Pumpkin seeds during breastfeeding: can a nursing mother eat?

Content

1 Can a nursing mother have pumpkin seeds?
2 Benefits of pumpkin seeds for mother and baby
3 Rules for taking pumpkin seeds for a nursing mother
4 In what form can you eat?
5 How to choose
6 Restrictions and contraindications
7 Conclusion

Pumpkin seeds during breastfeeding (breastfeeding) can be an excellent source of essential substances for mother and child if used correctly. There are strict recommendations regarding how much, when and in what form the seeds can be consumed so as not to cause harm. You should know that a simple, familiar product has some contraindications for use during breastfeeding.

Can a nursing mother have pumpkin seeds?

The lactation period is a time when special attention is paid to the diet. Many familiar foods are prohibited or limited during breastfeeding for fear of harming the child. Although recently doctors are no longer as categorical as before, the selection of products is quite strict.

The female body's need for nutrients during breastfeeding increases significantly. To maintain full lactation, food must be both light and very healthy, and in a situation of limited choice this can be difficult to ensure. Therefore, pumpkin seeds, as a natural concentrate of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and light fats, are especially welcomed by doctors.

When used correctly, the seeds can not only support a woman’s body with useful components, but also solve issues of restoring the reproductive system and the entire body after childbirth.

Benefits of pumpkin seeds for mother and baby

The breastfeeding period requires the mother's body to consume a large amount of nutrients that pass into milk and are necessary for the baby to fully develop. Pumpkin seeds ensure their supply without burdening digestion or posing a threat to the child’s health.

The value of pumpkin seeds during breastfeeding is determined by their chemical composition:

60 g of peeled pumpkin seeds contain a daily supply of magnesium, a substance that provides the body with energy. In particular, this is why pumpkin seeds can only be eaten in doses when breastfeeding. The element is responsible for the nutrition of muscles (primarily the myocardium), smooth functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and bone density.
A significant concentration of zinc activates immune processes in the body of mother and child. A sufficient supply of this valuable element during breastfeeding ensures stable weight gain in the baby.
The presence of essential fatty acids, in particular Omega-3 and Omega-6, allows the mother's body to be supplied with healthy, light fats that replenish lipid loss due to milk production.
The complex of active substances contained in pumpkin seeds can gently balance sugar levels, reduce the amount of “bad” cholesterol, and normalize blood pressure.
Pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin (the hormone of joy) and melatonin (responsible for sleep). Thus, pumpkin seeds can be considered a prevention of postpartum depression and a means of restoring strength.
The anthelmintic effect of raw pumpkin seeds is widely known. For breastfeeding, they are an effective and safe way to avoid parasite infection.

When feeding a baby, pumpkin seeds provide breast milk with sufficient fat content, vitamin and mineral composition. For the mother, the seeds are valuable for their ability to regulate hormonal levels, increase hemoglobin, and restore the reproductive organs from the stress suffered due to pregnancy and childbirth.

Important! The advantage of pumpkin seeds for breastfeeding is their low allergenic risk. The use of sunflower seeds causes undesirable reactions in a child much more often.

Rules for taking pumpkin seeds for a nursing mother

Creating a complete diet for a woman during breastfeeding is aimed at the health and development of the child. Nursing mothers can introduce pumpkin seeds into their diet gradually, starting with 5-6 pieces. per day with mandatory monitoring of any unusual reactions in the baby for 48 hours. If there are no manifestations from the skin, intestines, or changes in stool, the dose can be gradually increased.

Attention! If changes in stool or its frequency are noticed, pumpkin seeds are excluded from the mother’s diet for 2 months. If a rash or other signs of allergy appear, take the seeds off until the end of the breastfeeding period.

The first intake of pumpkin seeds should take place no earlier than 2 months after birth. Previously, the infant's gastrointestinal tract is not able to cope with changes in the composition of breast milk due to immaturity of functions.

In what form can you eat?

