Essential Feeding Mother Diet Chart for New Moms

17 Sep Essential Feeding Mother Diet Chart for New Moms

Becoming a new mother is an exciting time that comes with many changes. It is also the time when new mothers find it difficult to balance their health and nutrition while coping with the demands of motherhood. Firstly, you have to understand well that caring for a postnatal mother is very much essential and will help them to recover well after childbirth. New mothers have to take care of their newborn children and prioritize their well-being, which can be done by adopting healthy eating habits. Best Dietician and nutritionist Dr. Reema developed the feeding mother diet chart to provide lactating mothers with the vital nutrients they must consume during this crucial phase. 

Best Food for Breastfeeding or Lactating Mothers

Breastfeeding is considered the most intimate connection between a mother and her newborn. This phase is very important regarding emotional and physical nutrition, as you must understand that you are what you eat. It is a vital part of your post-delivery healthcare as you, as a mother, are responsible for feeding your baby and offering them proper nutrition. The nourishment a breastfeeding mother provides her child directly depends entirely on her diet. Breastfeeding is when a mother’s body screams out for extra nutrients and calories. It is essential for lactating mothers to consume a nutritious diet to ensure babies get proper nutrition. 

Calories Needed for Breastfeeding Mothers

Breastfeeding mothers must ensure proper nutrition to ensure that their babies get the best nourishment. It is vital for them to take care of what they eat or drink, as it will pass into their breast milk and transfer directly to their children. According to the best nutritionist and dietician, Dr. Reema, breastfeeding mothers typically need extra calories while nursing. This extra calorie amount depends on many factors, including weight, exercise, metabolism, and how frequently you breastfeed. Generally, most breastfeeding mothers require about 450 to 500 extra calories, approximately 2500 calories daily. However, following your hunger without worrying about postpartum weight gain is best. The best nutritionist, Dr. Reema can help you with this by maintaining a healthy weight. Many lactating mothers feel extra hungry, which is natural as your body works nonstop and produces breast milk for your newborn. This makes you think about eating more and more meals every day, along with snacks in between. You must choose to eat healthy snacks to keep your hunger in check and increase your energy levels. 

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Indian diet for lactating mothers

• According to the best nutritionist, breastfeeding mothers must follow a good diet plan as it helps them to increase breast milk and its quality. Below is the list of foods that should be added to the Indian diet for lactating mothers. There are also some foods that a breastfeeding mother must avoid. Also, are you aware that a lactating mother needs an extra intake of 550 calories per day? The reason behind this is that they produce two to three liters of milk daily, so mothers need to have a wholesome, nutritious diet. Let us discuss the diet for lactating mothers.

1. Lactating mothers must include foods that are rich in iron; these include: 

• Cereals include rice flakes, rice bran, puffed rice, buckwheat, whole wheat, maize, and oats.
• Pulses include soya beans, chickpeas, red kidney beans, whole green gram, sprouts, cowpeas, black and Bengal gram. 
• Nuts and seeds, including cashew nuts, almonds, dried coconut, sesame seeds, figs and raisins. 
• Fruits and veggies like gooseberries, guava, oranges, lime, sweet lime, tomatoes, and broccoli are good sources of vitamin C and enhance iron consumption.

2. Lactating mothers must include foods rich in calcium. 

• Cereal grains like Ragi 
• Pulses and legumes include Black gram dal, Bengal gram whole, moth beans, kidney beans, and soya beans.
• Green veggies include cauliflower, curry leaves, turnip greens, drumsticks, mustard greens, betel, and tamarind leaves. 
• Nuts and oils include walnuts, almonds, dry coconut, pistachio, and poppy seeds.
• Fruits like dates, apricots, apples, and raisins. 
• Dairy products like curd and milk 

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1. Lactating mothers must include  foods rich in protein 

• Lean meat like chicken breasts, fish, and eggs 
• Dairy products, such as low-fat milk, curd, paneer, and cheese, are also available.
• Try out soya like Soya milk, tofu, soya bean chunks, or granules.
• Nuts like walnuts and almonds, along with unsalted groundnuts. 
• Beans and pulses like red kidney beans, chickpeas, green gram, and cowpeas. 
• Mixed grains like green and dried peas, split gram dal, and sprouts.

      2. To increase breast milk, lactating mothers must add fruits and veggies. 

• Green leafy veggies like radish leaves, mustard leaves, green mint, colocasia, parwal, spring onions, broccoli, dry lotus stem, 
• Fruits like apricots, apples, pomegranates, bananas, chikoo, pineapple, watermelon, green papaya, grapes, mangoes, and oranges are also good choices. 

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Foods to avoid for breastfeeding mothers 

There are also some foods that lactating mothers must avoid as these can cause indigestion, gas trouble, and allergy and can make your baby uncomfortable. Avoid having foods that are 

• Deep-fried and fatty foods
• Alcohol 
• Excessive tea and coffee 
• Avoid junk foods

Some women also have issues with their postpartum weight. Although breastfeeding burns ample energy, it can take many months to get back to your normal weight, so be patient. Dieticians will also help you shed extra weight later on, so avoiding strict diets and skipping meals during your lactating phase is advised because you can miss out on vital nutrients. 

Conclusion

The best tip for breastfeeding mothers to stay healthy is to consume fresh, home-cooked food. It is recommended that they eat five kinds of veggies and three types of fruits daily and drink two glasses of milk daily. According to the best dietician and nutritionist, Dr Reema, eating a healthy diet while breastfeeding is essential because what you eat determines your newborn’s health. A healthy diet ensures optimum milk production and helps keep a mother’s health in check. Dr Reema is a registered dietician and nutritionist in Delhi who offers fundamental lactation nutrition education to help new mothers by guiding them. She will assess your current diet and guide you by improving it by keeping lactation nutrition in mind. The listed Indian diet for lactating mothers will promote breast milk for about six months, which will help your baby’s cognitive skills and development. It is always better for you to consult the best nutritionist, like Dr Reema, post-delivery to get a balanced diet chart, including Best Food for Breastfeeding Mothers, with good macros and micros and added fluids, which will be helpful.