Question about nutrition & BF.

[Nora'sMama]

How good is your diet? I struggle so much with eating healthy. I eat WAYYY too much sugar but can't seem to stop; it's really like an addiction. I take probiotics, calcium and DHA - and occasionally a multivite/prenatal and flaxseed oil - and I avoid trans fats, but that's about as good as I can do. I don't get enough fruits & veggies. Too much caffeine (does not seem to bother DD though).

I read (on Kellymom I think) that breastmilk will be pretty much the same no matter what your diet. But then Dr. Sears says trans fats can harm baby's brain?? What is the deal? Am I giving DD substandard BM?

Would type more but this is 1-handed 'cause DD is on the other arm & I have to take a break...

anyone else willing to admit to being a junk food junkie (or at least not a health nut) while bf? anyone think I need to shape up ASAP? Don't be afraid to be harsh on me. But I do know that this is important - it's just that I have struggled w/ food issues for a long time and right now I find it incredibly difficult to eat as well as I should.

~Elizabeth

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I never watch what i eat I eat what I want when I want. It isnt something I even worry about really. I have never had a balanced diet as far back as I can remember. I do avoid caffien tho i stopped all intake of caffien when I started ttc my first child. I do have a bit of pop now with ds but only rarely and not much at a time. I couldnt even tell u what trans fat is really :LOL. So dont feel bad at least you r trying

[jocmtl]

Hey Elizabeth,

First of all, our babies were born 1 day apart! Hooray for little pisces babies!

Second, I'm no expert. By far. I'm bfing my first.

From what I understand, traces of what we ingest end up in our breastmilk, which I suppose means the more nutrients there are in your diet, the more there are in your milk. Case in point, you must avoid most medications while you bf because they wind up in your milk. Or when my ds had a cold, my naturopath told me to take extra vitamin c so he would get some.

Whether that means that your diet so bad that your baby's milk is of poor quality, I can't say, though I really doubt it. Hopefully, someone better qualified than I am can answer that.

As for sugar, I do wonder whether it affects my ds. Last night, for instance, I totally pigged out and had 4 chocolate chip cookies before bed and I wondered if this is why he had awakened. I haven't checked for responses yet. But the thing about sugar that is bad for you, mama, is that it inhibits the absorption of nutrients, including vital calcium.

I eat pretty healthy, but I have to admit, during my pregnancy I developed a sweet tooth that is still hard to kick, and now, more than ever, I crave fast food; this is made worst by the fact that I often have no time to cook, and no time to make a decent meal for myself during the day! Golden Arches? Bring it on! To heck with my principals, I want those fries! Sigh...

Oh, and something else I wanted to mention. My naturopath goes on an on about the evils of sugar, particularly because I have hypoglycemic tendencies. According to her, and so far it's been true for me, if you eat protein regularly, sugar cravings diminish. I don't know if this applies to you, but you might want to think about whether or not you are getting enough protein.

I hope this helps!

[jocmtl]

Originally Posted by jocmtl

Hey Elizabeth

Uh, make that Melissa... blame it on sleep deprivation

No, I got it right the first time, didn't I? Yay, I'm not crazy!

[Nora'sMama]

Jo, you got it right the first time! :LOL

You're right on about the protein thing. I had a dx of GD during pregnancy and eating protein CONSTANTLY was the only thing that helped my sugar cravings (but I was still not perfect diet-wise by any means!).

Part of it is that while I had not been drinking caffeine while TTC and during pregnancy (with rare exceptions), I was so tired in the first few weeks postpartum that I started drinking a Coke a day (coffee was too strong). It seems like once soda becomes part of my life it's all downhill from there!

Pisces babies rock, by the way! DH was so scared I was going to go late and have a Gemini, apparently his astrological profile doesn't go well w/ Geminis...

CatLvr (I am too!) - thanks, it's good to know I'm not alone.

nak - gotta go

[delaneymom]

Another mama who struggles with the sugar here. I didn't know that about protein-I should find out more about that and apply it to my diet. Like a pp though-I wouldn't know a trans fat if it bit me in my butt. I did cut out caffeine when I found out I was pregnant and have managed not to add that back into my diet, and I try to think about getting all the big nutrient groups, but most days I'm sure I don't and I know I eat way too much sugar.

