The virtues of breast milk over other types of infant feeding is determined especially by its composition, since it adapts to the needs of the infant and varies throughout lactation, throughout the day, and even during each feeding.
For this reason, and due to the beneficial effects for the development of the baby that this intimate act between mother and her child offers, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of the baby’s life and continue with the breast , along with other foods that complement the diet, up to two years or more, as long as mother and child wish.
But for mom and baby to enjoy all the benefits of breastfeeding, it is not necessary to follow any special diet nor is there any prohibited food during this stage, according to the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP), although it has been shown that the aroma of some Food changes the taste of breast milk.
No forbidden foods
According to the Lactation Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP), women who breastfeed do not need special diets: this implies neither eliminating nor adding any food: “The best diet comes from a healthy and varied diet, avoiding additives and contaminants. Only in some cases, due to illness or nutritional problems, can the doctor advise some supplements “.
And he adds that it is proven that the aroma of food passes into milk and can change its smell and taste , but there is no food prohibited during breastfeeding.
The AEP explains that it may only be necessary to avoid a specific food if the baby shows some type of discomfort (vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, discomfort or rejection of milk) repeatedly, after eating it by the mother.
There are also no mandatory foods during breastfeeding. A healthy and varied diet is recommended, as in any other time of life, and to satisfy hunger, without resorting to an excess of sweets or snacks.
Changing taste throughout lactation
And having said all the above, the conclusion is that breast milk does not have a unique flavor, but it changes according to the foods that mother eats, but also the stage of lactation in which she is, the way to extract it … without That means it is better or worse.
Why the idea that the baby prefers a neutral flavor to drink milk without qualms when it has been shown that when faced with a new flavor, they even breastfeed more eagerly?
In fact, they do not know milk with a neutral flavor and they get used to its different tastes from the moment they are born:
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Colostrum, the first milk, still contains little lactose, so it tastes more salty.
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If there is engorgement or mastitis, the milk is more salty. Some children may not like it and reject it, but it is a temporary situation.
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The expressed milk has a more sour and powerful taste on the palate, due to lipase, an enzyme that is responsible for breaking down the milk fat so that it is better digested by the baby.
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Also some foods that contain volatile substances or essential oils that give the milk bitter aromas and flavors that the baby may not like (such as garlic, cabbage, asparagus, onion …). The list of foods not recommended for that reason is very extensive, and even changes depending on the country or source, which would imply that Mom could hardly eat anything.
The advisable thing is to let yourself be carried away by common sense and your own experience. If you notice that the baby makes faces of displeasure or drinks less milk, you can look for an alternative or reduce the amount of that food that you suspect he does not like.
And just the idea recommended by the AEP is the opposite: follow a healthy diet, which includes all kinds of fruits and vegetables, so that the baby gets used to all the flavors and thus, when at six months he starts with solids, no you will miss the flavors.
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