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Eating bananas during breastfeeding can provide you with essential nutrients, such as calcium, potassium, and fiber. Besides, bananas contain several phytochemicals that can support overall health in the long run. But since bananas are also high in carbohydrates, some new moms might consider avoiding them to cut down on calories and lose weight. Is this the right move?
Read on as we give you an insight into the safety of bananas for breastfeeding women and their possible maternal health benefits. We also give you some delectable banana recipes you can try without feeling guilty.
Can You Eat Banana While Breastfeeding?
You can eat bananas while breastfeeding since their regular consumption can benefit nursing mothers and their babies. Banana is a nutritious fruit with a considerable amount of micronutrients and bioactive compounds such as phenolics, carotenoids, biogenic amines, and phytosterols (1). These compounds are good for the mother as well as the baby.
Health Benefits Of Banana While Breastfeeding
The regular consumption of bananas as part of a balanced diet can provide the following benefits to the mother and the baby.
- Meets energy needs: Breastfeeding requires an additional consumption of 640Kcal/day for the first six months after the birth of the baby (2). Bananas can help meet this increased need for energy. One medium-sized banana provides approximately 109 kcal (3). So grab a banana and eat it as a midday snack or add it to your breakfast porridge.
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- Supplies nutrients: Banana is a nutrient-dense fruit that has good amounts of potassium (a vital mineral in the body), vitamin B6, and fiber. According to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements, one medium banana contains about nine percent of the daily value of potassium and 25% of the recommended daily value of vitamin B6. Along with these nutrients, bananas are rich in minerals such as copper and manganese (4). All these nutrients are vital for a nursing mother as they aid in maintaining health and hastening postpartum healing.
- Supports weight loss: Banana contains resistant starch that stays in the stomach for a longer time and thus delays gastric emptying. This helps in controlling hunger by regulating food intake. This also helps in curbing overeating (4).
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- Supports digestive health: Ripe banana contains non-digestible fiber that adds bulk to the diet and helps restore normal bowel activity (5).
- Contains gut microflora: A ripe banana has high amounts of FODMAP (Fermentable Oligo, Di, Mono-saccharides, and Polyols), which have prebiotic properties. Prebiotics help flourish probiotic levels in the colon, thus helping in the proper absorption of nutrients (5).
- Helps relieve heartburn and indigestion: Research shows that bananas could neutralize the increased acidity, strengthen digestion, and help fight indigestion (5) (6).
- Supports immunity: Vitamins C and B6, and bioactive compounds such as phenols and phytosterols in banana help boost immunity due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects (7).
- Helps fight depression: Banana contains an amino acid called tryptophan that might be helpful in fighting depression after childbirth. The body uses tryptophan to make serotonin, a feel-good hormone that helps fight depression and also enhances your mood by giving you a feel-good feeling (8).
Experts say
Image: S: iStock
Quick And Delectable Banana Recipes
Bananas can be consumed straight as a satiating and healthy snack. However, some recipes could enhance its nutritional value by adding nutrients from other food while also making it more delicious. The following recipes are easy and quick to prepare, making them ideal options to include in your post-pregnancy diet.
1. Overnight oats and banana smoothie
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An overnight smoothie is a good breakfast recipe for mothers who hardly get any time for themselves. This easy-to-prepare recipe saves time while also providing you all the macro and micronutrients necessary for speedy postpartum recovery.
You will need:
- 2 ripe bananas
- ½ cup toned milk
- 1 cup unsweetened plain yogurt
- ½ cup chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios, and walnuts)
- 1tsp chia seeds
How to:
- Mix all ingredients and blend them in a blender until you get a smoothie of flowing consistency.
- Store the smoothies in a glass jar in the refrigerator and leave it overnight.
- Eat it at breakfast. Consume it at room temperature.
Quick tipLindsey, a mother, shares a tip for incorporating bananas into her refreshing smoothie during breastfeeding. She explains, “I have included this smoothie into my daily routine since the beginning. I’ve had it probably almost every day since my son was born, and it has helped maintain my breast milk supply… I just like to use frozen bananas, then I don’t have to add ice. What I do is I buy a lot of bananas at once, and then I just let some go brown. I put those in the freezer, and then I always have frozen bananas in the freezer. I add my frozen bananas and I just eye out whatever I think looks like one banana so I use about a handful (i).”
