Pregnancy and breastfeeding are special periods in the life of every woman. First there is anxious anticipation of the baby’s arrival, then there is an understanding that a lot depends on the mother’s habits, lifestyle and quality of nutrition. A woman’s body, weakened by childbirth, needs nutritious, high-calorie food. For a long time you have to completely abstain from eating certain foods or limit yourself, including the consumption of sweets. Is this always necessary? It turns out not. Some confectionery products (in reasonable doses) can benefit both the nursing mother and the baby. Among them is everyone’s favorite delicacy – marshmallows. It contains pectin and coarse fibers that cleanse the body, strengthen nails and hair, minerals and vitamins. We should not forget that new foods should be introduced into your diet carefully, gradually and in small doses, after consulting with your pediatrician first.
The benefits and harms of sweet foods
Sweets help produce serotonin and endorphins. These substances increase body tone, relieve fatigue and pain. Sweets have a positive effect on brain activity, giving vigor and strength. They lift your spirits and help with stress, fight insomnia and normalize sleep. Treats will help a woman recover faster after childbirth. It is also an excellent remedy for combating postpartum depression.
But sweet foods can do a lot of harm for both an infant and an adult. First of all, the child may develop an allergy. Symptoms include skin peeling and itching, the appearance of spots and rashes, diaper rash and other signs. In addition, the baby may experience increased colic and even tooth decay.
Excessive consumption and excess of sweets also harms mother. This leads to excess weight and increased blood sugar, causes caries and other dental diseases, and increases the risk of diabetes. In addition, many sweets that are made today and sold in stores are full of dyes, preservatives and other dangerous elements. Such substances lead to severe intoxication!
To avoid complications and similar problems, it is important to carefully select products. And to be sure of the composition and expiration date, it is better to prepare sweets at home.
The safest foods for breastfeeding are oatmeal and biscuits, oriental sweets, dark dark chocolate, unleavened pastries made from one or two ingredients, baked fruits and dried fruits. Read more about what sweets are allowed during lactation here. And then we will look at whether it is possible to eat marshmallows during breastfeeding.
Useful properties of marmalade
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Read the article - Dong Quai is an amazing plant that helps maintain youth in the female body Read more... - Vitamin complexes, probiotics, omega-3 from Garden of Life, developed specifically for pregnant women Find out more >>> Allowed for lactation and marmalade is a natural dietary product prepared on the basis of vegetable gelling ingredients, fruit juice, molasses syrup with the addition of natural dyes.
Marmalade contains useful elements that support the functioning of all organs and systems: sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron.
Marmalade is allowed during breastfeeding due to the content of pectin (gelling agent), which has a beneficial effect on the digestive system. It’s not for nothing that he is called the body’s orderly. It is possible to replace pectin with other natural substances - gelatin or agar-agar, which have gelling properties that benefit the female body.
Pectin-based marmalade helps cope with many pathologies:
- reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the blood;
- restores the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids;
- removes harmful bacteria, normalizing the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- promotes rapid wound healing;
- restores damaged skin;
- displaces heavy metals and radioactive nuclides from the body.
A marmalade treat made with the addition of agar-agar has the following beneficial properties:
- restores the functions of the liver and pancreas;
- promotes the functioning of the thyroid gland due to its iodine content;
- improves intestinal motility.
The natural product has a beneficial effect on brain function and restores strength after heavy exercise. The fair sex is attracted to the low calorie content of marmalade.
A nursing mother should give preference to a fruit and berry marmalade dessert made from fruit puree. Try to choose a product based on natural dyes, so when purchasing, check the composition, expiration date, and the tightness of the packaging.
Remember that everything is good if consumed in moderation. Unlimited consumption of marmalade will lead to diabetes, allergies, and caries.
Marmalade should be introduced into the mother’s diet when the newborn reaches 3 months of age and the baby’s condition should be monitored. The daily amount of marmalade for a nursing mother is 50 g. It is recommended to eat 1-2 marmalades before lunch.
Pastila: properties and types
Pastila is considered one of the safest products during breastfeeding. This is an original Russian delicacy, which is prepared from natural fruits and honey. Modern sweets allow the presence of berry syrups and milk. Pastila is produced in the form of a layer, bar or roll. The safest product is applesauce.
