Can a nursing mother eat sweets and which ones to choose?

Can a nursing mother have cow, Raffaello and others candies? Many young mothers ask this question. From this article you will learn what candies and in what quantity can be consumed by a nursing mother, and how to replace candies in the first month of breastfeeding without harm to yourself and the baby. We’ll also tell you how to introduce this delicacy into the diet of a nursing woman.

It is not recommended for a nursing mother to eat chocolates for the first six months after giving birth.

Why do you crave candy when breastfeeding?

Nursing mothers often experience irresistible cravings for sweets. This is explained by the fact that women during breastfeeding spend a lot of energy on producing milk and caring for the baby. Sugar, being a source of fast carbohydrates, helps the body replenish energy reserves. In addition, carbohydrates promote the production of serotonin, the happiness hormone. Therefore, after eating a piece of chocolate or candy, you feel a lift in mood.

Those breastfeeding mothers who experience postpartum depression or lack of sleep are most drawn to sweets. Try to get enough sleep with your baby during the day. The quantity and quality of breast milk depends on the emotional background and rest of the nursing mother.

Rules for nursing women on chocolate consumption

If you use some rules formulated by doctors, then a nursing mother can consume chocolate. The list includes:

1. Exclusion of the product in the first trimester of the baby’s life. It is during this period of time that the child adapts to the world around him, and the body gradually begins to grow stronger.
2. Before using on an ongoing basis, it is recommended to check for allergies in mother and baby. The first time it is better to eat a few grams and check the body’s reaction after a few weeks. Only if there are no negative reactions, the dose can be increased to 25 grams.
3. Chocolate for breastfeeding should consist only of natural ingredients without dyes. It is better to opt for the bitter variety.

Another opinion on the topic of whether a nursing mother can have chocolate was expressed by the famous pediatrician Evgeniy Komarovsky. According to him, a woman’s diet when breastfeeding should remain familiar, that is, without changes. You just need to reduce the volume of some ingredients. Therefore, according to him, a nursing mother can have chocolate, but in a small dose and with compliance with the intake requirements.

When and in what quantity can a nursing mother consume chocolate?

Once a reliable answer has been received to the question whether chocolate products can be consumed while breastfeeding, it is necessary to determine at what point and in what quantity it can be eaten.

The first attempts can be made as early as 4 months of a newborn’s life. During this period, the child’s body is already stronger, so it will be easier for the mother to cope with a new product in the diet.

However, you should not consume sweets in large quantities. You need to start with a few grams. As the child grows and there is no allergic reaction, the volumes can be gradually increased.

When, why and what sweets should a nursing mother not eat?

During the first month after giving birth, a nursing mother should limit sweets in her diet. It is prohibited to consume factory-made sweets. The ban is due to the fact that the sweets contain chemical additives and substances that can cause allergies in infants. In addition, the large amount of carbohydrates contained in sweets puts a strong burden on the infant’s gastrointestinal tract, which is not yet fully formed.

Due to the composition of licorice root, licorice candies are contraindicated for nursing mothers.

It is not recommended to use sweets for diabetics “Sula” containing fructose during breastfeeding. Sweeteners promote the production of insulin in excess in a healthy person. This can have negative consequences for the health of a nursing woman in the form of diabetes.

What to do if a mother ate too much candy during breastfeeding?

If the baby does not have allergies, then sweets should not be completely excluded from the diet of a nursing mother. It is best to eat sweets little by little so that you don’t have to break down, since this is more harmful for the mother than for the infant.

If it turns out that you have eaten too much candy, then feed the baby as usual, just watch the skin, stool and breathing.

If the baby has an allergy, the pediatrician will prescribe symptomatic treatment and the suspected product will need to be limited or excluded for at least two weeks.

What can you replace your usual treat with?

An excellent alternative to sweets would be such sweets as:

1. Marshmallow. When breastfeeding, you should choose this product with a natural composition. It should not contain dyes, preservatives, flavors or other chemical additives. Avoid options with chocolate.
2. Marmalade and pastille. Breastfeeding mothers should purchase these natural-colored products. Natural colors include all pastel colors. You should not use marmalade and marshmallows of bright, saturated colors. Such shades indicate that the product contains chemical dyes.
3. Halva. Use moderation when using this product. It is very high in calories. Limit yourself to a small piece during the day.

Composition and types of chocolate

There are several types of chocolate: white, dark, milk. According to calorie content and composition, sweetness is divided into white, bitter and milky. What makes white chocolate unique is that it contains no cocoa, despite being reminiscent of the dark variety in taste.

Milk chocolate is loved by many women. It contains cocoa, vanillin, and milk powder. This type is rich in protein content.

Dark, dark chocolate when breastfeeding contains the highest content of cocoa beans. A quality product must contain at least 70% cocoa.

The composition of chocolate and its types are varied. The content of alkaloids, tryptophan, and carbohydrates is beneficial to the child’s body. But adding milk, nuts, palm oil or gluten is not always necessary for a child. The consequence may be a strong reaction of the body to several components simultaneously.

Ingredients of chocolate on packaging:

• Dark. Contains cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter.
• Milky, white. Cocoa mass, milk, sugar, cocoa butter.

The cost of a useful product cannot be low. Reduction in price indicates the addition of flavorings, taste enhancers, and low-quality raw materials, but high cost does not guarantee quality. It is important to study the composition and expiration date before use.

What kind of sweets are possible during breastfeeding and from what month?

When choosing sweets, pay attention to the composition, focus on naturalness. Homemade sweets without chemical additives in moderate quantities can be introduced into the diet of a nursing mother from the first month.

