When and in what form can a nursing mother use honey?

Hi guys! Lena Zhabinskaya is with you! Someone once said that a person is a set of habits and weaknesses. And everything would be fine, but at certain periods of life you should refuse them, no matter how difficult it may be.

Such periods include breastfeeding, when the mother must carefully select foods for food, because any of them can have a very negative impact on the health of the baby.

Is it easy to do this if you have been eating them your entire adult life? And is it worth it? Such questions often arise among mothers who wonder whether sausage can be consumed while breastfeeding? Today we will try to answer them as honestly as possible.

Everything you need to know about sausage

Is sausage good for nursing mothers? Perhaps most women answer this question in the affirmative, guided by the fact that it is still a meat product. And meat is a source of protein, a building material for the body. Partly yes, but not from sausage.

And the point is not that it itself contains only 10% meat, which in the worst case can also be by-products, for example, cartilage, tendons, and skin. For its production, fatty varieties are specially selected, additionally seasoning them with spices, flavor enhancers, stabilizers, and dyes. That is why no specialist recommends eating sausage for a young mother.

Pediatricians say that it can cause in babies:

• colic, tummy problems, and this is not surprising, because it contains a lot of harmful and fatty substances, which the small body is not yet ready to digest;
• allergic reactions. In fact, anything can provoke their development in a newborn baby, but doctors are inclined to believe that the reason for their appearance is milk protein and dyes;
• weak weight gain caused by a deficiency of nutrients;

• diarrhea - its appearance is not surprising, because sausages lead to improper bowel function. But the worst thing is that this diarrhea can cause dehydration;
• metabolic disease. What this will lead to in the future is unknown. Most often these are problems with weight, gastrointestinal tract, and sometimes disruptions in the hormonal system.

Gynecologists are not thrilled with sausages during breastfeeding. According to them, these products can cause a woman:

• constipation, nausea, gastrointestinal problems;
• swelling as a result of high salt content in sausage;
• metabolic disorders, weight gain;
• hormonal imbalances;
• deterioration of lactation as a consequence of metabolic disorders.

What kind of cheese is allowed during breastfeeding?

You can include all natural varieties in your diet, except gourmet ones. In the first month after childbirth, preference should be given to lightly salted young or soft cheeses with a delicate texture: mascarpone, feta, mozzarella, Adyghe. Later you can expand the range by trying others.

In the absence of kidney problems, pickled types are allowed: suluguni, feta cheese.

For those who do not want to overload their diet with extra calories, low-fat edam is suitable. For those who prefer a rich, spicy taste, try hard Maasdam, Russian or Parmesan.

Beyond competition is homemade cheese made from fresh cottage cheese. To ripen it, you can add apple cider vinegar or fermented milk starter to its mass. It is recommended to keep this product under pressure in the refrigerator for a week.

How to choose and how much to eat

The cheese must be fresh. When purchasing, you need to check its consistency, appearance, and aroma. Unsuitable for use if it is sticky, crumbly, or has heterogeneous inclusions in its structure. You should avoid purchasing a product with a greasy coating or a mealy surface. Violations of manufacturing technology or storage conditions do not contribute to health.

Nutritionists advise consuming no more than 50–70 g of cheese per day. And introduce it into the menu during breastfeeding - with a piece weighing 20-30 g. The absence of an undesirable reaction in the baby in the next 2-3 days is a favorable sign. You can safely leave this healthy product in your diet.

It is healthier to eat cheese in the first half of the day, combining it with vegetable dishes, herbs, whole grain bread, and cereals. It should not be abused, otherwise there is a high risk of gaining extra pounds.

What harmful additives are in sausage?

The topic of the negative impact of sausages on the body has been raised more than once. Moreover, not so long ago, WHO published the results of studies clearly demonstrating the connection between regular consumption of sausage and the development of cancer cells. Do you know why? It turns out that it's all about its composition.

What is contained in sausage that makes a nursing mother refuse it? Judge for yourself:

• Soy or soy protein isolate. This component is placed in cheap types of products in order to reduce their cost. Of course, it retains water, but does not affect the nutritional value of the product. To minimize the harm of a product to the body, it is necessary to choose only one that does not contain soy.
• Sodium nitrate. You can even see it in sausage with the naked eye. In this case, it acquires a pronounced color, but in fact, the purpose of this substance is not limited to this. Sodium nitrate is also added to give the product a marketable appearance and to prevent the development of pathogenic bacteria in it. Scientists consider this substance safe for the body, but they mention that due to all the technological processes that sausage products undergo, it is transformed into a carcinogen. But the latter causes the development of cancer.
• Salt. A seemingly healthy and familiar product in large quantities (and there is no other way in sausage), leads to the appearance of hypertension, kidney disease, and disruption of the urinary system.

