With the birth of a baby, the question of mother’s nutrition becomes an issue, because you need to eat somehow so that the milk does not disappear, and there is no colic, and the baby grows big and strong. Many dishes are questionable, especially those that you seem to really want because they are very tasty, but you can do without them. Spring mothers especially suffer when it’s time for forays into nature and delicious, ruddy kebabs over the fire.
Is it possible for a nursing woman to eat this food? Will barbecue harm a newborn while breastfeeding? What kebab can mom still eat, and what should she absolutely refuse? Let's learn more about the nuances of such delicious food in nature!
Dangers of eating kebab while breastfeeding
Kebab itself is not the healthiest dish even for a “normal” person, let alone a nursing woman and a breastfed baby. And here's the thing.
Fats. As a rule, to prepare such a “country” or “forest” dish, fatty meats are used, most often pork or lamb. Such meat is difficult to digest and is not immediately absorbed by the body. In terms of breastfeeding, it is also important to consider that the fat content of food directly affects the fat content of your milk. And milk oversaturated with lipids can provoke colic in a child, constipation, as well as loose stools.
Carcinogens . When grilled over charcoal, the meat turns out very tasty. During this type of cooking, fat flows from the meat onto the charcoal, burns, and the vapors that are formed contain carcinogenic substances that settle on the appetizing pieces. This is of little benefit to the mother herself; in addition, once in milk, such substances can have a negative effect on the child.
Bacterial contamination . Barbecue meat travels a long way from the store to the coals. Being an excellent breeding ground for microorganisms, it literally collects bacilli and other “evil spirits” everywhere. This is not to mention the fact that in nature there are a lot of insects that, unnoticed by you, will have time to “sitting” on several pieces of delicacy, and this is fraught with food poisoning.
Low quality of heat treatment . Meat is, first of all, protein. And protein is the most optimal environment for the development of bacteria, including salmonella. If the kebab is not cooked through, the likelihood that bacilli will enter your body and cause digestive disorders is very high. In addition, during breastfeeding they can also enter the baby's body.
Too much heat treatment . Yes, overcooked meat is much safer in terms of bacterial contamination. But in terms of “digestibility,” this is a huge burden on the entire digestive system. This kebab comes out hard, not very tasty, and the stomach will require much more effort to digest it. And here the mother’s digestive disorders will be caused precisely by the fact that such meat is too heavy food for her body.
Marinades . Most often, ingredients that are of little use for breastfeeding are used for marinating meat, for example, vinegar, lemon juice, mayonnaise, wine and a huge amount of seasonings. All these ingredients negatively affect the stomach of a nursing woman and partially end up in milk, later provoking the same clicks and stool disorders in a breastfed baby.
Harm from fried and fatty meat
Any fried food - meat or vegetables - is poorly digested by the stomach and can cause a feeling of heaviness and discomfort. Since digestion of fried meat food can take quite a long time, a woman experiences not only discomfort, but also abdominal pain. The newborn will experience the same unpleasant sensations.
After childbirth, a woman’s body is weakened and her immunity is lowered, so her digestive system cannot cope with processing fatty and fried meat. All fats that enter the body of a nursing mother will be transferred through her milk to the baby. After such a meal, the newborn may experience abdominal pain, colic and indigestion.
In addition, excess fat in the body leads to obesity, which leads to poor health and health problems. The baby also becomes overweight.
Benefit
Despite the list of horror stories, there are benefits to charcoal-grilled meat:
- Taste qualities . When barbecued, a natural flavor enhancer is produced, which delights our taste buds. And what could be better for the baby and for lactation, other than a happy and satisfied mother?
- Relative dietary content . Properly cooked meat (even if it is pork) loses excess fat during the frying process, and this is not a bad thing. But this point concerns exclusively proper preparation.
- Squirrels . Meat dishes in any of their variants are primarily a product with a high protein content. And these are very important substances for both mother and baby. In fact, it is a building material of the body, necessary in the process of recovery after childbirth.
- Other useful substances . There are much more of them preserved in kebab than in meat fried in a frying pan. Therefore, you can get a lot of benefits from such a dish for both yourself and your child, if it is prepared correctly.
What is the harmfulness of the dish?
Meat is one of the products necessary for the rapid recovery of the female body after childbirth. It replenishes the body with the proteins, microelements and vitamins it needs. So why is kebab considered a harmful dish and not recommended for a nursing mother?