Pastila contains a large amount of B vitamins, vitamins PP and C, easily digestible carbohydrates and dietary fiber. The product contains phosphorus and calcium, magnesium and iron, and other useful minerals. It performs the following useful functions:
- Saturates the body with vitamins, important macro- and microelements;
- Improve skin condition and relieve skin inflammation;
- Strengthens the immune system and nerve cells;
- Improves mood and helps cope with stress;
- Stimulates brain function, mental and physical activity;
- Gives energy, vigor and strength;
- Positively affects vision and protects the retina from the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation;
- Prevents the development of anemia in mother and baby;
- Saturates cells with oxygen;
- Cleanses the intestines of salts and toxins, stabilizes digestion;
- Normalizes sleep.
But even such a valuable product should be used with caution. A nursing mother should not overeat! It is also better to cook pastila at home. Store-bought products contain many foreign ingredients, including flour and chicken eggs, preservatives, flavorings and flavor enhancers. Low-quality marshmallows are distinguished by different bright colors and cheap prices. The natural product comes in white and cream colors.
Marshmallows during breastfeeding
Healthy sweets in the diet will help the mother find a good mood and recharge her energy, improve the taste of breast milk.
A “relative” of marshmallows and marshmallows is mistakenly considered marshmallow - a confectionery product of American origin with a similar taste and consistency. In fact, this sweetness is of a different kind; it does not contain fruit or berry puree or egg white. Marshmallow is made from sugar or syrup, gelatin, starch, and glucose. The ingredients are beaten until it becomes a sponge and dried. From the point of view of nutritional value, such a dessert is inferior to marshmallows and does not contain components beneficial to the body; it contains too much sugar and is undesirable on the menu of a nursing mother. Similar recommendations apply to Turkish delight, an oriental sweet that has an exclusively “sugar” composition.
Marshmallows and marshmallows can diversify a mother’s diet while breastfeeding, becoming a delicacy necessary to maintain strength, a source of energy that improves mood. Most sweets are contraindicated in the first months of a baby’s life, as they can cause allergies or digestive problems. However, with a reasonable amount of high-quality marshmallows or marshmallows consumed, without the addition of artificial additives, chocolate, or nuts, the product is unlikely to cause unwanted reactions. In order not to risk the baby’s well-being, it is recommended to introduce this dessert into the diet no earlier than a month after giving birth.
Product benefits
It is preferable to eat marshmallows in the morning to recharge your energy and be able to track the baby’s reaction to a new product in the mother’s diet.
Marshmallows are not only a tasty and nutritious product, but also a source of valuable minerals, especially useful for brain activity, strengthening bones, and maintaining health. heart and blood vessels. Let's list the main beneficial properties of marshmallows:
- Contains natural antioxidants. Pectin is one of the components of marshmallows that cleanses blood vessels. Eliminates cholesterol plaques, removes toxins from the body, and has a general strengthening effect on the body.
- Good for the nervous system and vision. Vitamin B2, present in marshmallows, is involved in the synthesis of hormones and the formation of red blood cells in the blood. This nutrient is necessary to protect the retina from ultraviolet radiation, helps strengthen nerves and resist stress.
- Supports brain activity. Glucose is necessary for a young mother to maintain a good mood and increase intellectual abilities during the difficult period of recovery after childbirth.
- Good for the digestive system. If the marshmallow contains agar-agar, a natural probiotic, then this is a favorable factor for the intestinal microflora. This component helps eliminate toxins without leaching away beneficial minerals. Dietary fiber contained in the fruit base of the product has a positive effect on digestive activity.
- Cares about beauty. Calcium, phosphorus, iron, which are present in marshmallows, have a beneficial effect on the condition of bones, teeth, hair and skin.
Rules for using marshmallows during lactation
- Natural marshmallows can be eaten in the second or third month after the baby is born;
- For the first time, try a small piece in the first half of the day and observe the baby’s reaction;
- If allergy symptoms appear, colic or increased gas formation appear, delay the introduction of the product for three to five weeks;
- If there is no negative reaction, a nursing mother can eat marshmallows up to two times a week, 100 grams at a time;
- Choose only white or cream marshmallows. Before purchasing, carefully study the composition and expiration date, check the packaging for integrity;
- If you prepare a dish at home, use only fresh and proven ingredients;
- Do not eat sweets on an empty stomach or drink a sweet drink.
