Top 10 Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding

Are you looking for problematic foods to avoid while breastfeeding? You’re in the right place. Here are the top ten foods you might want to watch out for.

List of 10 Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding

1.    Seafood 

Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. Mercury is a metal that can be toxic to babies, who are more sensitive to mercury poisoning than adults.

Frequent exposure to high levels of mercury affects your baby’s central nervous system. This may lead to developmental delays, according to this study.

Avoid fish that is particularly high in mercury such as: 

• Bigeye tuna 
• King mackerel 
• Orange roughy 
• Shark 
• Sword fish
• Tile fish

Shellfish is of two types: crustaceans such as shrimp, prawns, crab and lobster, as well as mollusks/bivalves including abalone, clams, oysters, mussels, octopus, scallops, snail and squid. 

It’s better to avoid shellfish.

Since fish is rich in omega-3 which is a much-needed nutrient for everyone, including breastfeeding mothers, you can consume two servings of fish, that is low in mercury, per week. This includes salmon and tilapia, tuna and trout.

2.    Alcohol 

This is a no-brainer but alcohol is one of the top-most foods to avoid while breastfeeding. 

It’s best for your baby if you avoid it completely.

Excessive alcohol consumption during breastfeeding can cause issues such as delay in psychomotor skills, sleeping patterns and also cognitive delays as the child grows up. 

3.    Coffee & Chocolate

Coffee and chocolate contain caffeine, a stimulant known to keep you awake and alert. 

However, they are a part of the foods to avoid while breastfeeding because the caffeine in them can seep into breastmilk. 

Babies have a hard time breaking down caffeine and getting it out of their system. 

This ends up causing a lot of caffeine to accumulate in your baby’s system, causing issues such as irritability and disturbed sleeping patterns. 

If you can’t do without these two foods, then limit their consumption. Breastfeeding mothers are recommended by the CDC to take no more than 300 mg of caffeine, which is about 2-3 cups of brewed coffee.

A little square or two of chocolate won’t do much harm but don’t go snacking on a whole bar.

4.    Spicy Foods 

There’s not much evidence to avoid spicy foods while breastfeeding. Also, most babies can handle you eating such foods.

However, it might be a culprit if your baby is colicky or has bouts of diarrhea every time you crank the spiciness up a little. 

If you suspect it’s the spicy food affecting your baby, then cut it out for a few weeks to see if there’s any improvement.

5.    Gassy Foods 

Foods that cause gas, are also foods to avoid while breastfeeding. 

These include asparagus, lentils, beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts, among others. 

If you’re baby has colic and is gassy, then avoid these foods for a period of time such as a couple of weeks and see whether they are improving. 

6.    Tea 

Black tea might be a breakfast staple for many women around the world, but it might be one of the foods to avoid while breastfeeding, or at least limit. 

This is because, not only does tea contain caffeine that is not good for a baby’s digestive system, but it also makes it harder for your body to absorb iron. Iron is needed to replace lost iron during postpartum bleeding and it’s a nutrient that is needed to keep energy levels up. 

Try not to drink tea with a meal containing iron-rich foods like meat, leafy greens and fortified cereals.

7.    Herbs such as Peppermint & Parsley

I talked about how you can use certain herbs to dry up breast milk before. Peppermint and parsley are among them! 

Too much of the herbs peppermint and parsley can curb breast milk production, which may not be what you want if you would like to continue breastfeeding. 

Also avoid sage, another problematic herb for breastfeeding, that may be sprinkled in food for flavor.

8.    Sugary Drinks 

Sugary drinks are also including in this list of foods to avoid breast feeding. 

Sodas, packaged fruit juices and flavored waters should be avoided because many people usually drink them in place of water. 

Breastfeeding can make you really thirsty. Instead of a can of soda to quench your thirst, go for clear refreshing water. Sugary drinks will make you even thirstier, by the way. 

9.    Cow’s Milk

While this food may not cause trouble for most breastfeeding mothers out there, it is likely that your baby may be allergic to cow’s milk protein. 

If your pediatrician suspects your baby is allergic to milk, then it’s recommended to avoid consuming cow’s milk in your diet while breastfeeding. 

10. Peanuts

There’s not much evidence that you should avoid nuts while breastfeeding but anecdotal evidence shows that some babies may be allergic to them. 

If your baby is reacting to something you ate, with an itchy rash or hives on the chest or cheeks, they you may want to avoid common allergens such as nuts.

Cutting out nuts such as peanuts from your diet might make your baby less likely to suffer from eczema. 

As usual, consult your pediatrician for advice. 

Other Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding 

• Eggs 
• Processed foods (with artificial colors and flavors)

Those are some of the top foods to avoid while breastfeeding. Are there any other foods that you have avoided/are avoiding because they caused issues for your little one? Share below!