Despite the fact that meat itself is a healthy product, the effect that the meat dish will bring as a result largely depends on the method of its preparation. If boiled or steamed meat is considered a dietary food, then when fried or smoked it is a source of a huge amount of carcinogens and fats that harm not only the mother’s health, but also have a negative effect on the child’s body.
To assimilate heavy and fatty foods, the body mobilizes all internal reserves. A special burden falls on the liver and pancreas. Failure in the functioning of these organs leads to digestive disorders in a newborn baby. A large number of difficult-to-digest foods causes bloating, constipation, and intestinal colic in the baby.
Fatty fried meat is a source of poorly digestible fats and cholesterol, which not only adversely affect the condition of blood vessels, blood pressure, and the functioning of the cardiovascular system, but also adds extra pounds, worsening the mother’s figure, which is already not in the best shape after childbirth.
Sauces and seasonings for barbecue: is it possible
Sauces and seasonings for barbecue can be divided into two conditional groups:
- those in which meat is marinated;
- those that complement the finished dish.
In the first case, it is impossible to do without such components. But if you are breastfeeding, it is better to avoid marinade ingredients such as:
- vinegar;
- lemon juice;
- alcohol;
- mayonnaise;
- excessive quantity and wide variety of spices.
For nursing mothers, the following products are ideal for marinating meat:
- mineral water;
- kefir;
- natural tomato juice;
- onion;
- a small amount of ground black pepper.
In the case of sauces that are served with ready-made kebab, you are absolutely not allowed to:
- mustard;
- ketchup;
- still the same mayonnaise;
- Hot and spicy sauces are ready.
Instead, you can season the meat dish with the same sour cream with a little salt, ground pepper or garlic. Although well-cooked meat tastes good even without any additives, which it is better to avoid in any case when breastfeeding.
What kind of kebab can a nursing mother eat and how much?
If you really want delicious meat baked over coals, you shouldn’t limit yourself too much. After all, the most important thing during breastfeeding is psychological peace. A nursing mother can eat a little shish kebab made from lean meats. Ideal in this matter would be: chicken, turkey, veal.
In addition, the nurse may well please herself with a similar dish prepared not from meat, but from white fish (pollock fillet, pangasius, hake, for example).
It is very important to pay attention to the following characteristics of this meat delicacy:
- Marinade . It can only be prepared from those products that we discussed earlier. You should also not experiment with a large number of spices; during the period of pregnancy you will have to be content with ground black pepper and, as an exception, bay leaf.
- Degree of roasting . It is important that in the end the meat is completely cooked, but not overcooked. A well-baked shish kebab remains juicy and full of healthy and nutritious ingredients. At the same time, there is no risk that any pathogenic microflora will survive in such meat.
For the first test, a breastfeeding mother will have to limit herself to a portion of 50 grams of the finished dish. At the same time, it is advisable to conduct such an experiment in the morning - this way you can already understand today how your whim affected the baby’s well-being.
It is also important to know that if the baby is not 4 months old, its intestinal microflora is still immature, so it is better to wait with kebab until this age. If you had a premature birth, any deviations from the diet during breastfeeding are permissible only from the baby’s six months.
If the kebab, despite all the precautions, “got” to you, but “did not go” to the little one, it is better to postpone the second test for a couple of months. If all is well, you can repeat the experiment, increasing the portion to 150 grams. But more than once a month, even the safest kebab is not worth pampering the nurse.
How to cook shish kebab for a nursing mother
In order for such a treasured dish to bring more benefit than harm to a nursing mother and baby, it must be prepared correctly. We will give two simple recipes. They make a tasty and safe treat for nursing women.
Poultry shashlik
You will need:
- chicken fillet (you can use turkey);
- kefir;
- onions and fresh herbs (dill, parsley).
Preparing this kebab is very simple:
- Rinse the poultry meat well with running water and cut into pieces.
- Place it in a deep container, fill it with kefir, add chopped onions and chopped herbs.
- Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (ideally 8-12 hours).
- Bake the meat over coals until fully cooked.
If you bake such meat in the oven, the taste will be no worse, but you are guaranteed the quality of the roast. You can simply take it ready-made into nature and simply heat it over the coals. This option will be the most optimal in terms of breastfeeding.
Fish kebab
You will need:
- fish fillet;
- small zucchini;
- green bell pepper;
- fresh herbs;
- olive oil.
Preparing such a shish kebab is not so difficult:
- Rinse all products well under running water and cut into pieces.
- Mix the fish with herbs and olive oil, leave in a closed container in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- Place the fish on a skewer mixed with chopped vegetables and bake over coals until cooked.
