Walnuts for breastfeeding: nutrients, minerals, benefits and harms, the number of nuts per day, the effect on the baby through mother's milk

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-02 16:12

Breast milk is the optimal food for a newborn. It contains all the nutrients, vitamins and trace elements necessary for its growth and development. The composition of breast milk largely depends on the diet of a nursing mother. During this period, a woman needs to consume as many he althy foods as possible. But whether walnuts should be used with HB, and how high their nutritional value is, you will learn from our article. Let's take a closer look at when to introduce this product into the diet of a nursing mother, as well as what its benefits and possible harm to the child are.

Nutritional value and calorie content of walnuts

This product is by no means a diet food recommended for women during breastfeeding. But nevertheless, manybreastfeeding mothers without any doubt include walnuts in their daily diet.

The nutritional value of this product is really high. Walnuts contain proteins necessary for the body (15.4 g), fats (65 g) and carbohydrates (10.2 g). They are rich in amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, tannins and carotenoids. The latter are not synthesized by the body on their own, but meanwhile their role for he alth is very high. First of all, they suppress the work of oncogenes that trigger the process of cancerous cell transformation.

The calorie content of walnuts, like any other nuts, is also high. 100 grams of the product contains as much as 648 kcal. That is why they should be consumed in limited quantities, including for nursing mothers.

Vitamin and mineral composition

Walnut is a valuable product for the body. Its kernels contain a whole complex of useful vitamins: A, B₁, B₂, B₃, B 5_{, B}6_{, B}9_{, C, E. Just five walnuts eaten a day provide the daily requirement of the vitamin C. And for a nursing mother, this is also an excellent tool to increase immunity during lactation.}

Walnuts also contain a lot of minerals. Among them, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, chlorine, sodium, iron, zinc and iodine should be distinguished. In terms of the content of the last two elements, walnuts are superior to most products of plant origin. Doctors recommend including them in your daily diet for anemia, to increaseimmunity after past illnesses and to enhance lactation.

Walnuts on the menu of a nursing mother

The quality of breast milk directly depends on how a woman eats during lactation. That is why the menu of a nursing mother should be complete and varied. To increase the fat content of milk, many women include walnuts in their diet. With breastfeeding, they are also recommended as a product that enhances lactation.

Unfortunately, the last statement is a common misconception. You should not expect a large rush of milk after eating walnuts, since this product does not have a pronounced lactogenic effect. But you can increase the calorie and fat content of milk, which means that the child will eat better and sleep more peacefully than usual.

Thus, we can conclude that walnuts do not affect the amount of breast milk. But at the same time, they qualitatively improve its composition.

Can I breastfeed walnuts?

This product is recommended for nursing mothers. But before you include it in your usual menu, you must exclude all contraindications so as not to harm yourself and your child.

Walnut while breastfeeding can be consumed daily. This will positively affect the qualitative composition of milk and make the mother's diet more complete. In addition, walnuts help strengthen the immune system and are a good prevention of viral diseases.

Walnut benefits while breastfeeding

Eating this highly nutritious product will benefit both mother and baby. Walnuts help to increase immunity, strengthen muscles, relieve fatigue, etc. It is difficult to overestimate their beneficial properties for the body of a nursing mother:

• improve the condition of the cardiovascular system and blood vessels in particular;
• increase the functioning of the genitourinary system;
• reduces the risk of accumulation of excess fat in the blood, which normalizes blood pressure and reduces cholesterol in the body;
• helps treat type 2 diabetes;
• reduces the risk of cancer, especially breast cancer;
• increase the functionality of the brain;
• improve memory.

Walnuts during breastfeeding are necessary, including to maintain the he alth of the skeletal system. Despite the high fat content, this product contributes to weight loss, which is important for nursing mothers. In addition, walnuts contain the hormone melatonin, which is a regulator of circadian rhythms and makes it easier to fall asleep.

The vitamins contained in walnuts, especially group B, are good for both mother and baby. They normalize the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and have a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system.