• Sugar and carbohydrates. This is the taste of sausage and... a direct path to gaining excess weight. And this despite the fact that a woman during this period is often dissatisfied with her shape.
• Flavor enhancers. These are substances that unwittingly turn a person’s brain into his own enemy. They slow down the saturation process. A person wants to eat sausage again and again and he can’t stop. How can this all turn out? Overweight, hypertension, diabetes - perhaps this list can be continued endlessly.
• Carcinogens. They literally fill the smoked sausage, as they most often appear as a result of various technological processes. Lead to the development of cancer.
• Trans fats. Being a consequence of the processing of vegetable oil, they are an artificial component, a chemical, and do not bring anything good to either the nursing mother or her baby.

The overall picture is worsened by the use of powdered milk instead of whole milk, as well as the addition of starch, flour, semolina, etc.

Types of sausages

Experts distinguish between many types of sausage products, depending on various factors. This includes the type of shell, their purpose (for dietary purposes or not), the quality of the raw materials, the type of meat used, and even the pattern of the minced meat. Meanwhile, the average resident of the country is accustomed to using a single characteristic - according to the processing method.

He distinguishes:

• Boiled sausage. It is made from minced meat boiled at a temperature of 80 degrees. For some reason, young mothers consider it permissible for breastfeeding, but in vain. It often contains a lot of soy and water. However, it itself cannot be stored for long periods of time and can cause poisoning. Its shelf life, like sausages, is ideally only 48 hours;
• Boiled-smoked. Its description is in the title. Minced meat goes through two stages of processing: boiling and smoking, and is also additionally seasoned with spices. The composition may include: starch, milk, bacon. Shelf life is about 15 days.
• Semi-smoked, when the minced meat is fried, boiled, smoked. Needless to say, the more processing it goes through, the more carcinogens it contains. Shelf life – from 10 days to 3 months at low temperatures;
• Raw smoked. It cannot be processed at high temperatures, but often contains the maximum amount of spices, seasonings, and additives. Shelf life – 4 – 9 months.
• Dry-cured. It is made from marinated meat, which is smoked for 3 to 4 days.

Blood sausage is also popular, although it is classified according to a different principle. But even homemade, it must be consumed in moderation and only after heat treatment due to its short shelf life.

If you can't, but really want to

The forbidden fruit is sweet, and therefore it can be very difficult to deny yourself the pleasure of enjoying it. If you find yourself in this situation, doctors allow you to eat 1 – 2 pieces of high-quality, good sausage, but not more than once a week.

How to choose it? Pay attention to the rules and advice from experts. And they say that:

• The price of a kilogram of finished sausage simply cannot be lower than the price of a kilogram of meat. Otherwise, it contains vegetable proteins and meat waste.
• You only need to buy sausages made according to GOST, and not according to TU. This will protect you from the maximum amount of harmful additives.
• It is important to read the label carefully. Opposite the type of meat, its grade must be indicated, for example, premium pork, first grade beef. Otherwise, there is minced meat made from offal and semi-finished products.
• It is worth paying attention to the shell. The priority is protein and cellulose. Harmful ones are made of synthetic materials. In this case, the shell must be dry, tightly fitting, free from mold and mildew.
• Another important point is the expiration date. The larger it is, the higher the amount of harmful additives in the sausage.
• Sausages should not be too bright, otherwise they contain a lot of sodium nitrate. They should have a slight smell of meat and spices, be pleasant to the taste without signs of sourness or mustiness.
• Don't blindly rely on the doctor's sausage. In Soviet times, it was considered healthy, so nursing mothers were allowed to eat it. Today we also need to take a close look at its composition.

But the best option would still be home-cooked sausage. Moreover, there are a lot of recipes, simple and complex.

External use

The bee product is used to treat skin diseases as it is famous for its antimicrobial properties. Compresses, ointments, nectar-based drops are the best remedy for many ailments.

Honey for milk stagnation

Lactostasis is an unpleasant and very painful condition, which natural products will help you get rid of:

1. Lightly scratch a leaf of white cabbage with a fork on the side that will be applied to the chest.
2. Spread a thin layer of beekeeping product on top, apply a compress to the place where milk stagnates.
3. As soon as the sheet becomes soft, you need to replace it with a new one.

The following recipe will help with lactostasis:

1. Mix 2 tbsp. l. honey with 100 g of fat cottage cheese.
2. Apply the resulting paste to the chest for 3-4 hours.

Honey cakes

Mix a glass of rye flour with 2 tbsp. l. slightly warmed nectar, knead into a soft dough. Form a cake on cling film, apply it to your chest for 5 hours, wrapping it in a warm shawl or scarf.

Traditional methods are considered gentle and absolutely safe for the health of a nursing mother and child, but with lactostasis it is necessary to see a doctor. Honey as a remedy can only be used in conjunction with a therapeutic course. The use of the product for food and its external use should be previously agreed with the attending physician or a breastfeeding specialist.