Do any of you worry about your habits and passing them onto your babies? That's my concern-I've struggled with my weight and eating habits for pretty much the last 20 years and I know some of it comes from watching my mom's habits (not blaming her, but it's the truth). I hate the thought of passing my bad habits to my daughter. I've started thinking about it a lot and I hope I can improve my habits now while she's still young to give her a little bit better of an example.

[its_me_mona]

Nah, you're fine! Given that breastmilk is made from what is in our blood and not in our stomachs, most of what we eat gets metabolized down to the cellular level anyhow. Well, it's more complicated than that but suffice it to say that there is relatively little in our diets that makes it into our blood and back into our breastmilk. (I'm sure that someone will come along and explain it, lol).

Substandard breastmilk? Never heard of it! You're doing great - keep it up!

P.S. I don't eat all that great myself.

[mollyeilis]

re: protein and sugar cravings...totally true.

My friend has serious liver problems and sees endocrinologists and other specialists all the time, and she's known for years (wish she'd told me earlier!) that a sugar craving is usually/often/always? the way your body cries out for energy, and the sugar thing is quick energy, but to truly feed your body, give it long-term energy in the form of protein. When I do it, eat cheese or something when all I want is CHOCOLATE, is almost always shushes that craving.


re: diet? I try to eat well for the bulk of my diet, eating whole grains and such, but don't worry if I indulge in other things. And that's b/c I worry about MY health...I figure the babe is getting best of the best and leaving me the rest.

[wendy1221]

I personally think it's very important to at least try to avoid trans fats and eat a variety of healthy foods. Water soluble vitamins definitely depend on your diet. The baby will get some no matter what you eat, but the better you eat, the better your milk. Why settle for good enough? KWIM? And trans fats will replace the good fats in your milk, including the EFA's so important for brain growth. I can find references if anyone really wants them.

Again, that's just how I personally feel about it. I don't think my friends who snack on ho ho's or whatever are hurting their babies or making them dumb by eating all that trans fat, I just choose not to do it myself. KWIM?

[heket]

First, this is but you guys have got Taurean babies, not Pisces. (Says the stubborn, bull-headed Taurean mama... :LOL )

Second, thanks for posting this! I've been feeling the same way lately. I did notice that I was slipping into the world of diet soda and have since started to cut that out. But I am a caffeine addict. I drink half-caf in the morning and I'll have a cup at work. I try to keep it at the 2 cup limit (although some days I'll push it to 3). Having 2 at and under 2 y.o. makes it hard for me to not start my working days without it.

I've been listening to my body and have decided it's time to start adding more veggies back into the diet. I was doing pretty well when pregnant, but somewhere after ds was born I slipped off the wagon. I noticed that I use to eat more than I am right now -- or at least found more ways to incorporate it into our meals. So I'm working on that.

In an attempt to be proactive for this winter's flu season, I've started taking priobiotics and upping my Vit. C, besides my Calcium & multivit. I need to add in an oil supplement, but $$ has been tight so it's slow going at the moment. I'd like to keep my immune system up so that if I do get sick or it's going around the house, I won't be down and out for long.

As for sugar cravings, definitely keep some nuts handy! I did this while pregnant because I had the same issues with junk food. Then I had read how it's your body's attempt to say it's hungry. We keep all kinds around now, which makes it easy to make your own mixes. I also treat myself to a Trader Joe's trail mix from time to time (I usually get one that has raisins and carobs if I want to be kinda, sorta good in a bad way, KWIM? )

[Nora'sMama]

Heket, my DH would laugh so hard at me if he knew I forgot Nora was a Taurus! :LOL --after talking about it so much! When is Pisces? March?

