Cashews when breastfeeding: benefits and harms

The first months after birth are an important period in the development of the baby. This is the time when the newborn's body systems are forming and adapting. The mother's diet depends a lot on how the baby reacts to certain products. She can not allow herself too much, or go on about their own desires, because immediately it may have a negative impact on the well-being of the baby.

There is a list of products that are forbidden to eat during lactation or in the first months of life of a baby. Nuts, as a rule, are also on this list. The reason for this is, first of all, their strong allergenicity. But this question should also be approached wisely, you should not categorically refuse the presence of nuts in the diet. They are among the useful and nutritious foods that contain a large number of micronutrients and vitamins, can have a beneficial effect on the health of the child, help in the recovery process of the mother's body after pregnancy and childbirth. At the same time, they are less likely to cause allergic reactions or other negative effects. Cashews in this respect is the middle ground. Walnuts and pine nuts are safer in comparison.

Cashews are a very nutritious product. It improves the structure of breast milk, and the micronutrients and vitamins it contains help the baby to develop properly and restore the mother's strength. But you also need to be careful with it. If a woman has never eaten cashews before, the period of breastfeeding is not the best time for such experiments. Conversely, if cashews have always been in the diet, the expectant mother consumed them during pregnancy, there is a high probability that during lactation the nut will not cause adverse effects to either her or the baby.

Do not forget that cashews belong to the exotic products. And this type of food should always be treated with caution, especially for nursing mothers - do not experiment unnecessarily and do not abuse. Compliance with the basic rules and the daily rate will help to avoid problems, while diversifying the diet with a new product rich in useful substances.

It is also worth remembering that nuts are a caloric product, although cashews are the lowest in this indicator among their peers. Therefore, its excessive eating can lead to eating disorders in the mother and the baby, uncontrollable weight gain, if there is a tendency to obesity. Conversely, women who need to increase their body weight may consider cashews as an option to add them to their diet to achieve the goal.

In any case, it is worth remembering that cashews should be eaten judiciously, monitoring the reaction of the mother and baby to their intake, and not exceeding the daily allowance. The quality of the product is also important. It is better to buy them in stores or shops that inspire trust, and not to buy or eat those that are too dark, have a bitter taste or musty smell. Such a fruit is definitely not good, it can only do harm.

Before introducing the product in the diet, it is better to consult a pediatrician and make sure that there are no contraindications for either the mother or the baby.

Can I eat cashews while breastfeeding

In this matter, experts advise to wait. In the first months of the baby's life, it is better not to experiment with such products. Many pediatricians do not recommend its introduction into the diet before the age of three months, and sometimes it is worth waiting until the baby is six months old. But this does not mean that cashews are strictly forbidden. Each body has its own peculiarities. Therefore, it is worth making a decision based on the existing situation.

The useful properties of cashews (with all the dangers to the baby's body when consumed by a nursing mother) can have a favorable impact on the recovery process of a woman, as well as on the development and formation of many systems of the baby's body. In some cases, the use of this type of nut will have to be postponed for a long time and already introduced directly into the baby's diet when his digestive system has gained strength and is able to digest such a complex product. In others, the presence of cashews in the mother's diet from the first months after childbirth will not cause harm, and will have only beneficial effects.

In the first month

Still, in the first weeks of life, doctors strongly recommend avoiding cashews in a nursing mother's diet. Baby's digestion is just beginning to form, too fatty milk with a high content of various substances can cause not only allergies in the form of redness, diathesis, but also indigestion with diarrhea, vomiting, or have the opposite effect, lead to constipation, increased gas formation. This kind of eating disorders may have a negative impact on the further development of the baby's digestion.

Especially cautious are women who before the birth of a child had never eaten this nut. In this case, the experiment should be postponed to a later date or abandon it altogether, whatever useful properties the product has. But moms who ate cashews before and during pregnancy, and they did not have any side effects, can try to introduce this product into their diet in the first weeks. But you should not forget about caution.