Sweets during lactation: when and how to consume them
Of course, a nursing mother can occasionally treat herself to aromatic marshmallows or marshmallows. However, the product must be natural and of high quality. Of course, you can find good marshmallows in the store, but it is better if it is made with your own hands and from the ingredients that you choose yourself. Only in this case will the likelihood of allergic reactions in mother and baby be minimal.
In the first months after childbirth, it is better not to experiment with new products, including sweets. You need to wait a little until the baby’s gastrointestinal tract gets stronger.
It is recommended to include a sweet dessert in a nursing mother’s diet no earlier than the third month of the baby’s life, following all the rules for introducing new products: first, the woman eats a small piece (about half of one marshmallow or the same amount of marshmallow) and observes the baby’s reaction for two days. The mother should be alert to symptoms such as rash and redness on the baby’s skin, colic, lethargy, and poor sleep. If you detect at least one of these signs of a malfunction in the child’s body, you should immediately exclude marshmallows and marshmallows from the mother’s diet. If everything is fine with the child - he is calm, eats well and there are no allergic reactions, then in the future you can increase the portion to 2-3 pieces per week.
One of the signs of an allergy to the product is diathesis on the baby’s cheeks
In addition, there is no need to try other products at the same time as marshmallows and marshmallows: then it will be difficult to understand what exactly is causing the diathesis or digestive problems in the child.
Remember that too much sugar in marshmallows and marshmallows can change the taste of breast milk. And in addition to unusual taste sensations, the baby will also receive an excessive load on his body.
How to make marshmallows at home
From plum
- Plums – 1 kg;
- Sugar – 250 gr.
Peel the plums and remove the pits. Boil the fruit in a saucepan without water for an hour. Grind the plum mixture in a blender and cook the resulting puree, stirring regularly, for another two hours. Half an hour before it’s ready, add sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Cool the mixture and place it in a thin layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Dry for 15 hours at 80 degrees in a slightly open oven. The finished marshmallow can be sprinkled with powdered sugar or cinnamon on top.
Plum is good for mother and baby. It normalizes intestinal function and helps with constipation, improves blood composition and prevents the occurrence of anemia. But such a product should be used with caution if you have diarrhea. For more information on whether a nursing mother can eat plums, read the link.
From an apple: the first method
This method is easier to prepare, but also takes longer. Apples need to be peeled and passed through a blender. If desired, add a little cinnamon, sugar, honey or other fruits to the applesauce. By the way, the second safest fruit after apples for nursing mothers and babies is considered to be pear. Place parchment or baking paper on a baking sheet and spread the resulting mass in a thin layer on top. The mixture is dried for several days, then cut and eaten.
From an apple: the second method
- Green peeled apples – 2 kg;
- Chicken egg white – 2 pcs.;
- Sugar – 250 gr;
- Powdered sugar – 3 gr.
Cut each prepared apple into 8 pieces and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Bake at 180 degrees. By the way, baked apples will be an excellent dessert for a nursing mother, which is allowed already in the first month of breastfeeding. In addition, apples are the safest fruit for both infants and women during lactation.
Grind the baked apples through a sieve, add half the sugar and beat until the mass turns white. Beat the whites too and add the remaining sugar to the mixture, spoonful at a time, stirring constantly. Set aside four tablespoons of the protein mixture and add the rest to the apples. Stir, place on a baking sheet with baking paper and dry for 7 hours at 100 degrees in the oven with the door ajar.
The finished mass should be dense and elastic with a golden crust. The marshmallow is cut into four parts, coated with the remaining protein and laid on top of each other in layers. The dish is put back into the oven for two hours and baked at 100 degrees with the door ajar. The finished marshmallow is sprinkled with powdered sugar.
From figs
- Figs – 1.5 kg;
- Sugar – 1.5 kg;
- Lemon juice – ½ lemon;
- Vanillin to taste.
When cooking, it is better to use fresh figs, but if you don’t have any, dried ones will do. This product must first be ground. You can also mix other chopped dried fruits with figs.
Mix figs with sugar and leave for a day. Then the mass is boiled in a saucepan for 15-20 minutes, lemon juice and a little vanillin are added, and cooked for another five minutes. The resulting mass, after it has cooled, is ground in a blender or meat grinder.
