In Kenya, breastfeeding mums are advised to eat nutritious meals in order to produce quality milk for their babies. It is for this reason that many mums stay away from junk food and when they do consume it, they worry if their breast milk will negatively affect the development of their growing babies. Fortunately, a number of health reports indicate that junk food eaten in moderation does not affect the quality of breast milk produced or the overall health of the mother.
However, regular consumption of junk food in large quantities is discouraged as it can be detrimental to the health of the baby and breastfeeding mother in the long run. Some of the negative effects of overindulging on junk food include:
Altered composition of breast milk
Most junk food contains saturated and trans fats which can change the composition of breast milk when consumed in excess. The presence of these fats in the milk can result in the increase of fat levels in the body of an infant that consumes breast milk on a daily basis.
The baby develops taste for junk food
Babies get their first taste of a variety of foods through their mother’s breast milk, which makes it important that they develop a taste for healthy foods. However, if a breastfeeding mum is overindulging in fast food, there is a probability that their baby will build up a taste for similar foods resulting in unhealthy eating habits as they grow older.
Exhausted mother
Although calories found in junk food may help in the production of milk, they have no nutritional benefit to the health of the breastfeeding mum. In most cases, added calories result in weight gain which slows down the mother leaving her exhausted and unable to take care of her baby well.
To get more information about healthy choices when breastfeeding, please click here https://motherhood101.co.ke/category/breastfeeding-tips/nutrition-for-breastfeeding/