Wendy, I knew I had read that somewhere about transfats. If you have links, I'd love to check them out. A friend of mine is a PhD in biological anthropology; she studies the fat composition of primate milk! (Monkeys & humans!) She told me that the fat makeup of milk is a major contributor to brain growth. But I would really like to know how this all works. And so many people in the past 50 years have eaten trans-fat-laden diets...yet I don't think the collective American IQ has suffered as a result...(well, then I look at our president and think, maybe! - but I digress) so it just seems odd to me that it would make THAT much of a difference. But like I said, I do avoid them as much as possible.

Molly, I dunno...nothing seems to shut down the sugar jones for me except soda and/or candy! I don't eat an all-junk-food diet by any means. I usually eat a bagel for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch (healthy sandwich) and a pasta dish with protein for dinner (this is where I get my meager veggies). I snack on nuts. I drink almond milk and some organic cow's milk. But I ALSO eat a candy bar every day and at least one soda and a latte from Starbucks. If I could just replace these things with fresh fruit...or nuts, or cheese...but it ain't happening.

Mona, thanks for the support! I want to think that her milk is the best I can give her. But I can't squelch the guilt.

Delaneymom, yes, I often worry about DD picking up my poor eating habits (and DH's). I hope I can learn to eat healthier and at least hide my junk from her. I know if I drink Coke in front of her she will want some, and I'm not about to start that cycle.

[MamaTara]

Ummm...well, I hate to disagree, but I really, really do. Honest opinion? Well, as a holistic/sport nutritionist, I would have to say that our diets have a huge impact on the quality of our milk. Sorry, but saying that the food we consume is all broken down to be similar on a cellular level is simply not true. Everything we eat and drink has an effect on our bodies - all systems of our bodies on all levels. That being said, I'd rather see a baby enjoying breast milk from a Twinkies eating mama, than one with a bottle of formula in its mouth.

OT:
Sugar addiction is a very real phenomena - I too have struggled with this. It's a terrible cycle of craving and temporary relief, followed by more cravings. Just like any other addiction, consuming the substance and finding that the craving has gone away (only for it to return again) is a sure-fire way of recognizing it as an addiction. It's hard for people to hear, but the only way to stop the cravings is to remove the addictive substance - entirely. If that makes you break out in a sweat... well, you may have just confirmed that you have a problem. Eating smaller meals, 5-6 times a day with protein, fresh veggies and good fats will really help to normalize your blood sugar levels.

Sorry to go on, but I do believe that a healthy beginning is a God-given right of each child sent our way.

All the best,
Tara

[Nora'sMama]

Tara, that makes 100% sense to me, but then I think about it in evolutionary terms, and it seems that if the quality of our BM was so dependent on our diet many fewer individuals would have thrived (because there have always been times and places where mothers' diets could not have adequate nutrition for whatever reason) and our species would not have done so well, KWIM? Let me know if that doesn't make sense, I'm typing too fast.

[Nora'sMama]

Tara, do you have suggestions for the "mini-meals" you recommend to help w/ the sugar problem? part of my problem is I am not at all creative in planning my meals. Thank you!

[MamaTara]

Hi Nora's Mama,

But never in the history of our world have humans been introduced to so many UNfoods. Yes, there's times when people have been able to nurse their children when certain nutrients etc. are scarce and everyone survived, but did they THRIVE? Were they truly healthy with strong, functioning immune systems? It's a fact that native cultures following their native diets of non-processed, whole foods are incredibly healthy, but as soon as sugars and other refined products are introduced to their diets...wow! Rotting teeth, skeletal malformations, acne, decreased immunity equaling increased disease. Yes, of course breastfeeding your daughter is a wonderful thing. I encourage every mother to do so regardless of their diet. But, if you're asking me about achieving a vibrant, healthy child and whether or not our diets have any relation to our breast milk, well, I think we all inately know the answer to that question.

All of the foods that are plaguing the health of our industrialized nations (sugar, refined flours, trans fats etc...) are all very new when you consider how long we have lived without them in our diets. We are the experiments, and sadly, so are our children. Sugar depresses our immune system, some experts estimate that decrease to be over 90%, for hours after we eat it. I'm not saying a cookie is going to knock your baby out, I'm just saying that to think it doesn't affect the milk we're passing on may be more hopeful than realistic.