You can do the same with this dish as with the previous one, simply prepare it at home and take it with you into nature. In any case, you will end up with not just a barbecue, but a healthy and complete lunch.
Is it possible for a nursing mother to eat pork kebab?
Useful Instagram for pregnant women about food and their effect on the body - go and subscribe!
When breastfeeding, women have to give up many desirable foods and choose healthy, but less tasty recipes. Breastfeeding mothers often wonder if it is possible to have barbecue while breastfeeding? Why is this dish on the list of foods undesirable during this period?
The healthiest part of pork is the tenderloin.
Pork is a tasty and valuable product. It is a source of B vitamins, as well as microelements, especially zinc and iron. Another advantage of pork is protein, which is present in large quantities.
100 grams of product (depending on the category) also contains from 11.5 to 19 g of protein, which is even more than in beef and poultry meat.
Particularly healthy is pork tenderloin, from which the fat has been trimmed and then cooked in the oven.
Why, with all these qualities, is pork kebab not recommended for breastfeeding? Firstly, due to its very high fat content (from 17.5 to 49.3 g of fat per 100 g of product).
And secondly, you should not eat poorly cooked pork, as it can be infected with eggs of dangerous helminths (pork and bovine tapeworms, trichinella). It is necessary to choose high-quality meat from young animals, the flesh of which is matte and dense.
It should have thin streaks of fat, and the top layer of fat should be white and hard to the touch.
Pork meat - benefits and harms
Products that will help you better digest kebab
In order for even properly marinated and cooked meat to be well absorbed by the mother’s body and bring more benefits to both her and the baby, it is important to eat it with fresh vegetables. Fresh ones are perfect for such purposes:
- yellow tomatoes;
- green bell pepper;
- cucumbers;
- cabbage (in moderation);
- lettuce leaves.
Such products contain a large amount of fiber. It promotes digestion, stimulates the motility of the stomach and intestines, and helps remove from the body everything that has not been digested. In addition, fresh vegetables are rich in vitamins, and both mother and baby need these biologically active substances.
Such an addition to a tasty meat dish will not only complement its taste, but also, due to its juiciness, will replace all kinds of sauces. Vegetables will help the meat to be absorbed with maximum benefit for both organisms.
What is the appeal of shish kebab?
Heat-processed foods have many benefits. That is why the very fact of making fire is considered by many experts as a very big step in human civilization.
Food that has been cooked is much easier to digest in the stomach and intestines. Considering this circumstance, the body of a nursing mother simply spends less effort on digesting the product, which leads to a quicker feeling of satiety and a decrease in the time of chewing.
Many experts in the field of nutrition emphasize the possibility of the formation of specific substances - food melanoids - when frying meat. It is argued that these volatile components not only enhance the taste, but also help remove heavy metal salts from tissues, help counteract bacteria and reduce the possibility of oncological cell restructuring.
We should not forget that when cooking meat over an open fire, the amino acids present in it combine with glucose, which provokes a stronger release of melanoids. The smell of fried meat, its taste and external qualities attract not only young mothers, but also most food lovers.
Nutrition tips for breastfeeding - video
In this video, the famous doctor Komarovsky gives 10 simple tips on the nutrition of a young mother during breastfeeding. By following these tips, you can independently determine what you can eat and what you can’t. This approach can be used for any product, including kebab.
A mother's menu when breastfeeding is very limited. Not only can new or specific products cause unwanted reactions in an infant, but there are also a number of specific requirements. For example, it is important to know what you can eat after a cesarean section, both in the first days and in the subsequent rehabilitation period, which sometimes drags on for more than one month.
Kebab is a very specific product even for a “normal” body . What can we say about a new parent; doctors, to put it mildly, do not recommend such delicacies for her. Fried meat is hard on the stomach, often quite fatty, so its consumption is undesirable, especially if you are wondering how to lose weight after childbirth. At the same time, the milk of a nursing mother also carries the “imprint” of your weakness and can cause digestive upset in the baby.
However, if you really want to pamper yourself, you can find a way out of any situation. Lean meats, the right marinade and a side dish of fresh vegetables will help you prepare tasty and even healthy barbecue. This dish will please the mother and will not harm the little one. The main thing is to know when to stop and not to overeat.
Have you eaten kebab while breastfeeding? Did this somehow affect your baby? Share your experience and, possibly, recipes for safe kebab for breastfeeding women in the comments. This will be interesting to those mothers who are going outdoors and are faced with the question of barbecue while breastfeeding for the first time. I wish you healthy children and good rest!
