Being a mother is the most important and the most challenging work in the whole world. Women do their best to manage all things simultaneously such as raising a baby, taking care of the family, working part-time or even full-time, and trying to stay healthy and cheerful.

Why is it crucial for moms to eat healthily?

First of all, a healthy diet plays a vital role for breastfeeding mothers. By consuming particular kinds of food, they transfer nutrients to their little one or, on the contrary, provoke a negative reaction in the child if the food is unhealthy. So, if you want to promote your baby’s growth and well-being, try to enrich your meals with the best quality and beneficial food.

Moreover, kids always try to copy their parents’ behavior, so make sure you eat healthily and your little one will be the same. It is the best way to encourage a child to eat well-balanced food. While eating lots of veggies, fruits and other nutritional foods yourself, you send the right message to your child. This way, it’s more likely for a baby to choose natural baby cereal over chips as it’s simply more familiar for him or her.

So what are the main health food tips for moms with babies?

1. Choose organic food

Organic food seems to be more expensive and harder to get in comparison with regular food. But it’s definitely worth it. Organic foods contain less chemicals, antibiotics, GMOs, pesticides and others. Instead, it has more beneficial nutrients as antioxidants and is better for people with food allergies. In addition, it’s usually fresher as it isn’t filled with preservatives that make it last longer. So, organic food is preferable for everyone, especially for breastfeeding mothers, whose diet affects their kid’s health.

2. Eat balanced meals

This is one of the most common nutrition advice around the world and it influences one’s health dramatically. To have a balanced meal actually means to fill your plate with different kinds of nutrients and in the right proportions. They help to improve the immunity, stay healthy and maintain a healthy body weight.

These are some main recommendations:

• include protein fruits as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, poultry and beans;
• eat at least 2 servings of fruit and 3 of veggies of different colors per day;
• include whole grains to your meals such as whole wheat bread, pasta, cereal and oatmeal;
• control meals portions. Usually breast-feeding mothers require extra calories, but don’t overeat as it’s unhealthy either for you and your child.

In addition, a balanced diet is so widespread nowadays, so it wouldn’t be a problem to find some easy recipes on the Internet and make it possible to eat healthily.

3. Water

Hydration plays a vital role in people’s diet. Drinking water helps maintain the balance of body fluids and consequently they influence digestion, absorption, transportation of nutrients, circulation and maintenance of body temperature. So it’s surely one of the main points that young mothers should think about.

Moreover, it’s extremely important not to substitute water with harmful beverages like coffee, alcoholic drinks, juices, sugary drinks, soda and others. It’s best to avoid them as they may cause some sleeping difficulties, decreased milk production, digestive issues for you as well as your little baby.

4. Don’t diet

Moms usually try to lose some weight after giving birth to their little one. But experts claim that strict dieting isn’t the right way. It’s better to stay away from counting calories and not to limit yourself in your favorite foods, especially while breastfeeding as you need extra fuel to make breast milk. You just need to focus on healthy, high-quality and nutrient-rich food instead of junk food and fizzy drinks. Enrich your diet with whole grains, lean meats and proteins, fresh fruits and veggies and low-fat dairy.

If you’re interested in losing weight after giving birth, these are some tips on how to do it healthily. Enrich your diet with:

• fresh fruits and veggies in order to get lots of vitamins and minerals
• starches (potatoes, pasta, rice, beans, squash) to get necessary energy to produce milk
• lean protein (meat, fish, nuts) to repair body tissues
• fat (cheese, eggs, nuts, seeds, olive oil) for a good balance of fatty acids
• lots of water to stay hydrated.

5. Eat cooked foods

The next tip on a healthy diet for moms, whose diet affects their child’s health, is to eat cooked foods. Heat treatment literally kills bacteria and harmful microorganisms on food. Сertain foods like raw meat, fish, eggs and dairy often contain bacteria that can make you feel sick. Most bacteria die at temperatures over 140°F (60°C), so while cooking these products, you are less likely to get any infections.

However, keep in mind that fruits and vegetables are generally safe to consume raw. So you only need to rinse them thoroughly with water.