Cow

Doctors have differing opinions about these sweets. Most are sure that this delicacy can be included in the diet of a nursing woman when the baby is three months old.

Candy manufacturers may use chemical additives to reduce the cost of their goods. Therefore, homemade Korovka candies will be healthier than factory-made ones.

The butter cow contains milk in large quantities, which can cause allergies in the baby. In case of lactase deficiency in an infant, these sweets should not be included in the diet of a nursing mother.

Now let's prepare Korovka candies ourselves at home.

Homemade Korovka sweets for a nursing mother.

To do this you will need:

• Real condensed milk - 3 tbsp.
• Cream 20% - 100 ml.
• Sugar - 130 g.
• Butter - 30 g.

Preparation:

1. Combine sugar, condensed milk and cream in a heavy-bottomed non-stick saucepan or frying pan.
2. Place over high heat and stir constantly with a spoon until the mixture boils.
3. Once it boils, reduce the heat and continue stirring vigorously until the vigorous boiling stops.
4. Now add the oil.
5. The mixture should bubble but not boil.
6. Now you can stir less often, but do not leave the stove.
7. Cook the Cow for about 30 minutes.
8. To check readiness, take a small amount of the mixture on a spoon and place it under cold water. If the contents of the spoon have frozen, then immediately remove from the heat and place in molds or place on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. And if the mixture stretches, cook a little more.
9. Let the candies cool at room temperature and then refrigerate for about 1 hour.
10. Remove the candies from the molds or cut them into one mass if you have them on baking paper.
11. You can eat, bon appetit!

Chocolate

When breastfeeding, introduce chocolate into your diet with caution, as the product is highly allergenic.

It is better to make the first samples of chocolates when the baby is six months old. Start with sweets without fillings, maybe with truffles, as they have a simple composition. Filled sweets contain many ingredients, which means that if an allergy occurs in a baby, it will be difficult to determine what exactly caused it.

Rot Front bars

These bars contain not only natural ingredients, but also nutritional supplements. This product is high in calories, so people with diabetes and obesity should not eat it in large quantities.

Rot-Front bars contain peanuts, and they are one of the strong allergens and the consequences of an allergy to them are unpredictable. Therefore, before introducing these bars into the diet, it is recommended that a nursing mother find out if any of her relatives have a peanut allergy. In addition to peanuts, allergies can be caused by egg powder, soy flour, and milk, which are part of Rot-Front bars.

It is recommended to introduce these sweets into the diet of a nursing mother when the baby is four months old.

Caramel

Nursing mothers should choose caramels and toffees with natural ingredients. You can eat these treats little by little 1 month after giving birth. If the baby does not have allergies and tolerates sweets normally, then the recommended daily intake is no more than 3 sweets. Caramels with exotic fillings like mango and lime should be excluded from the diet of a nursing mother. They can cause allergies in infants. Avoid caramels with coffee filling. Caffeine excites and overloads the nervous system, which will cause sleep disturbances in an infant.

"Raffaello"

Almonds and coconut flakes, which are part of Raffaello sweets, are strong allergens. Chemical additives in these sweets will lead to intoxication and problems with stool in the form of diarrhea or constipation in an infant.

This delicacy should not be included in the diet of a nursing mother if the baby has been diagnosed with lactase deficiency.

Raffaello sweets should not be included in the diet of a nursing woman until the baby is three months old.

Read more about what sweets you can eat while breastfeeding on our website.

Table: what sweets can a nursing mother eat in the first month after birth, at 2, 3 and 4 months

Candies "Romashka" and "Bird's Milk" are not recommended for use by nursing mothers under six months due to their chocolate content.

When choosing candies without chocolate, pay attention to the composition. The more E in the composition of preservatives, dyes and food additives, the later such a product should be introduced into the diet of a nursing woman, but not earlier than three months.

Until six months of breastfeeding, avoid alcoholic sweets with liqueur and cognac. These sweets contain neither liqueur nor cognac. Most often, alcohol (40%) and special aromatic essences of the cognac type are added. This additive is obtained through a chemical reaction. These sweets can harm the fragile body of an infant.

Reviews from those who ate chocolates and cows during breastfeeding

Marina, 29 years old

I started with one chocolate candy a day when my son turned 5 months old. After a month I could already eat 4-5 things a day. We are not allergic to chocolate.

Natalya, 33 years old

I eat “Korovka” sweets from Roshen and breastfeed. The doctor told me that sweets are not only possible, but also absolutely necessary for a nursing mother to eat.

Oksana, 26 years old

I have a strong craving for sweets. The baby was three months old, I ate a piece of chocolate for Christmas. The child developed a terrible diathesis! Almost a month has not passed.

Recipe for homemade sweets that you can eat while breastfeeding

Homemade sweets prepared according to the specified recipe will be much healthier than store-bought ones. They are free of harmful food additives and can be eaten from 3 months of breastfeeding.

Compound:

• 250 gr. dried apricots;
• 250 gr. prunes;
• 200 gr. walnuts;
• 200 gr. raisins;
• 100 gr. coconut flakes;
• slice of lemon.

Preparation:

1. Rinse dried fruits thoroughly.
2. Using a blender, grind the dried fruits one by one until you obtain a viscous consistency.
3. Chop the walnuts with a knife and add to the dried fruit mixture.
4. Add lemon juice to the resulting mixture; it will reduce the cloying taste.
5. 50 gr. Combine coconut shavings with the resulting mass.
6. Place the rest of the shavings on a plate. Roll the candies in it on all sides. Place the treat in the refrigerator for several hours.