The New York Womans

Why shouldn't you eat sushi and tuna during breastfeeding?

When it comes to infant health, the quality of what a breastfeeding mother eats should never be compromised, especially during the first months of the child's life, which contribute to their normal growth.

While many natural and sometimes processed foods may not appear dangerous or significantly affect the mother's health, they can affect the baby's health and impair their mental and cognitive development. Your favorite food could be a cause of delayed development in your child. Here are the reasons why.

fish

Concerns about some types of fish are related to their mercury levels , so breastfeeding women should avoid fish that contain high levels of mercury, such as shark, swordfish, tilefish, mackerel, and tilefish.

Fish is a source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), two types of omega-3 fatty acids important for brain development in infants.

Some fish and seafood can also contain high levels of toxic mercury, a metal that can be toxic, especially to infants and children who are more sensitive to mercury poisoning.

Acute exposure to high levels of mercury can permanently affect your child's central nervous system , most notably delayed fine motor skills, speech and language development, and visual-spatial perception.

To ensure adequate omega-3 intake while reducing the risk of mercury poisoning, mothers are advised to avoid high-mercury fish and consume 8–12 ounces (225–340 grams) of low-mercury fish during breastfeeding.

Sushi

When eating sushi, it's best to follow the above advice, but there are important precautions to take when eating it. Avoid sushi that uses fish with high levels of mercury.

Conversely, eating uncooked fish, raw seafood can harbor bacteria, causing food poisoning for the mother. However, the safe side of eating sushi is that bacteria and parasites cannot pass through breast milk, so even if the mother becomes ill from eating raw fish, her baby will not be exposed to infection.

herbs

There is a common saying that herbs are harmless, but sometimes they can be harmful to the mother and the baby. Using herbs and spices such as cumin or basil to season food is considered safe while breastfeeding.

However, according to studies , excessive consumption of it or the use of cumin, mint, or basil in herbal tea may reduce milk production, and some mothers may use it during the weaning period to reduce milk production.

processed foods

Processed foods are generally high in calories, unhealthy fats, added sugars, and very high levels of sodium, but they are low in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, so it's best to limit your intake as much as possible.

fast food

You don't need to know the harmful effects of fatty, low-nutrition fast food, but scientific evidence supports this warning. Animal studies have shown that the flavors infants are exposed to through breast milk can influence their food preferences as they grow up.

A study found that mice born to mothers who ate a high-fast-food diet were more likely to prefer foods high in fat and sugar than those whose mothers ate a balanced, healthy diet.