Possible harm from eating walnuts

Besides vitamins, minerals, amino acids andOther useful substances in the composition of walnuts contain essential oils (0.03%), which can provoke an allergic reaction on the skin in the baby. The risk group includes nursing mothers, suffering from various types of allergies or suffering from bronchial asthma.

In this case, it is highly likely that the child will be allergic, like his parents. Therefore, when rashes and redness appear on the skin, it is necessary to analyze all possible causes and symptoms. Diagnostic studies, medical diagnosis and treatment in this case may not be required. But you will have to stop eating walnuts while breastfeeding.

It should be noted that allergens can accumulate in the body. Therefore, the reaction may not appear immediately, but after 10 or more days. Allergy and individual intolerance to walnuts is the only contraindication to their use by nursing mothers.

Eating nuts in the first month of breastfeeding

During the first 10 days after the birth of a baby, doctors recommend that all nursing mothers follow a strict diet. At this time, it is necessary to exclude all possible allergens from the menu. These include: milk, honey, chocolate, citrus fruits, eggs and nuts. If the mother does not have allergies, they can be introduced into the diet gradually, while watching the baby. If the reaction of his body is negative, then the product can be consumed without fear for the he alth of the child.

Thus, a walnut with breastfeeding in the first month afterthe birth of a baby is allowed, then only in limited quantities and in the absence of allergies in the mother and baby. Under these conditions, it will be useful during breastfeeding.

How many walnuts can a breastfeeding mom eat?

This product is one of the possible allergens, so it should be used in limited quantities. The optimal daily norm of walnuts for HB is 3-4 pieces. Since they are high in calories, you can snack on nuts between main meals. They satisfy hunger well and improve the quality of breast milk.

You should not exceed the recommended amount, as this may adversely affect the he alth of the child. Excessive consumption of walnuts can not only cause redness and rashes on the skin, but also provoke colic and indigestion. With such a reaction, the use of this product should be abandoned for a while.

Introduction of nuts into the diet

Since this product is one of the allergens, it should be added to the menu gradually. You need to start acquaintance with him with one walnut kernel. With HB, it is imperative to monitor the condition of the baby. Usually, the first signs of allergy appear on the skin after 1-2 days. If after this time neither skin rashes nor disorders of the digestive system (regurgitation, vomiting, diarrhea, intestinal colic) were detected, the portion of walnuts eaten per day can be increased.

Also lactatingmother should limit the use of roasted nuts, nut butter, jam, cookies and other confectionery products prepared with their addition. The fact is that when heated, nuts not only lose their beneficial properties, but also begin to release toxic oils. In addition, when they are used, most babies experience intestinal colic in the abdomen.

Reviews of nursing mothers about the use of walnuts

Most women do not refuse this product while breastfeeding. Unless many of them have reduced the number of nuts eaten per day to 2-3 pieces. In general, according to reviews, walnuts while breastfeeding can cause the following reactions:

• allergies and skin rashes;
• tummy pain, bloating and constipation;
• intestinal colic.

However, among nursing mothers there are those who consume nuts daily in unlimited quantities and at the same time their children react absolutely normally to this. But still, in order to avoid complications from the digestive organs, it is not recommended to eat more than 3-4 kernels per day. At the same time, they should be introduced into the diet gradually, observing the reaction of the baby. Walnuts should also be discarded in the first month after childbirth. Then everything depends on the individual characteristics of the mother and baby.

Selection of nuts and their storage at home

When buying walnuts, you should adhere to the following rules:

1. Inshell nuts should be preferred. Such a shell reliably protects the core,thereby increasing the shelf life of the product. The shell must be whole and dry, without cracks, stains or plaque.
2. Don't buy nuts with moldy or oily stains on the surface. There is a high chance that they have gone rancid.
3. Fresh nut kernels should be golden and uniform in color.

Since walnuts with HB, according to doctors and nursing mothers, increase the calorie content of breast milk and its qualitative composition, they should be consumed all year round. Moreover, they can be stored for a long time, while observing the following conditions:

• not shelling;
• at 15-20°;
• in wooden box, carton or canvas bag.

Peeled walnuts should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or in the freezer for 2-3 months.