But, like most of the Mamas I talk to, I think you already know this deep down. Maybe that's why you asked the question in the first place?? Maybe it's not guilt you're feeling, but rather a little voice in your head/heart trying to be heard???

All the best to you and Nora.

Tara

[MamaTara]

Well sure, but it would help to know if you're a vegetarian and what kind of foods you like. I stick to simple, whole, organic foods. Maybe snacks consisting of home-made hummus on manna bread with some cut up vegetables/a protein shake (made with plain whey ISOLATE/hemp protein pdr, fresh berries, flax seed/oil, greens), a poached egg(or two) with a slice of dark, flourless bread (whole grain), some fruit with raw nuts, roasted veggies (I make a large pan at a time) with a piece of chicken breast, etc. If you're having a really bad sugar craving, try substituting an unsweetened protein supplement mixed with a tablespoon of organic, plain cocoa, a teaspoon of stevia, some water (or coconut/almond/rice milk), vanilla, and ice. Honestly, it's delicious!

Hope this helps out a bit.

[melissa_honeybee]

I try to eat healthy, and I'm alot more conscious of what I eat when pregnant and breastfeeding. I'm lucky enough to be able to stay home, I just quit my part time job to spend the last month of my pregnancy preparing. This gives me alot more time to prepare meals from scratch. Since we are on a tight budget we really don't buy many snacks, if I feel like eating cookies, I have to make them! This helps me eat less sweets. I don't know if this is feasible for you, though. If there aren't any twinkies in the house, you are more likely to eat some fruit!

I am a huge sweets fan, it doesn't really make sense but I find that eating chunks of block cheese helps my cravings!!

When you want to indulge in sweets, go all out- get something decadent and set aside a time to enjoy it. That's better than snakcing on junk all day, because in the long run that makes you feel gross.

Hope some of these tips help!

[JaneS]

If you eat trans fats they show up in your milk.
http://www.infactcanada.ca/fats.htm

Humans do not possess the ability to break the double hydrogen bond of hydrogenated oil. Crisco, solid at room temp, stays solid in your body! It is the real reason for plaque that accumulates in arteries and the current epidemic of heart disease.

The healthy fats are olive, coconut, walnut, cod liver, and flax oil. Avocado. Butter, cream, eggs (also good sources of vitamin A, omega 3 fatty acids and CLA if from free range, pasture fed animals).

Canola, corn and safflower oil are not healthy.
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/

I disagree that our modern brains have not suffered in recent years. The AAP and CDC says 1 in 6 children has a neurodevelopmental disorder. Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Multiple Sclerosis are common.

It really bothers me that the research studies are done on IQ points. I guess they are easily quantifiable. And safe. Not like a study correlating MS and formula feeding (although I swear I heard there was one.)

But that's not what BM is "known" for, building healthy brains. For life. No, we talk about a few IQ points. I really could care less about IQ. I don't think a few points will make a difference in my child's life. I've seen so many messages from FF mamas who just say, "Oh, I will play Mozart CDs and read to my child instead of BFing."

So easily dismissed.

But it's all about the proper fats at a critical time in the brain development (something like over 60% of brain is fat). The myelin sheath around the nerves which carry the impulses are made of fats. Let's talk about that, and then maybe the artificially dried and rancid fats in a can will be seen as the dangers they truly are. Who wants their babies brains built on that?

I firmly believe all disease is rooted in improper nutrition.

[Nora'sMama]

JaneS: *All* disease? What about environmental toxins? Genetic disorders?

I appreciate your post, however, and you make good points. Just to be clear, I AVOID TRANS FATS!! Although I have not been perfect. Now I will be!

Could someone give me some links so I can read more?? I am fascinated, and slightly shamed. :

[Nora'sMama]

Oh, I also wanted to say that I talked about IQ as a shorthand for problems in brain development due to transfat consumption...ITA that the focus on "IQ points" is unhelpful.