I am pregnant and I have just about had enough of the confusion the hoards of advices about food habits have created! Just a few months left for the delivery and this time I want to be sure about what foods to avoid while breast feeding. So, I did some research, asked my gynecologist, mom and a few friends and figured what can and cannot be eaten and why. Here is what I found:

Allergens that cause food allergies - You don’t have to be anxious about your diet when you are breastfeeding unless you have a history of serious allergies. If the parents are allergic then there is a higher chance that the child will also be allergic and will develop allergic reactions to allergens in the breast milk. If the baby does develop an allergic reaction then the symptoms will include fussiness, excessive spitting up or vomiting, diarrhea, colic, runny noses, bronchitis, wheezing, eczema, rash or even congestion. Ironically it is breast feeding that is the solution to this problem. Breast milk coats the inner sides of the intestine so that no foreign substance leaks in to the gut and thereby fights the allergy. To keep the breast milk free of allergens, you will have to stay away from allergens, especially those that close members in your family and you are allergic to. For non allergic mothers, the food has to an extent an effect on the baby. Sometimes the wrong food can result in the baby having colic, sharp intestinal pains, abdominal bloating, and gas for the baby.
 
Cow’s Milk - If you are allergic to cows milk then you really need to be careful as milk allergy will introduce colic-inducing elements like beta-lactoglobulin into the infants body through the breast milk.
 
Ingestion of garlic and cucumber by mothers also seems to trigger gas, bloating or colic symptoms in babies.
 
Carbonated drinks, especially those that are colored with food dye. Having orange colored soda pop can actually lead to your baby’s urine turning orange.
 
Ensure that you avoid food that could be contaminated by pollutants, like fish from water bodies that could be contaminated, commercial fruits and vegetables that have been properly washed and cooked etc.
 
You also have to be careful while having meat and poultry products as chemicals that have been injected in to them at the farms can prove to be harmful to you. You can cut off the fatty portions of the meat as usually the chemicals tend to concentrate here.
 
A few other foods you can avoid are: Beans,  Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Caffeine, chocolate Cauliflower, Citrus fruits, Corn, Dairy products, Eggs, Hot peppers, Iron supplements, Medicines, Onions, Peanuts, Shellfish, Soy and tofu, Spicy food, Tomato, Wheat products.   
 
Remember that you need not avoid all the food listed above if it is an allergic reaction or colic that you are trying to avoid. Some babies have colic pain any how in the first three months as their digestive system takes that much time to mature. You just have to pay attention to your child’s behavior and judge accordingly to see if she is doing fine or not.
 
It is also important for you to know that the baby will not develop gas or colic pain if you ingest gas producing food as only the nutrients are absorbed by the blood and not the gas. It is what is dissolved into the blood that makes a difference to your breast milk. But always eat your food in moderation and as mentioned before you are the best judge. Track your infants behavior every time you ingest a new food item.
 
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