First eat one nut, preferably in the morning, and then within 1-3 days you need to monitor the child's condition. If no allergies appeared, the digestive system reacted normally, then you can periodically add it to other products, but you should not get carried away. The norm should not exceed 5 pieces a day. And it is better to take breaks of several days.

In the second month.

During this period, you can already try to diversify the diet with nuts. Again, you need to make sure that the mother and child do not have contraindications to the use of cashews. The main criterion is the absence of allergies. You should also avoid eating cashews if you have liver or kidney disease.

If there are no contraindications, the child is healthy and his digestive system does not react acutely to the introduction of new foods, you can try eating cashews. The principle remains the same. First, the mother eats one nut in the morning, then within a couple of days, monitor the reaction of the baby's body. If all goes without consequences, you can gradually increase the amount of nuts eaten, but no more than 5-6 pieces a day.

How to consume cashews properly

It is worth remembering that overconsumption or improper use of even the most useful product brings harm to the body. Nuts can be classified as a healthy food, cashews are also among them. But abuse can negate the beneficial effects on health, provoking the development of allergies, weight gain and other negative consequences.

How much you can eat per day

The main condition under which cashews will be beneficial is to observe the daily norm. A healthy person who does not have problems with excess weight can eat no more than 30-40 grams of these nuts a day. That is about 10-12 pieces. They are quite nutritious, although in terms of calories among nuts do not occupy the top line. If there are problems with excess weight, the body is prone to obesity, then the portion size is limited to 15-20 grams per day. If there are no other contraindications, you should not completely remove them from the diet. Useful fats are necessary for the body to function properly and to control weight. Also nuts allow you to quench your appetite, they can be used as a snack. They help to control the amount of food if they are consumed before meals.

During the breastfeeding period, the rate of eating nuts should not be increased. On the contrary, in the first months it should be minimal, no more than 5 pieces per day. Gradually the amount is brought up to the usual daily intake, if the introduction of cashews into the mother's diet does not have a negative impact on the baby's well-being.

Can I eat them at night and on an empty stomach

It is useful to eat cashews on an empty stomach, because they can saturate the body and give it strength and energy. Such a product can be added to breakfasts, snacks. If you eat cashews before the main meal, it allows you to get full faster and eat a little less. This is important for those who are trying to control weight.

But eating nuts at night is not welcomed by experts. They are very nutritious and useful, they contain proteins that can even replace meat, but nuts take a long time to digest and assimilate by the body. Therefore, it is good to start the day with them. The digestive system has enough time to fully digest the product and get the maximum benefit from it. In the evening, the body goes into a mode of preparing systems for sleep, and this applies to digestion as well. Therefore, there is much less time to process food than during the day. Unprocessed food can cause an upset stomach or intestines and provoke constipation or diarrhea. Also, the energy and substances received will not have time to be absorbed by the body and deposited in fat reserves.

Cashews are able to energize in the morning, so it is worth giving them a preference at this time of day, using them as a light and nutritious snack during the day. In the evening, they are better suited for a more satisfying alternative.

Should I wash cashews before eating them?

This question is determined individually. It all depends on the producer and seller of the product. Usually, the cashews packaged in factories undergo a cleaning process at the factory. Therefore, you can safely eat them by opening the box or pack. But it is not always possible to be sure of the conscientious attitude of the manufacturer. In this case, you can wash the nuts with hot water and then dry them in a dry pan or oven. Be sure to wash the nuts before use if they were sold unpackaged, in bulk. During their time on the counter they can become covered with dust.

Besides, washing nuts with hot water helps to break the greasy film formed, which may be a bit bitter. If nuts smell strongly rancid, it is worth refusing to buy or consume them. Such a product can only do harm.

The benefits of cashews during breastfeeding

This nut has a rich mineral and vitamin composition. It includes almost all B vitamins, there are quite rare vitamins E, H, K, PP, which play an important role in metabolic processes, the removal of toxins and waste from the body, tissue renewal and construction of new cells. These vitamins are very important during the recovery period of the mother after childbirth, the development and formation of the body systems of the child.