2. Tropical banana salad
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This recipe is a perfect addition to your salad list. It will provide you with the goodness of tropical fruits that are healthy and also soulful. Eat this salad in the midday. This recipe is also easy to prepare and can be stocked in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
You will need:
- 1 banana
- 1 apple (chopped)
- 1 cup dragon fruit (chopped)
- 1 kiwi (sliced)
- ½ cup pineapple (sliced)
- 1tbsp mixed seeds and nuts trail mix
- 2tsp lemon juice
- Pinch of cinnamon and black pepper
How to:
- Mix all the fruits and lemon juice in a big bowl.
- Now add seeds and nuts trail mix and mix everything together well.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon and black pepper before eating.
A Few More Simple And Delicious Ideas To Add Banana
- Add sliced bananas to your pancake and make it yummier.
- Have banana slices with bread and a teaspoon of peanut butter.
- Have a sliced banana with yogurt.
- Add sliced bananas to porridges.
- Add chopped bananas to fruit salads and puddings.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do bananas cause gas in breastfed babies?
Banana contains sorbitol and soluble fiber that may cause gas in sensitive individuals. However, the gas does not pass from the mother to the baby through breast milk. Thus, maternal intake of bananas is highly unlikely to cause gas in breastfed babies.
2. Can bananas affect breast milk?
Bananas are not known to affect breast milk production or supply (9). However, they may contribute to accentuating breast milk’s quality when consumed as a part of a well-balanced maternal diet. Bananas contain several essential nutrients and bioactive compounds some of which may pass into the breast milk and benefit your little one.
3. Can eating bananas help prevent postpartum constipation during breastfeeding?
Bananas are known to help relieve constipation due to their mild laxative property (5).
4. Can consuming bananas while breastfeeding help prevent or treat leg cramps?
Bananas are known to be a good source of potassium which may aid in preventing muscle cramps. However, little information is available on how bananas help with cramps during pregnancy (10).
Banana is a carbohydrate-rich, nutritious fruit that can offer several nutrients and health-promoting compounds. You can consume bananas during breastfeeding in moderation to ensure a well-balanced diet. Eating bananas can provide you with several nutrients that can help meet your increased nutritional needs when nursing. Remember, your diet affects breast milk quality, so make sure that your diet includes foods from various food groups. Banana and nuts milkshake, banana bread, and banana and oats smoothie are some delectable banana recipes you can safely consume when nursing.
Infographic: Easy And Healthy Ideas To Eat Bananas When Breastfeeding
Life gets too busy after you become a new mother. But regardless of how busy you are, you must make sure to have a healthy diet for yourself and your baby. While you can eat bananas straight away after peeling the skin, the infographic below offers some delicious yet easy options. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Key Pointers
- Breastfeeding mothers can safely consume bananas which are power-packed with phytochemicals, calcium, fiber, and potassium.
- Eating bananas relieve heartburn and indigestion, boosts immunity, helps fight depression, and supports weight loss.
- Bananas help keep the mother’s energy levels up.
- To include bananas in their diet, mothers can add them to oats, salads, smoothies, puddings, and porridges to make them tasty and wholesome.
Illustration: Health Benefits of Eating Banana During Breastfeeding
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Personal Experience: Source
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. Lactation smoothie for breastfeeding moms | Increase your milk supply | Lindseydelight;https://youtu.be/Kf6kUV7-cz8
References
1. Singh B et al.; Bioactive compounds in banana and their associated health benefits – A review.; National Center For Biotechnology Information
2. Meeting Maternal Nutrient Needs During Lactation; National Center For Biotechnology Information
3. Banana, white, ripe (guineo blanco maduro); Food Data Central
4. Bananas; Harvard T.H Chan
5. K. P. Sampath Kumar et al.; Traditional and Medicinal Uses of Banana; Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry
6. 5 Top Foods to Stave Off Acid Reflux Symptoms; AARP
7. David C. Nieman and Susan Hazels Mitmesser; Potential Impact of Nutrition on Immune System Recovery from Heavy Exertion: A Metabolomics Perspective; National Center For Biotechnology Information
8. Hulsken S et al.; Food-derived serotonergic modulators: effects on mood and cognition.; National Center For Biotechnology Information
9. 5 Breastfeeding Diet Myths; Johns Hopkins Medicine
10. Muscle Cramps During Pregnancy; American Pregnancy Association
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