How to do Dairy Free Breastfeeding with Dairy Free Meal Ideas
Are you breastfeeding and also have a baby that is struggling with irritability and gas discomfort? More than likely, your baby’s delicate digestive system is reacting adversely to the dairy you consume in your breastfeeding diet.
Don’t worry mama, this is very common!
As you read on, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to successfully go dairy free while breastfeeding.
You will also have the opportunity to grab a dairy free breastfeeding starter kit with go-to dairy free food alternatives and a sample menu of dairy free meal ideas specifically curated for a breastfeeding mom’s nutritional needs.
Lots of dairy free breastfeeding diet tips headed your way!
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Dairy Sensitivity in Breastfed Babies
It usually doesn’t take long to notice that your baby may have a dairy intolerance or least a strong suspicion.
The first line of action you consider taking to quickly help your breastfed baby feel better may to eliminate dairy from your breastfeeding diet.
In fact, most pediatricians will recommended a breastfeeding mom try this step first, as it’s usually the issue causing your baby’s irritability and discomfort.
As you know, you should always consult your pediatrician first before making any diagnoses of your own.
All things considered, see below the bulleted list on classic dairy sensitivity symptoms in a breastfed baby.①
Symptoms of Dairy Allergy in Breastfed Babies:
- Colic-like Symptoms
- Wheezy
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Greenish-tan poop color or mucusy stool texture.
- Constipation
- Rash
- Eczema
- Blocked Nose
After analyzing the list above you may be thinking your baby does seem to have one or more of these symptoms on a regular basis.
If so, don’t be too discouraged because most babies will grow out of their dairy intolerance.
Additionally, your baby will only experience these unpleasant symptoms for another week or two after you eliminate dairy from the food you eat while breastfeeding.
In the meantime, you can try using Gripe Water to help alleviate your baby’s gas or colic.
How Long Does it Take for Dairy to Leave Breast Milk?
Unfortunately, research shows that it could take a good 10 days to 3 weeks (or longer) for your body to effectively remove the cow’s milk protein from your system.
If you are seriously concerned and can’t wait that long to get your baby some relief, formula supplementation may be a good option until you can resume breastfeeding.
Summary
Your baby might display concerning symptoms such as, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation if there is a dairy intolerance present. Dairy can take up to 3 weeks or longer to leave your system.
Dairy Free Breastfeeding Meal Plan
Here are some meal options without dairy to give you some ideas on how you can maintain a healthy and nutritious breastfeeding diet that for one, isn’t bland and two, won’t starve your milk supply! I kept them high in nutrition and filling to help fuel that breast milk making appetite.
This breastfeeding cookbook has loads more breastfeeding-friendly meal options that are also mostly dairy free, or they can be easily adapted and it shows you how!
Breakfast:
1.) Avocado toast sprinkled with “everything but the bagel seasoning” from Trader Joes, two strips turkey bacon on top.
2.) Oatmeal with loads of fresh or frozen berries, chia seeds, hemp seeds, nuts, honey, cinnamon and nut milk.
Lunch:
1.) Chicken salad sandwich with dried cranberries and celery tossed in. Dehydrated peas from Trader Joes and a sparkling water with a few squirts of water flavoring.
2.) Turkey burger sliders stacked with avocado slices, tomato, romaine and onion. With a side of sweet potato fries and sriracha mayo.
Dinner:
1.) Chicken stir-fry with tons of fresh veggies and a homemade garlic, soy ginger sauce.
2.) Steak tacos topped with avocado, tomatoes, refried beans, salsa and whatever else your heart desires (except cheese).
Dairy Free Breastfeeding Snacks:
Let’s be honest, a hungry breastfeeding mama loves her snacks! Snacks are quick to grab, require no prep or thought and are abundantly full of options.
Check out some of my favorite dairy free snack ideas for breastfeeding moms below.
- Dehydrated mango slices
- Granola or nut bars
- Fresh fruit
- Rice cakes and peanut butter
- Plantain chips
If you’re looking for already curated breastfeeding-approved meals with tons of dairy free options, you may want to grab This Breastfeeding Cookbook!
Dairy Free Food Alternatives and Substitutions
Knowing what to swap your dairy foods out with is half of the battle!
As a society, we’ve been very conditioned to add dairy items to almost every meal we eat.
These dairy free alternatives are much gentler on your baby’s delicate digestive system and will still give you the fat content and savory flavor that you crave while breastfeeding.
Nutritional Yeast
What will you eat in place of cheese?
For most people, cheese is the hardest food to give up. It provides that salty-savory quality we all crave.
Fortunately, I’ve been able to successfully find a substitution that does the trick!
Nutritional yeast is your cheese substitute stand-in! It delivers that cheesey flavor and is extremely versatile.
Sprinkle it on some eggs, a salad, some pasta, you name it. Bonus, there are claims that it helps boost breast milk supply because of the B vitamins it boasts.
Coconut
Some more obvious swaps are things such as nut milks. I like almond, macadamia and especially coconut milk while breastfeeding.
I also believe nut milks help increase milk supply, especially coconut milk!
Have you tried the pink drink from Starbucks yet? Most breastfeeding moms go crazy over this copycat Starbucks Pink Drink Recipe.
It’s definitely my favorite thing to drink while breastfeeding for an immediate boost in milk supply!
Also try this homemade Pink Drink using cranberry juice.
Ghee
Is Ghee a good substitution for dairy free breastfeeding?
Yes!
Ghee is a dairy free form of clarified butter that will perfectly replace your favorite butter spread. It is also an ancient super food with tons of healing claims!
I like to use it to make myself a bullet proof coffee in the morning aka Keto coffee.
To make it, add a tablespoon of Ghee to your black coffee and blend on high with a blender until all is emulsified well.
This creates the creamiest cup of coffee you’ve ever had and will help keep you full until you finally find time to feed yourself.
One tip when purchasing Ghee, is to make sure you get a high quality brand since the flavor can be pretty strong at first. Here’s one I found at Amazon that looks like a good one.
Avocados
I love this smooth and creamy fruit, they are also so versatile!
I use avocados in almost every meal of the day, they provide a breastfeeding mom with essential healthy fats that are very beneficial for an abundant milk supply.
Since I somewhat consider myself an avocado connoisseur, here’s a free tip on how to pick the tastiest avocados you don’t have to wait a week to eat!
Choose one that is slightly soft to the touch, but not mushy. You should just barely be able to press into the fruit.
Another avocado tip, is to see if the stem from the bottom will be easily removed. If so, the color underneath should no longer be bright green.
This usually means that the avocado is perfectly ripe.
Keep the leftover avocado fresh and green longer by storing the fruit with the seed!
Free starter kit to eating dairy free while breastfeeding without sacrificing flavor or milk supply!
Summary
Let’s wrap this dairy free breastfeeding diet article up with some extra encouragement.
You can do this!
It’s hard at first to take on one more challenge as a mom, I know. However, this dietary change will make a huge difference for your baby’s comfort and that alone will make it worth the effort!
I have even noticed as my little one gets older she can tolerate dairy much better when I do occasionally have some here and there.