Also cashews have a rich mineral composition: potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, selenium, zinc (and a number of other useful trace elements). They are actively involved in metabolic processes. Especially valuable is this product high iron content. This is important in the postpartum period. Often women during pregnancy have anemia, which worsens after childbirth due to nursing. Lack of iron can also cause the baby to develop anemia. Consuming just a few nuts a day will solve this problem.

The presence of magnesium and B vitamins helps restore normal nervous system function. Sometimes women after childbirth develop a depressive state, and taking care of the baby requires a lot of strength, a lot of energy. These elements help to improve mood and increase endurance. Moms take stress more easily.

Consumption of cashews helps to strengthen teeth, hair and nails, which is also important during the breastfeeding period. Usually during pregnancy and then breastfeeding a woman has a bad deterioration of her teeth, hair, skin and nails. And the substances contained in the walnut help to restore their lack in the body of the mother. Also their presence in the milk promotes the normal development of bone tissue in the baby.

The presence of this product in the diet has a favorable effect on the development of the brain of the child, the proper formation of the nervous system, strengthening immunity. The rich mineral composition plays an important role in maintaining the health of blood vessels, excretion of bad cholesterol and other harmful substances.

The content in nuts of polyunsaturated fatty acids allows all metabolic processes in the body to function properly, which protects it from inflammations, formation and development of tumors. Pregnancy and childbirth are very stressful for women, so during this period there is a significant weakening of the immune system, hormonal disorders disrupt metabolic processes, which can lead to the appearance of tumors. The use of cashews helps to quickly bring the system into a state of balance, thereby increasing its resistance to negative factors.

Despite their caloric content, cashews can help with dietary control. Nuts will be useful both for those who need to gain weight and for women who need to control their body weight and avoid increasing it. In the first case, nuts are recommended to eat after a meal or to use as a snack. In the second option, women need to eat a few pieces before a meal, which will reduce appetite and control the amount eaten afterwards.

Also, experts have noted that cashews improve the structure of breast milk. It becomes fatter, thicker, enriched with useful vitamins and trace elements. Some women say that the presence of cashews in the diet affects the amount of milk. But scientists have not yet confirmed this fact.

This product helps to strengthen the cardiovascular system, has a beneficial effect on the digestive organs and the pancreas. But in everything it is necessary to observe a measure. If you do not adhere to the daily norm, not paying attention to the existing contraindications, you can provoke negative consequences, which will then be difficult to minimize.

In what form cashews will be useful to a nursing mother

In order to benefit from the product, it is worth taking care when choosing and buying it, as well as when eating it. Nuts contain a lot of oils that are released on the surface, forming a film. During long-term storage and exposure to air, this film oxidizes. The result is rancidity and an unpleasant smell. This not only worsens the taste, but can also harm the body of the mother and baby. That is why you should buy only fresh nuts that have not been on the counter for several months. It is better to buy them in those places of sale, which have long been known and trusted, where you can be sure of the quality of products sold.

You should also be careful about the storage of nuts at home. It is not necessary to buy a large batch in advance. It is better to take small portions and store in an airtight container or bag in a dark and cool place. If you keep nuts in the freezer, their storage time increases significantly.

It is also recommended to use fresh, whole and raw nuts. Those that are sprinkled with sugar, coated with sugar or chocolate coating should be excluded from the diet. The presence of additives will not be beneficial, on the contrary, can cause allergies and increase the caloric content. In addition, such products often use roasted nuts, which have already lost most of their useful substances after heat treatment.

Raw .

So, experts recommend consuming cashew nuts that are not cracked and raw. They do not have shells, so they can be directly consumed. To diversify the diet, it is allowed to add them to a variety of dishes. It is better if they will not undergo heat treatment. You can opt for peeled, slightly dried nuts. In this way, the product retains the greatest amount of useful substances, trace elements and vitamins.

Fried

When roasted, cashews are no longer as valuable as when they are raw. Yes, the nuts get a richer and more pronounced taste, but heat treatment destroys most of the useful substances. In addition, its caloric value increases. Also, fried foods have a negative impact on the digestive organs, additionally burdening the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. Roasted nuts, as well as other products processed in this way, may contain harmful substances.

