A breastfeeding mother doesn’t require special foods to produce or increase her milk supply. A baby’s sucking determines the quantity of milk that is produced. A breastfeeding mother’s body uses a combination of all the foods that she eats, completing them with nutrients stored in her body to produce the milk that she gives her child. What this means is that mother’s milk is made every time, following the same process and resulting in milk that has a fairly constant composition. If the mother’s diet is not adequate, it is her body that makes up the difference. If she is malnourished, this means that her body has to make up for the lack of nutrients in her diet when it produces the milk for her child. It has been seen that even in cases bordering on malnutrition in poor countries, the milk produced by these mothers satisfies the needs of the child, who will grow adequately if he is breastfed on cue. (Khan, S. Maternal nutrition during breastfeeding. NEW BEGINNINGS 2004 Mar-Apr:44)

What about avoiding gassy foods or high acidic foods?

There is little scientific basis to the notion that eating “gassy” foods will make a baby fussy or that citrus eaten by mother is “too acid” for baby. Gas is produced when intestinal bacterial act upon fiber in the intestines. Gas and fiber do not pass into human milk, even if the mother suffers from excess gas. Neither do high-acid foods change the pH of the mother’smilk.

Some babies do develop sensitivity to the mother’s diet. The most common foods that cause sensitivity in babies are: Cow’s milk, soy, egg whites, peanuts, fish (especially cod), wheat, nuts, corn, citrus, tomatoes and various spices. If you suspect your baby has a sensitivity to something you ate, avoid on or two of the suspected foods for three to four weeks. If eliminating the highly allergenic foods does not show improvement for the baby, please visit your pediatrician.