Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had a good weekend. So. I received a question (thanks for asking!!) about breastfeeding on a raw diet. As I’m fairly new to eating raw, I’ll do my best to share what I’ve learned with you.
7 Tips About Breastfeeding on a Raw Diet
These tips might also apply to someone who’s pregnant but I did write them for breastfeeding specifically. If you’re really worried you can always talk to your doctor or nutritionist.
Breastfeeding and Raw Diet
Here goes…
- Eating raw is not crazy. If you eat raw correctly (read The 80/10/10 Diet), you won’t need crazy supplements, extra vitamins, or even extra protein.
- If you’re eating poorly now, then going 100% raw immediately will cause your body to detox, which is very unhealthy for breastfeeding. Breastmilk is one of the ways our body releases toxins.
- A gradual increase in your raw intake is a good thing, and is safe for both you and baby.
- DO SOME CHECKING. I’ve read tons of books, searched just about every raw food website, and not everyone is in agreement. I took what I could use, and tossed the ‘crazy’.
- Find a support system. Tell you hubby, your bestie, or email me about what you’re trying to do. That way you’ll have someone to use as a sounding board.
- GET A COACH. There are lots of great health coaches out there (like me!). Find one that you like, and book a few sessions, yes, there is a cost, but it’s your health.
- Find a good read. I like Kristen’s Raw and Fully Raw.
As for the breastfeeding question, I would urge you to do some research, as my diet was fairly clean already, I wasn’t taking it terribly far by eating raw. If you are nursing regularly, I would start by introducing more raw foods (fruits and veggies) and cutting back (or removing completely) dairy and any other irritants.
Breastmilk is one of the ways that the body rids itself of toxins, so you need to be mindful.
DO NOT CLEANSE.
Wait until you’re done nursing, or pump and dump (not my favorite option).
Once you’ve started introducing raw foods, then you can slowly increase your raw/cooked ratio until you’re at 100% raw (or whatever percentage you deem doable). And don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t ‘on your game’ all the time. No one is perfect.
Here’s some raw recipes to get your breastfeeding on a raw diet going:
- Stupid-Easy Raw Vegan Brownies Recipe
- Vegan Strawberry Mango Smoothie
- Picnic Perfect Strawberry Salad
- Raw Vegan Alfredo Recipe
I’ve been breastfeeding on a raw diet. I went 12 days fully raw. Then ate some cooked food while out with friends. While raw my breasts were regulating well and I had no engorgement. My boobs were on the smaller side but providing plenty of milk. I breast feed on command from my baby which is often. He is growing quick while on a raw diet he increased 1.5 lbs from week 4 to week 5. After eating some cooked pad thai my breasts engorged and were painful for 2 days. After returning raw I haven’t had issues with pain and have been able to continue feeding on command.