Can I eat lettuce while breastfeeding?

What the mother eats is passed on to the baby through breast milk. However, already in the womb he felt the taste and smell of the foods eaten by his mother. This is why it is important to eat right during pregnancy.

The first three months of breastfeeding are the most critical; the baby’s immunity and digestive system are formed, so the mother’s diet should be dietary. After three months, you can begin to introduce new foods. White and green foods are considered less dangerous than orange and red foods. The latter are more likely to cause allergies.

Iceberg lettuce: calories, nutritional value, vitamins and minerals

The calorie content of iceberg lettuce is minimal - only 14 kcal, energy value - proteins/fats/carbohydrates - 0.9/0.14/1.77. More than 95% of the salad consists of water (the more water in the leaves, the more crisp they are), the rest of the leaves are mono- and disaccharides, dietary fiber, ash and saturated fatty acids.

Like any other salad, iceberg is incredibly rich in vitamins. In addition to ascorbic acid, the leaves contain almost the entire “B-vitamin group” (except B12), vitamin E, vitamin A and its predecessor, beta-carotene. In addition, the salad contains phylloquinone (vitamin K), which stabilizes the functioning of almost all organs and systems.

The composition of micro- and macroelements in iceberg lettuce is also amazing. There is a lot of potassium, copper, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, magnesium necessary for the human body, and also present, although in smaller quantities, iron, zinc, manganese and selenium.

The salad is also rich in fiber, and its juice contains the alkaloid lactucin, which has a lot of medicinal properties.

How to administer and in what form to eat lettuce during lactation

Lettuce leaves are a fairly safe product for breastfeeding, but a few simple rules should be followed to eliminate even the slightest risk for the baby.

We recommend reading: Is it possible to eat zucchini while breastfeeding?

In the first month of breastfeeding, a nursing mother needs to eat only those foods that have been heat-treated. Since lettuce is mostly eaten raw, it is better to postpone its consumption until the baby is 2-3 months old.
If mommy decides to add leafy vegetables to soups or stews, then you can start eating green salad immediately after giving birth.
Green vegetables, including lettuce, are hypoallergenic and cause negative reactions in very rare cases, but it is unwise to forget about individual intolerance in the case of an infant.
When introducing salad into the diet, you should monitor your baby. Most likely there will be no allergies, but gases and bloating in the baby may occur, since the vegetable is rich in fiber. In this case, the portion must be reduced.
Fresh green salads with the addition of leafy vegetables can be eaten every day, but for a nursing mother there may be restrictions on the serving size (no more than 150-200 g per day). As the baby grows, the portion can be gradually increased, since the baby’s gastrointestinal tract will become stronger and will not react so sharply to the mother’s menu.
You should not eat lettuce leaves on an empty stomach: this causes increased appetite. This advice is especially relevant for women who are overweight.
It is not recommended to wash down leaf salad with water, since the vegetable already consists of more than 90% of it. A mixture of liquid and lettuce in the stomach can cause indigestion.
Before use, each leaf is thoroughly washed.
If you choose a cabbage variety of lettuce (for example, Chinese cabbage or iceberg), then you need to remove 2-3 layers of the top leaves.
Another limitation for a nursing woman is the choice of salad dressings. Do not use fatty or hot sauces, vinegar, or soy sauce. For hot water, only a little high-quality sunflower or olive oil is suitable as a dressing. If the child is not prone to allergies, then you can experiment with other types of oils, for example, corn or flaxseed.

Storage rules

The shelf life of iceberg lettuce is slightly longer than that of leaf lettuce, and directly depends on temperature.

Did you know? This salad owes its current name precisely to its ability to retain its qualities at low temperatures - previously it was stored in ice, which is why ice (English ice - ice) and a little later - iceberg appeared. Another name for the salad is ice mountain.

Self-respecting manufacturers guarantee the preservation of the quality of the salad for five days if stored at a temperature of two to five degrees, and two days at a temperature of five to eight.

