Breastfeeding Diets

Breastfeeding diets are some of the biggest you will ever eat in your life. Making milk takes a huge amount of energy, and yet some women still don't lose weight. This is because of their hormones. The best news is though that you can easily do something about it. By understanding which hormones switch on your fat metabolism you'll not only loose weight but also feel better - all without feeling hungry!

Are you too tired to really think about what to eat?

Do you want to lose weight but still enjoy your food?

Do you want to find out how to eat so you can lose weight while feeling full?

Read on for Tasty, Healthy Options

that are Super Quick

Easy, Healthy Breakfasts that are Quick to Prepare

Quick, Filling Lunches to Salivate Over

Tasty Snacks that Keep You Full

Yummy Dinners that are Super Quick

Foods to Avoid for Fussy Babies

Iron, Protein and the Good Oils to Build You Back Up After Birthing

Find out more about the food combinations that make the best diet for breastfeeding and pregnancy

The key to losing weight is to make your body feel full on less food. When you are breastfeeding you have really high progesterone (one of the female hormones) and really low estrogen (the better known female hormone).

Progesterone really lowers your blood sugar and this means that your body stores fat.

Your best way of avoiding this is stabilising our blood sugar by making sure you have some protein in every meal, including snacks.

If you are exclusively breastfeeding, you are still producing food for all of the baby's energy needs, so in this way you are still eating for two. In saying this, keep in mind that your baby is only one twentieth your size, so you're not eating for two adults. The baby's metabolism is huge though, so, when selecting your food and portion sizes make them just a bit bigger than you would normally while using breastfeeding diets.

It is generally recommended that for at least the first month after birth that you do not follow any radical breastfeeding diets for weightloss so that you don't interfere with this healing and growth phase, or with your milk production.

After this time, a safe level of deliberate weight loss is about 2 pounds - 1 kilogram per week. Any quicker than this will put your body under more stress, and you don't need any more than the interrupted sleeping patterns you will establish.

Yummy, Super Quick, Healthy Dinners

The quickest meal to prepare in the evening is meat and vegetables or meat and salad. If you are really pushed for time or energy you can even use frozen diced vegetables in place of fresh ones - though this is not the best alternative, it is still better than not getting the vegetables.

Try alternating chicken, fish and red meat as your protein source. There are so many quick ways to prepare them including barbecuing, frying or poaching (poached chicken breast is so tender and juicy, and so quick and easy).

The best way to make each evening interestingwhile using breastfeeding diets is to use a nice sauce. To make it easy you can buy pre-made sauces, but once you get used to it making a sauce doesn't need to take long.

Your meat portion should be about the size of your palm normally, so make it just that bit bigger at the moment. Here are some suggestions:

• Barbecued steak with onion gravy, broccoli, corn and beans
• Poached chicken breast with cheese sauce, baby spinach, asparagus and sweet potato
• Fried, flour coated, white fish with sage and parsley white sauce, carrots, corn and peas

So What Do I Eat For Breakfast?

Easy breakfast options on breastfeeding diets that keep your energy high are a must when you're breastfeeding. Making breast milk takes a huge amount of energy, something you will notice once you've got through the intial few weeks of adjustment and then your baby goes through a feeding frenzy and growth spurt.

It's really important to get a bit of protein in your breakfast to keep your energy levels up for longer. It's also really important to eat breakfast because it kick starts your fat metabolism. Breastfeeding diets are designed to help you use up your excess fat and keep your energy levels high. Here are some quick, easy suggestions:

• Baked beans on wholemeal toast, topped with cheese
• Smoked salmon and avocado on sourdough toast
• Poached egg and spinach leaves on English muffin
• Porridge with yoghurt, nuts and a grated apple
• Bircher muesli soaked in yoghurt, topped with berries and sunflower seeds

Easy Lunch Options to Keep Your Mood Level

Lunch is a meal you may initially find difficult to squeeze in, but it will keep your energy levels up and also keep your mood lifted in the afternoon. Breastfeeding diets which successfully help you lose weight keep your blood sugar stable, so eating in the middle of the day is a must.

