omega-3 acids, protein, fiber, and many others. It is extremely important to receive enough of each despite having allergies for specific products.
Allergy is a great enemy and you can fight it with allergy meds safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding moms, but you can also avoid allergens altogether. Stay at home as often as possible for the whole duration of breastfeeding and substitute products that you can’t eat with foods that carry the same nutritional value.
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