The puree is spread on the surface of baking paper and left to dry on the window. To protect the product, cover the dish with gauze. The pastille is ready if it does not stick when pressed. The finished marshmallow is cut into small strips.
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Recipe for making marshmallows at home
To protect yourself and your child from unpleasant consequences, marshmallows can be easily prepared at home. But this way, you will know exactly what the sweetness is made from.
Fig marshmallow
Of course, the best solution would be to buy fresh figs for a nursing mother for marshmallows.
- For 1.5 kg of figs, you need to take 1.5 kg of granulated sugar, mix in a container and leave for a day (Read in the article, figs during breastfeeding>>>). At the end of the time, you will see that the figs have released a large amount of juice;
- Then you should pour this mass into a saucepan. You need to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, add lemon juice and a little vanilla to taste and leave on the fire for another 5 minutes. When the mixture is ready, set it aside to cool slightly. After which you can grind with a blender or twist with a meat grinder until a homogeneous mass is obtained;
- A silicone mat is best for drying sweets, but if you don’t have one, then baking paper will do. Distribute the mixture evenly over the surface of the mat and leave to dry on the window in warm weather. You can cover the top with gauze to prevent insects from flying in. The finished sweet does not stick to your hand when pressed. Cut the finished delicacy into small strips;
How to choose the right marshmallows for a nursing mother
The ideal marshmallow option for a nursing mother is a product prepared at home and consisting only of protein and applesauce. However, when a woman is constantly busy with household chores and caring for the baby, she most often buys this product in a store. What should you pay attention to when choosing quality marshmallows?
- First of all, look at the standard at which the product was manufactured. Choose marshmallows produced in accordance with GOST, or at least in accordance with STB. Confectionery products produced according to specifications may contain ingredients that are not the most beneficial, and sometimes even downright harmful.
- Carefully read the composition of the product: the fewer chemical components it contains, the better. Give preference to marshmallows made exclusively from natural substances.
- The color of the marshmallow is also of great importance: it should be white or cream. The confectionery product can be pink, yellow or even blue, but then you must clearly understand that the product contains dyes. And they are not always natural. And this is fraught with the development of allergic reactions in mother and child.
- High-quality chocolate marshmallows have a glossy surface and shine in the light from all sides. Matte surface indicates that the product was not made with real chocolate, but with confectionery glaze, which may contain harmful fats and soy. In addition, chocolate is a strong allergen, so a nursing mother should consume this delicacy with caution.
- The consistency of the confectionery product should be uniform, without cracks or chapped crust. The marshmallow is soft to the touch, but quite elastic: with light pressure, after a while it returns to its original shape.
- Do not forget about the production date, expiration date and price of the product. A natural product has a short shelf life and cannot be cheap.
Video: choosing the right marshmallows
Store-bought desserts always contain thickeners. In this case, it is preferable to purchase a product with agar-agar: obtained from seaweed, it is rich in iodine, calcium and iron.
Photo gallery: varieties of marshmallows
Natural marshmallows are always white, since there are no dyes in them. Dyes are added to pink marshmallows: they can be natural (berry juice) and artificial. Marshmallows in chocolate are contraindicated for nursing women due to the risk of allergies
The principle of action of sweets on the body
Before talking about the benefits or harms of marshmallows, it is worth studying the issue regarding sweets. What positive effect do sweets have?
- help produce endorphin, which is necessary for the tone of the whole body, in particular its production is activated after eating chocolate and fatty sweets;
- Almost the same effect occurs after receiving a large amount of carbohydrates, which contribute to the production of the well-known hormone seratonin. It also helps relieve pain and fatigue, and normalizes sleep. If its proportion in the body is small, the mother’s mood drops, which has a detrimental effect on the milk.
However, not all sweets have such a positive effect on a woman’s body during breastfeeding. Pediatricians do not advise eating a lot of dairy products that have a long shelf life. If you want cookies, it's best to make them at home. Otherwise, you risk enriching your milk with harmful chemical additives, which will negatively affect the baby’s liver and stomach. Moreover, when consuming a large amount of sweets, especially chocolate “sweets,” a child may experience a severe allergic reaction.
How to properly feed a newborn in a dream
In order for sweets to be associated only with a good mood and increased tone, you should eat in reasonable quantities, in accordance with the prescribed diet.