Q: Could you please tell me the offending foods for breast feeding mothers that may increase possible allergies in babies? Also, are there foods I should be staying away from while breastfeeding?
~ Heather Thom

A:Hi Heather,
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is: Are you allergic to any foods or is the father allergic to any foods? An allergic reaction to a particular food from the mother while nursing may influence and create allergies in the child. A predisposition in the childs DNA (inherited from the father or mother) may also play a role. The most likey offenders, i.e. the foods that cause allergies or even just intolerances most often are: dairy, eggs, wheat, corn, pork, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, berries, nuts, spices, citrus fruit and juices and chocolate.
That being said, only avoid those foods for which you are noticing an adverse reaction, either in you or your baby, or from which you or your husband have a known allergy. Otherwise you do not need to eliminate any foods for fear of creating allergies. In fact nursing your baby for up to 6 months can dramatically reduce the incedence of allergies in your child. You are passing along valuable antibodies through the milk.
Variety is what is so essential. Don't eat the same foods all year round, go with the seasons, eat localy so that your diet changes throughout the year.
The immense increase in allergies that we are seeing is due partly to a narrowing of food choices in the diet. We can get anything we want at any time of year and we tend to gravitate to the same thing all the time - it's what we like. This is limiting our nutrient intake however and plays a role in the formation of allergies.
So, while you are nursing, it is important to stay away from: foods that are upsetting your digestive system because this can affect your baby; foods that you or the baby's father is allergic to; and foods that are causing an adverse reaction in the baby (ie: the baby is not thriving, has diarhea, etc.). But most importantly to remember to eat a varied diet!
Hope this helps,

Vanessa Riddell R.N.C.P.
~Vanessa is a Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner working in Ottawa

If you have any questions for Vanessa, please send her an email through our Contact button. If you would like to reach Vanessa for a consultation, her office is located in dowtown Ottawa and she can be reached at (613) 866-6604.