Many women advocate for breastfeeding in daily life. After giving birth, they choose to breastfeed to ensure their babies grow up healthier. However, new moms should remember that when you need to breastfeed, you must be extra cautious about everything. For instance, there are certain foods you absolutely cannot eat, as they can harm your health and also affect your baby's well-being.
Breastfeeding Women Should Avoid These Foods
1. Pickled Foods
These foods typically contain high levels of salt. While salt enhances flavor, it also prevents rapid spoilage. Moderate consumption is generally harmless, but excessive intake during breastfeeding can harm both mother and baby.
The high salt content in pickled foods can strain the kidneys, impairing kidney function and potentially raising blood pressure. During the postpartum recovery period, excessive salt intake can pass through breast milk into the baby's system. Babies' digestive systems are underdeveloped compared to adults and cannot handle high salt levels, which may disrupt digestion and compromise their health.
New moms seeking to avoid excessive salt intake should not only steer clear of pickled foods but also reduce salt in daily cooking. Aim for a consistently light and low-salt diet.
2. Fried Foods
Many people love these foods for their crispy exterior and tender interior—they're incredibly delicious! However, new moms who are still breastfeeding should steer clear of them.After all, these foods undergo repeated frying, absorbing significant amounts of oil and becoming extremely greasy. A new mother's digestive system is still recovering, so consuming greasy foods can easily lead to indigestion. Furthermore, it may hinder wound healing—such as for C-section incisions or episiotomy wounds—which require adequate recovery time. Therefore, new mothers should avoid fried foods.
For instance, break the habit of eating fried dough sticks or fried cakes for breakfast; when dining out, steer clear of fried chicken burgers; and for snacks, avoid French fries and potato chips, opting instead for raisins or similar healthier options.
Classic Lactation-Boosting Recipe for Postpartum Mothers
Recipe Name: Silky-Skin Chicken Soup
Main Ingredients: 1 silky-skin chicken (approx. 2 pounds), 25g astragalus root, 15g each of codonopsis root and goji berries.
Supporting Ingredients: Chopped scallions, shredded ginger, cooking wine, and salt to taste.
Cooking Method:
1. Slaughter the live Silkie chicken, remove feathers and internal organs. Rinse the abdominal cavity thoroughly until all blood is removed, then drain. Cut into small pieces and set aside. (Note: If you prefer not to slaughter it yourself, request the vendor to process it at the market for an additional fee.))
2. Place the chopped chicken pieces into an earthenware pot. Add the appropriate amount of seasonings and mix thoroughly with chopsticks or a soup spoon.
3. Rinse the prepared Chinese herbs and gently layer them over the chicken pieces. Pour in a small amount of water, cover the pot, and prepare to steam it.
4. Finally, place the earthenware pot on the stove. Add an appropriate amount of water, place a steaming rack inside, set the pot on the rack, cover it, and steam for half an hour.
4. Finally, place the iron pot over the stove, add an appropriate amount of water, insert a steaming rack, then set the clay pot on the rack. Cover and simmer for half an hour. If you feel the meat isn't tender enough, you can lift the lid, select a piece to taste, and if it's still underdone, continue steaming for a bit longer before removing.
This soup is especially beneficial for women recovering from childbirth who are feeling weak. Beyond restoring energy, it promotes milk production. So if new mothers struggle with low milk supply due to physical exhaustion, this soup is an excellent choice.