In fact, many housewives manage to keep the leaves of this salad fresh for a month if it is well dried and loosely packed in plastic wrap or a bag. Sometimes you can come across a recommendation to wrap the salad in a damp cloth and only then put it in a bag, but this method is fundamentally wrong, because any greens are best preserved only when they are perfectly dry.

You can store the salad in a glass container, after cutting it into 2-4 parts, but this way the product will keep its freshness for no more than a week.

Salad is not a product that is recommended to be frozen for the winter. Of course, if you have collected an incredibly large harvest of lettuce at your dacha and cannot eat it in a matter of days, you can try freezing; the salad will retain its beneficial properties, but will completely lose its visual appeal and crispy taste. Therefore, you still need to eat the salad fresh; fortunately, it can be purchased in stores throughout the year.

How to choose and store lettuce

It is ideal when you have the opportunity to eat fresh leaf lettuce, which is picked from the garden right before cooking. But a nursing mother does not always have her own garden plot. More often you have to choose vegetables in the store.

When choosing leaves, you should pay attention to their bright, rich color and freshness. It is not worth buying a faded, faded product; its taste and nutritional qualities have been lost. The leaves should not be stained with rot or mold.

In headed varieties, the leaves should fit tightly to the base. A few wilted leaves on the outside are allowed, but the inside of the head of cabbage should be fresh and firm.

The vegetable must be stored in the refrigerator. For storage, a paper bag and a special box for fruits and vegetables are best. The leafy vegetable should be washed immediately before use and stored unwashed.

It is best to buy enough salad so that you can eat it right away. Long-term storage, even under the right conditions, negatively affects the beneficial properties and reduces the amount of vitamins and other beneficial substances.

Iceberg lettuce benefits - nutritional value

Although iceberg lettuce is low in calories, it is high in fiber, vitamin K, and vitamin A in each serving.

One cup (about 72 g) of shredded iceberg lettuce contains the following nutrients:

10.1 calories
2.3 g carbohydrates
0.6 g protein
0.1 g fat
0.9 g fiber
17.4 mcg Vitamin K – 22% DV
361 IU Vitamin A – 7% DV
20.9 mcg folic acid – 5% DV
0.1 mg manganese – 4% DV
2 mg vitamin C – 3% DV
102 mg potassium – 3% DV

Iceberg lettuce also boasts small amounts of vitamin B6, iron and calcium.

Lettuce recipes for nursing mothers

It is often difficult for a breastfeeding mother to choose what to cook, since in addition to the main healthy ingredient, the dish includes a lot of things that cannot be eaten while breastfeeding. The following few recipes will help a woman eat deliciously, get the maximum benefit and not harm the baby.

Fresh salad with cottage cheese and parmesan

Ingredients:

Small zucchini – 1 pc.
Kiwi - 1 pc.
Grain cottage cheese – 100 g.
Parmesan – 20 g.
Olive oil – 1 tablespoon.
Leaf lettuce - 1 bunch.
Salt and spices - to taste.

Preparation: Cut the zucchini and kiwi into cubes. Add cottage cheese to the bowl; if there is a lot of excess liquid in the package, then it needs to be drained. Tear the lettuce leaves into small pieces with your hands. Add oil, salt and spices. Mix. Top with grated Parmesan.

Lettuce cocktail

Ingredients:

Lettuce leaves (for example, iceberg) – 4-5 pcs.
Green apples – 2 pcs.
Banana – 1 pc.
Spinach – 1 small bunch.
Prunes – 5-6 pcs.
Pure still water – 600 ml.

Preparation: First you need to peel the banana and apples. Remove cores from apples and cut into slices. Cut the banana into small circles. Soak the prunes in boiling water for 20 minutes in advance. Then place all the ingredients in a blender, add water and blend at high speed. Chill the cocktail in the refrigerator before drinking.

