Nan,
This is exactly what I was taught to say by LLL also, but while it may seem like the most, obvious and 
sensible advice on earth, I do not think mothers know how to interpret it at all. I take a diet history on 
every single client and rarely do I come across a mom who eats well, even though many think they do.
I do not think it is good enough for most babies to tolerate most foods--I think babies should have nourishment
enough to thrive. While ti is true that women have grown babies on all sorts of diets, the fact is that western 
women have the poorest diets by choice--they have the opportunity to eat well and do not. I think it is very 
appropriate to eliminate fake foods--they have no place in the body, not even in "moderation". 

I am teaching a workshop next weekend on nutrition and I used Michael Pollan's quote on my flyer. ("Eat food.
Not a lot. Mostly plants.") The thing is, again--most folks do not know what "food" actually is. They certainly are 
miles away from eating mostly plants.  

Honestly, Nan----moms think corn is a vegetable, that potatos and peas count as vegetables, that cow milk is a food
group that cereal is a healthy breakfast food, that "granola bars" are a healthy snack food and on and on. Not only are 
they making poor choices, they really have no idea what food is. What passes for food is so far removed from its 
natural state that many people are genuinely lost. I think they do need specific direction and I like the idea of asking 
what foods to eat vs to eliminate. It can be done in a general way. Instead of as a manifesto it can be about the mom
being healthy, not about what is "good" or "bad" for the baby. 

Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting Network LLC

"When a mom asks me about diet during breastfeeding, I tell her to eat a wide 
variety of food in as close to its natural state as possible.

If she has a wide variety, she is likely have avoid a deficiency and an 
excess of any foodstuff.

Mothers have been breastfeeding for millennia in many different places and 
cultures, eating all sorts of foods.  Restrictions can only be shown to be 
necessary if a particular baby is definitely sensitive to a particular 
foodstuff.  Most babies tolerate most foods most of the time, so it's 
unnecessary to place lots of restrictions on the diet.  As in pregnancy, the 
focus should be on eating a healthy diet, not on avoiding specific foods.  I 
would suggest avoiding an excess of anything.

Nan Jolly MB BCh. IBCLC. LLLL"


 





 


 








 


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