Therefore it is better to choose more natural products, of good quality, in small quantities.

What are the dangers of cashew nuts in lactation

Like many products, nuts have a number of contraindications for consumption. And cashews are no exception here. It has been noted that this type of nuts is less likely to cause an allergic reaction than others. In this regard, only walnuts and pine nuts are safer. But still this possibility remains. And the allergy can manifest itself not only in the baby, but also in the mother. There are cases where it is the mother can not eat cashews, suffering from allergies, and the child is quite able to eat them calmly, when he can already feed himself.

Allergic reactions can be dangerous to a person's health and life. Skin rashes, redness, itching are only mild symptoms. If they are ignored and continue to eat nuts, it can lead to the development of more serious complications in the form of respiratory edema, which is already life-threatening. Therefore, it is worth carefully monitoring the reaction to the introduction of cashews into the diet. If the mother or baby for 1-3 days felt discomfort, they appeared rash on the skin or stomach upset, it is worth to postpone its introduction for another month. Give up completely from the product is also not necessary. After 1-2 months, the baby's digestive system is able to get stronger enough that it will not react so strongly to the presence of this product in the diet.

Also contraindications to the use of cashews are serious kidney and liver problems. This is especially true for those who have a tendency to form stones. Fatty nuts can cause the movement of stones, which is accompanied by painful sensations, worsening of general well-being. During lactation, a woman's body is already experiencing a lot of stress, so you should not aggravate the situation. This can lead to the need for urgent medical treatment, which is not desirable when a mother is breastfeeding her baby.

Nuts can also provoke rapid and uncontrolled weight gain in both the mother and the baby. Of course, such a problem occurs when the rate of consumption of the product is greatly exceeded. Those who are prone to obesity should limit themselves and not eat more nuts than prescribed.

It has already been noted that the presence of nuts in the diet of a nursing mother changes the structure of milk, increases its fat content and nutritional value. But this process can have negative consequences. Milk becomes thicker, which worsens its outflow. It is harder for the baby to suckle. Also too fatty and nutritious breast milk can cause diarrhea or constipation in an infant.

Before you decide to include cashews in your diet, you should make sure there are no allergies or other contraindications. If there are problems, it is better to postpone its introduction or eliminate it altogether if the situation recurs every time the nuts are eaten. It is also worth consulting a doctor.

How to properly introduce cashews in the diet of a nursing mother

The introduction of any new and unusual product in the diet of a woman breastfeeding a baby, is carried out in stages, without haste. Care must be taken so that instead of the expected benefits not to cause harm.

In the first months, doctors recommend excluding cashews from the mother's diet, especially if the woman has never eaten this product before. It can cause allergies not only in the baby, but also in a nursing woman. The likelihood of allergies or other adverse effects is reduced if the mother regularly consumed cashews before the birth, even during pregnancy. In this case, the baby's body is likely to accept the presence of this product in a woman's diet normally. Nevertheless, this is not a reason to eat nuts without control. It is always necessary to observe the norm.

At the beginning of the nursing period it should not exceed 15-20 grams per day, later - 30-40 grams.

The first time after childbirth is allowed to eat no more than one nut. Then you should take a break for 1-3 days to monitor the reaction of the child's body. If red spots on the skin, itching, rashes, diarrhea, burping appear, the product is excluded from the diet for at least a month. This does not mean that now the child can not eat cashews at all. Just that his body may not yet be ready for this kind of food. After a while, the result can be the opposite.

If the first experience was successful, there were no problems with the baby's well-being, you can gradually increase the amount of nuts eaten, bringing them to the norm of 5-6 pieces per day. In the first stages, it is better to take breaks, because increasing the amount of eaten product can cause a reaction, which should be monitored.

Do not let your guard down if there is no reaction to the cashews eaten immediately, the substances can accumulate in the body. Symptoms can appear after a week, a month. If you carefully monitor the diet, you can quickly notice abnormalities and take the necessary measures.

The main thing is not to give in to your desires. If the eaten nut was well absorbed by the body of the child, this does not mean that now they can be eaten uncontrolled in any quantities.