Simple fresh salad with sour cream

Ingredients:

Lettuce – 250 g.
Dill - a small bunch.
Chicken egg – 2 pcs.
Salt - to taste.
Sour cream no more than 10% fat – 50 g.

Preparation: Hard boil the eggs and cut into cubes. Tear lettuce into small pieces. Finely chop the dill. Mix all ingredients in a salad bowl and season with sour cream. You can add a handful of nuts to the dish if the baby tolerates them well.

Lettuce leaves are an excellent product for a young mother’s menu. This is one of the few vegetables that, with a lot of useful properties, is practically devoid of risk for infants when consuming it. Therefore, eating such a product while breastfeeding is not only possible, but also necessary.

Homemade mayonnaise for salads

Mayonnaise is the most popular dressing for meat and vegetable salads. Unfortunately, store-bought sauces cannot be called healthy in any way - a whole range of preservatives, additives and flavor enhancers can adversely affect the health of the baby and mother. An alternative to store-bought sauce can be homemade mayonnaise. The recipe impresses with its simplicity and speed of preparation. For homemade mayonnaise you will need:

milk (any fat content) - 100 ml;
vegetable oil of flavor - 250 ml;
mustard - 1 tsp;
lemon juice - 1–2 tbsp;
salt (to taste) - 0.5 tsp.

Cooking process. Beat milk with vegetable oil in a blender until thick. This will take 10-15 seconds. Add mustard, salt and lemon juice, beat the mixture with a blender for another 10 seconds. The output is 400-450 ml. mayonnaise.

Tags: feed, leaf, mother, possible, salad

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Who should not eat lettuce leaves?

Even such a useful plant as lettuce has certain contraindications. So, it is worth limiting or completely eliminating this product from the diet in the following cases:

in the presence of intestinal pathologies accompanied by diarrhea;
during the period of exacerbation of gastritis;
patients suffering from phosphaturia and oxaluria, because lettuce leaves are rich in alkaline compounds;
with severe flatulence;
for tuberculosis and chronic asthma.

For everyone else, the leaves will only be useful.

How to store the product

Lettuce leaves should be kept in the refrigerator, in a special section intended for vegetables. Pre-wrap the leaves in paper or plastic bags. This will help keep them fresh and juicy, like you just brought them from the supermarket.

Before serving, lettuce leaves do not need to be cut, just tear them into small pieces with your hands. In addition to being an ingredient, the salad will look great as a decoration for a dish.

We can summarize that lettuce leaves are very useful during breastfeeding. With their help, you can increase the amount of milk, as well as saturate the body with a bunch of useful substances and elements. At the same time, you do not risk anything, because this product does not have any negative effect on the baby.

Contraindications

There are practically no contraindications to eating iceberg lettuce. Theoretically, one can assume the possibility of individual intolerance of the body to any component included in the salad (for example, an allergy to ascorbic acid), but in general this happens so rarely that such a possibility can be ignored.

Another (conditional) contraindication is excessive enthusiasm for the idea of losing weight and eating fresh leaves for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our body needs good nutrition, and no product, no matter how beneficial it may have, can satisfy all our needs.

Eat salad in combination with other healthy foods, and your body will be full of strength, energy and beauty!

Risks and side effects

Many people wonder: is iceberg lettuce safe? Unlike other foods, Iceberg lettuce is almost always eaten raw. The risk of foodborne illness increases because cooking can help kill many harmful pathogens.

Bagged and pre-cut foods are at higher risk of contamination. Therefore, it is often preferable to choose leaf lettuce instead.

Some people are also allergic to lettuce, which can cause severe symptoms, including anaphylaxis. If you experience any side effects after eating lettuce, stop eating immediately and talk to your doctor.

Iceberg lettuce can be considered a healthy food. However, it is important to remember that it is not as rich in nutrients as other types of lettuce. Therefore, it is best to combine it with various green salads and other vegetables to complete your diet.