If you are a breastfeeding mother, you may be wondering if you can eat yogurt. The answer is yes – yogurt is a healthy snack for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
Did you know that eating yogurt while breastfeeding is a great way to improve your health and that of your baby? Yogurt is packed with nutrients that both of you need.
A lot of new moms are worried about what they can and can’t eat while breastfeeding
You may be surprised to learn that there are a lot of foods that you can’t eat while breastfeeding. Foods like raw fish, caffeine, and alcohol can all pass through your milk to your baby and make them sick.
Thankfully, yogurt is one food that you can eat while breastfeeding. Yogurt is packed with nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamin D, which are all important for nursing moms and their babies.
Yogurt is formed by combining bacteria with milk, which naturally includes lactose, a kind of sugar (yep, a carb). Lactose is a sugar that is made up of two different sugars: galactose and glucose.
Can Yogurt Affect Breast Milk?
Studies have shown that eating yogurt while breastfeeding does not affect the quality or quantity of breast milk. In fact, eating yogurt can even help stimulate your production of breast milk because it is full of the essential vitamins and essential nutrients that breastfeeding women need.
The benefits of eating yogurt while breastfeeding are many:
- Calcium: Yogurt is a good source of calcium, calcium, which is beneficial to the baby’s bone growth. Low-fat or Greek yogurt can help you meet your daily need of 1,000 mg.
- Protein: Yogurt is a good source of protein, which helps to build muscle and can help keep you feeling full.
- Vitamin D: Yogurt is a good source of vitamin D, which is important for bone health.
- Probiotics: Yogurt is a good source of probiotics, which can help keep your digestive system healthy.
- Folic acid: Yogurt is a good source of folic acid, which is important for pregnant women and nursing women
- Potassium: Yogurt is a good source of potassium, which can help control blood pressure and is good for baby’s development.
- Magnesium: Yogurt is a good source of magnesium, which helps the body to relax.
- Iron: Yogurt is a good source of iron, which helps the body to produce red blood cells, which can be beneficial to newborns who are developing fast.
- Zinc: Yogurt is a good source of zinc, which helps the body to fight infection and build-up yours and your baby’s immune system.
- Carbohydrates: Yogurt contains carbohydrates, which can help you feel energized.
What kind of yogurt is best for breastfeeding?
When choosing yogurt for breastfeeding mothers, it is important to choose low-fat or Greek yogurt. This type of yogurt is higher in protein and lower in sugar than other types of yogurt.
If you are looking for a yogurt that is high in probiotics, choose a yogurt that has the word “probiotic” on the label. Whilst yogurt made from skim milk is less fattening, a nursing mom producing human milk will need to ensure they are consuming enough omega 3 fatty acids from nutritious foods and eat a healthy and varied diet.
You will need enough calcium for both you and your baby which will contribute to their healthy bone development. At this stage don’t worry about any excess baby weight you may have gained. You need all the nutrients and vitamins and minerals to maintain your energy levels.
Other great foods to eat include whole grains, leafy green vegetables, lean beef, brown rice, sweet potatoes and sesame seeds. You need to get a full intake of vitamin c to boost your immune system and help you to produce milk.
Will Yogurt Increase Milk Supply?
Breastfeeding moms are often looking for healthy foods and superfoods which will help breast milk production and increase milk supply. Scientific evidence shows that the best foods to eat for a new mom needs to give them both more energy and have the important nutrient requirements.
Natural yogurt is full of calcium which is essential for nursing mothers and their babies. Yogurt also contains live cultures, AKA probiotics, which are good for gut health. All these factors make yogurt a great candidate to increase milk supply when consumed regularly. It’s an easy snack food that can be eaten quickly or on the go and many women will find it filling and much better than drinking energy drinks!
Combine greek yogurt over some oats (oat milk is great for boosting milk supply) and wash it down with some coconut water (yep, coconut water also boosts breast milk supply) and you should have the milk flowing!
How much Yogurt or Healthy Fats Should I eat While breastfeeding?
There is no set amount of yogurt that nursing mothers need to eat. You can eat as much or as little as you like. However, it is important to make sure that you are getting enough protein, calcium, and vitamin D.
If you are not sure if you are getting enough of these nutrients, ask your doctor for advice. You need to avoid yogurt with added sugars.
Eating yogurt while breastfeeding is a great way to improve your health and the health of your baby. Yogurt is packed with nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamin D, which are all important for nursing moms and their babies. Yogurt is also a good source of probiotics, b vitamins, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and carbohydrates.
Does yogurt cause gas in breastfed babies?
It might do. Dairy items in your diet are the most likely culprit for your infant havubg gas. This includes milk, cheese, yogurt, pudding, ice cream, or any meal that contains milk, milk products, casein, whey, or sodium caseinate. Other foods, such as wheat, corn, fish, eggs, or peanuts, can also be problematic.
If your baby has problems with digestion, you may want to avoid eating yogurt until their digestive system has time to mature a little more.
When Not To Eat Yogurt
Yogurt made from cow’s milk and therefore contains lactose. If you are lactose intolerant, you may want to avoid eating yogurt while breastfeeding. Yogurt made from cow’s milk contains lactose, which can cause problems for people who are intolerant to it. If you are not sure if you are lactose intolerant, ask your doctor for advice.
Babies can also have a cow’s milk allergy, which is different from lactose intolerance. If your baby has a cow’s milk allergy, you will need to avoid eating all dairy products, not just yogurt.
Some babies can have an allergic reaction to the proteins in yogurt. If your baby has a history of allergies, you may want to avoid giving them yogurt until they are older and their digestive system has matured.
Can I eat other dairy products while breastfeeding?
Yes! You can eat other dairy products like cheese, milk, and ice cream while breastfeeding. All these products are packed with nutrients that are important for nursing mothers and their babies.
If you are lactose intolerant, you can still eat dairy products by choosing products that are low in lactose or by taking a lactase enzyme supplement.
If you are vegan, there are plenty of vegan-friendly alternatives to choose from.
Just make sure that you are getting enough protein, calcium (you can’t eat runny eggs when breastfeeding), and vitamin D from other sources like green veggies (yes you can eat asparagus when breastfeeding), orange juice, whole wheat pasta, almond butter, swiss chard and pumpkin seeds.
The Low Down On Yogurt for Milk Production for Breastfeeding Moms
Breastfeeding moms, like in pregnancy, need to have a balanced diet and consume a lot of calories when feeding. Foods full of healthy fats, protein, and calcium are great for nursing mothers.
Eating yogurt is a great way to get these nutrients while breastfeeding. Yogurt is packed with protein, calcium, and vitamin D- all important nutrients for nursing moms and their babies. It is also a good source of probiotics, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and carbohydrates. Which all help with the baby’s brain development and the baby’s nervous system. Fatty acids are important for the baby’s brain development.
Eating yogurt while breastfeeding is a great way to ensure that you and your baby are getting the nutrients you need. Yogurt is packed with protein, calcium, vitamin D, probiotics, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc – all important nutrients for nursing mothers and their babies.
So go ahead and enjoy a yogurt snack today!