Pumpkin seeds during breastfeeding can only be eaten within a safe limit. The beneficial effect on the body becomes noticeable already from 2 tbsp. l. (about 30 g) per day.The maximum amount of pumpkin seeds during breastfeeding per day, called by doctors, is 80 g. The daily use of a healthy natural product is limited for several reasons:

The calorie content of pumpkin seeds is about 540 kcal per 100 g of purified raw materials. This forces you to dose the product to adjust your weight during breastfeeding.
Roasted seeds stimulate milk production, but exceeding the daily norm can provoke hyperlactation, leading to stagnation and mastitis.
To obtain the required amount of certain minerals in pumpkin seeds, it is enough to take 50 g of them per day. An overdose of microelements from plant materials is hardly possible, but women during breastfeeding often take multivitamins, which requires dose adjustment.

Doctors advise taking 60 g of pumpkin seeds per day for no longer than a month. Afterwards, take a break for a week and continue consuming seeds. Also convenient for breastfeeding is the regimen of taking it every other day, then you won’t have to take breaks.

Raw

For the health of a pregnant woman and child, the safest and healthiest way is to independently harvest pumpkin seeds. To do this, just remove the seeds from the vegetable, separate them from the fibers, wash and dry.

Place pumpkin seeds on cloth or gauze. If you need raw seeds, you should not heat them to dry. Purchased seeds must be washed in warm water and dried before use.

Advice! When peeling the peel, do not remove the inner film shell from the seeds. Pumpkin seeds will be even healthier.

Fried

There are several ways to heat-treat pumpkin seeds for use during breastfeeding:

in a frying pan without oil and salt - 30 minutes;
in the oven at 180 °C – 20 minutes;
in the microwave - no more than 5 minutes.

Pumpkin seeds for use during breastfeeding are roasted without seasonings, salt or sweeteners.

Mixture to increase lactation

Preheated seeds are traditionally used to enhance breast milk production. The nuts for the composition can also be slightly calcined.

Recipe:

Seeds and nuts are taken in equal parts and ground to a fine crumb.
Pour the mixture with boiled milk, cooled to 60 °C.
The ratio of nut mass to milk is maintained at 1:3.
Infuse the product for at least 5 hours.

The semi-liquid composition to increase lactation should be taken 1 tbsp. l. three times a day. If there are no contraindications, the recipe can be sweetened to taste.

With honey

After the baby reaches the age of 4 months, a nursing mother can consume a mixture of pumpkin seeds and honey. Raw seeds, freed from the peel, are first ground in a coffee grinder. Mix the product at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. seeds for 2 tbsp. l. honey Store the mixture in the refrigerator and take a tablespoon per day.

How to choose

Store-bought, packaged pumpkin seeds can be treated with special preparations in production to increase shelf life. If possible, you should harvest the seeds yourself.

Rules for selecting and preparing seeds for a diet during hepatitis B:

You should not buy pumpkin seeds without the skin. Raw materials may have become contaminated or contaminated during cleaning and packaging. A product without a protective shell deteriorates faster and can also be treated with chemicals for preservation.
Salted pumpkin seeds consumed during breastfeeding can cause fluid retention in the body, which leads to edema.
Store-bought seeds with sugar, caramel, and honey contain additional anti-caking and flavoring ingredients, which can affect the quality of the milk.
Store-bought pumpkin seeds must be washed in warm water and dried in a hot oven for at least 5 minutes.

Comment! You should peel the husks with your hands, avoiding getting them into your mouth. This minimizes the risk of toxins and microbes entering the body.

Restrictions and contraindications

Side effects from taking pumpkin seeds are most often observed from excessive use. The child and mother may experience bloating, flatulence, constipation, and colic (in an infant).

Pumpkin seeds during breastfeeding may have undesirable effects on a newborn, regardless of the reaction of the woman’s body. Thus, allergies and problems with the gastrointestinal tract can manifest themselves in a child in the absence of symptoms in the mother. In such cases, the intake of seeds is stopped. Treat symptoms if necessary.

Significantly exceeding the recommended doses for breastfeeding can provoke the following conditions:

upset stomach due to high oil content;
dehydration due to the diuretic effect;
decrease in blood pressure (critical for maternal hypotension).

Important! Women suffering from gastritis, stomach ulcers, and duodenal ulcers are prohibited from eating pumpkin seeds during breastfeeding, even if stable remission has been achieved. This may provoke an exacerbation.

Conclusion

Pumpkin seeds for breastfeeding are an affordable and very useful way to get substances that are useful not only for the mother, but also for the baby. Following simple rules of administration ensures that the seeds will only bring benefits.