Can I use cauliflower when breastfeeding?

When breastfeeding, the baby is naturally provided with all the nutrients he needs. He receives all this with his mother’s milk. Its composition is unstable and depends on what kind of food mom herself consumes. From the foregoing, it can be concluded that the woman herself must fully provide herself with these substances in order to pass them on to her child later.

The diet of a nursing mother during this period is subjected to significant correction. She loved something and used it with pleasure even before pregnancy, and she introduces some products again. But at the same time extreme care is required, since far from everything is useful for the baby’s body, which has just been born and has not yet adapted to new conditions. All this fully applies to cauliflower. The possibility of its use during lactation requires detailed consideration.

General information

For a long time, cauliflower was grown only in countries inhabited by Arabs. European breeders began working with her only in the XIV century. On the territory of our country, this representative of the vegetable kingdom did not want to grow. The reason for this was inappropriate climatic conditions. But the breeders' attempts were successful, and a variety was developed that suited the northern climatic conditions. Thanks to this, finicky vegetables began to grow in many regions of Russia.

Most experts believe that cauliflower is useful for a woman at a time when she is breastfeeding a child. To verify this, just look at what useful properties a set of its components has.

Composition of cauliflower

The chemical components that make up this vegetable make it not only tasty, but also useful, bearing certain healing properties. In the set of substances you can find:

1. A sufficient amount of fiber, which has a positive effect on the condition of the digestive tract. Reviews of patients indicate that with its help diseases of many digestive organs are successfully treated.
2. Compared to the white-headed variety, cauliflower surpasses it in terms of protein and vitamin C.
3. Cabbage is rich in vitamin substances, which are representatives of various groups. When using cauliflower, the daily requirement of the body for vitamin C, carotenoids, and representatives of group B is fully provided.
4. The mineral composition of the vegetable is so great that listing all the elements will take a significant amount of time. Among them there are such important representatives as phosphorus, zinc, selenium.
5. It contains folic acid, which is extremely important and useful for the growing body of a child.
6. Cauliflower is rich in healthy sugars, which are easily absorbed by the body.

Benefits for a nursing woman

The vegetable contains a very small amount of coarse fiber. In this regard, its digestibility is quite high. White cabbage is not suitable for a nursing mother if she has ulcerative formations in her stomach. It is quite possible to use cauliflower. This product is not only useful, but also has excellent taste. Its useful properties are manifested in the following features:

1. With the use of cauliflower, the intestines and blood vessel walls are cleaned.
2. Its use leads to an improvement in metabolic processes.
3. In the presence of this vegetable, the absorption of vitamins and minerals is better.
4. The immune system is strengthened.
5. The claim for the occurrence of malignant neoplasms is significantly reduced.
6. The product serves as a good prophylactic for the occurrence of inflammatory manifestations in the stomach.
7. With the use of such vegetable products, a nursing mother feels an energy boost and a surge of strength.
8. Cauliflower can improve performance, and even improve mood.

The richness of the vitamin and mineral set helps a woman recover faster after giving birth. The problem of weight gain during pregnancy is characteristic of almost every woman who goes through this period. Due to the fact that the product has a low calorie content, there is a real opportunity to lose extra pounds. Nutritionists have noticed this for a long time and recommend cabbage to be included in the diet for women after childbirth.

Baby benefit

The particular value of this vegetable is the presence of dietary fiber in it. They serve as a source of nutrition for normal intestinal microflora, without which physiological digestion is simply impossible. Fiber enhances intestinal motility. This contributes to better mechanical processing of food, which is one of the stages of the digestion process. The fact that cauliflower should be present in the diet, a young nursing mother can not even doubt.

Enter it in the diet should be for the following reasons:

1. Cauliflower practically does not cause allergic reactions.
2. It is all, completely without residue, completely absorbed by the body, and this happens in the shortest possible time. This avoids the feeling of heaviness.
3. It does not cause increased gas formation, which means that you should not worry about the fact that the baby may have gastric and intestinal colic.

Basic rules for use

A nursing mother should avoid eating foods that cause increased gas formation and allergic manifestations. For the first time after the birth of a baby, a mother should adhere to a strict and strict diet. As the baby grows and gains strength, the food assortment can be slowly expanded. But it is necessary to act with extreme caution, not forgetting for a moment that the baby’s health is still in the hands of the mother:

1. When the baby turns 3-4 weeks old, mom can taste the cauliflower soup.
2. Eat vegetable only in boiled or stewed form. Raw products in the first months of a child’s life cannot be eaten.
3. Start using gradually with small portions. In this case, constant monitoring of the condition of the baby is necessary. If at least the slightest negative manifestations appear, then the use of cabbage should be stopped immediately.
4. If the attempt to introduce cauliflower into the diet for some reason was unsuccessful, then you can try it again no earlier than a month later.
5. It is necessary to monitor the volume of servings. The use of the product in significant quantities can lead to the formation of excess gases, which can result in various disorders of the digestive tract. The daily portion should not exceed 200 g.
6. Of great importance is the quality of the consumed product.

How to choose and store cauliflower?

Vegetable product contains a sufficiently large amount of protein. Therefore, it can be recommended to those who adhere to the principles of vegetarianism. But the benefit will be obtained only from the use of quality products. Therefore, you must learn to choose it:

1. The leaves should be green, with pronounced signs of freshness. A flaccid leaf suggests that the product was torn off the garden far from yesterday.There should be no evidence of visible damage resulting from insect activity.
2. Inflorescences should have a white, yellowish or greenish tint.
3. There should not be dark spots. Their presence is evidence that the product is starting to deteriorate. Of course, the use of such vegetable products should be abandoned.
4. Cabbage is stored in cold conditions, but not more than one week. The plant tolerates freezing very well. Moreover, it fully retains all its useful properties.
5. During lactation, its use is indicated only after sufficient heat treatment. The product can be quenched or baked. A steamed meal will be delicious.

Thus, cauliflower is a valuable product for both the nursing mother and her baby. It is possible and necessary to introduce it into the diet, but in compliance with all the above rules. A sensible step would be before starting to use it, seek the advice of a pediatrician.

Video: vegetables for a nursing mother