PREGNANCY SHAPE-UP: NEWS FOR NURSING MOTHERS AND MORE
Nice News for Nursing Mothers
After your baby is born, your body levels of oestrogen and progesterone, hormones that promote the growth of fat cells, decrease. This is good news for new mothers who are anxious to regain their figures, because not only are these hormones that promoted water retention and increased appetite on the wane, but they’re replaced by a new hormone, prolactin, that promotes the burning of fat to make milk.
While breast-feeding, you can burn an extra 800-1,500 calories a day! But before you take this as a cue to indulge your junk-food fantasies, think twice – for you and your baby. The foods you want now are low-fat dairy products, fresh raw vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein; foods that will help stabilize your metabolism and appetite (allowing you to take off pounds and keep them off) while providing you and your infant with optimal nutrition.
Be Doubly Careful When You’re Feeding Two
As a nursing mother, you are the sole source of your child’s food supply, and your milk will be only as nutritious as you make it.
Your daily diet should include the following:
Milk – a quart a day (low-fat, fat-free, whole, evaporated, or skim) in any form; and lots of extra fluids:
Meat, fish, poultry, and eggs – at least one serving daily;
Fruits and vegetables – several servings daily, and they should include plenty of leafy dark-green vegetables and fresh vitamin-C-rich fruits;
Whole-grain cereals and breads – three servings to provide ample В vitamins and energy. A multivitamin-mineral supplement to provide enough vitamin D to allow you to properly use the calcium in your diet.
Caution: If you’re a nursing mother, consult your doctor before taking any medication. Many drugs can enter breast milk — and what’s good for you is not necessarily good for your child. (Note: The fact that a particular medication does not appear on the following list should in no way be construed that it is harmless to your nursing infant. Always consult your doctor before taking a medicine if you are breast-feeding.)
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