When you're settling into your new life as a mother it can be a bit of a shock of hormone fluctuations, sleeplessness and emotional upheaval of the new responsibility. Keeping your blood sugar levels even will make a huge difference for helping to keep you sane in these first few months.

Again, protein is a must for really evening out your blood sugar levels and keeping you in that fat burning zone.

• Tinned tuna with lettuce and left over roast vegetables
• Left over roast meat on toast with cheese, relish and spinach leaves
• Quiche with lots of fillings - grated vegetables are the easiest

Easy Snack Options to Fill You Up

Snacks are such a huge part of new mothers breastfeeding diets. This is the food where most mothers fall into a sugar eating frenzy.

Making breast milk is a momentous task for your body, so keeping up good fuel is a must. To help you avoid the sugary treats you may be reaching for keep on hand some more healthy options. This is the most important part of getting breastfeeding diets right. If you have healthy options that are easy to eat you are more likely to stick with a healthy eating pattern.

• A handful of nuts
• A boiled egg on avocado buttered bread
• Cheese on crackers
• Hommous on crackers

Do you feel like baking?

The best snacks on breastfeeding diets are those you've made yourself. You know exactly what's in them and they are fresh. Try substituting some protein powder (the body builders protein powder is not good for breastfeeding - make sure there's no creatinine in it) for some of the flour in your muffins, scones or cakes. Don't go for more than half of the flour substituted and remember to add baking soda to help that part rise (two teaspoons per cup).

Also try substituting the milk with some extra eggs to up the protein. 1 egg for every 1/4 cup works well.

To keep your baking moist try adding grated zucchini/courgette or beetroot. These two both go well with cocoa flavoured baking. You can also add grated apple or pear which will decrease the amount of sugar you need to add. Generally a cup of grated fruit or vegetable to a cup of flour works best.

Check out my chocolate zucchini muffins!

What to Avoid for a Fussy Baby

For those with fussy babies, generally steering clear of the highly acidic or wind producing foods can be useful. Some common foods which are useful to avoid include

• tomatoes
• onion
• garlic
• cabbage

These babies may be suffering from colic or reflux. These are two very painful conditions and your baby doesn't need any extra reasons to be upset, so take notice of what you are eating to see if your baby is upset by particular foods as well. There is well documented evidence that breastfeeding diets which exclude dairy can help colicky babies, but don't make this decision until you have your breastfeeding relationship worked out well. Sometimes these babies just need to be fed more frequently, or from one side only for as long as possible.

Some colicky babies are sucking in too much wind during a feed, so it can be really useful to make sure they are correctly latched during a breastfeed to help avoid this.

After Birth - You need Iron, Protein,
Good Fats and Good Carbs

Some of the best iron containing foods to include in your breastfeeding diet are:

• Meat
• Chickpeas
• Leafy Green vegetables (including broccoli)

No matter if you had a natural vaginal delivery with no interventions, or if you had an emergency caesarian section, your body will be in a healing phase initially after the birth. You will bleed for several weeks as the area where the placenta was attached heals. You will need lots of iron to replace all the blood that is lost. This will keep your energy level up.

You will also have a strong shift in hormonal production, with the need for oxytocin and prolactin for feeding. This means you'll need the best protein and essential fatty acid building blocks in your breastfeeding diets. Good quality meats and oils are a must. Also if you are still having problems with fluid retention, protein is a must. If there is not enough protein in your blood (and let's face it, your baby has stolen a whole heap from you) then the fluid component of the blood is not held inside the circulation as strongly. This means there is more chance of this fluid accumulating in the tissues such as muscles and fat.

Good sources of protein include:

• Meat
• Eggs
• Tofu
• Nuts, Grains and Seeds when eaten together
• Beans

For really good, healthy fats:

• Use olive oil to fry in
• Try to eat a handful of nuts every day
• Try eating avocado in your salads or as a spread
• Eat fish at least once a week.

Getting some exercise with your baby helps with weight loss and using an excellent all-terrain stroller helps you reach your goals. From powerwalking to taking a stroller fitness class, you'll feel better and get baby out into the fresh air.

3 top reasons why you should't use a low carb diet while breastfeeding

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Breastfeeding Diets