Can I have cheese when breastfeeding and what are the contraindications?

Despite the availability of information about the benefits and hazards of any products, newly-made mothers often find themselves in the thrall of stereotypes, continuing to believe that the menu for HB is continuous limitations. They refuse red vegetables, fruits, lactic acid products, meat or cheese, in general, all that pediatricians have imposed a strict ban on for a long time.

It is not surprising that in such cases the transition to the diet of a nursing mother does not bring women anything but negative emotions. Modern doctors, however, are of the opinion that when choosing products during HB, one should first of all listen to your body. The article deals with cheese and the possibility of its use during breastfeeding in the first month of a newborn's life.

During the first month after giving birth, a nursing mother needs to follow a strict diet due to the characteristics of the digestive organs of the child who was just born. In infants, the gastric mucosa is hypersensitive, and their enzyme system is still imperfect. Therefore, the quality of breast milk in the first weeks of life is of fundamental importance and becomes the key to the well-being of the newborn.

Cheese is not only possible, but also must be eaten with HB, and it is permissible to introduce it into the diet in the first days after birth. Many substances in the composition of this amazing product act as a building material for the rapidly growing organism crumbs. It is manufactured using raw milk in combination with additives - lactic acid bacteria and special coagulant enzymes. There is no point in refusing to eat cheese during lactation.

Compared to fresh milk, the nutritional value of cheese is much higher, due to its digestibility by the body by 96-99%, depending on the variety. Allergies in infants, provoked by bovine protein, are quite common. In such cases, whole milk is replaced with cheese - a product rich in protein by 22-24%. To understand the benefits of cheese, it is enough to study its composition, in which there is a large number of biologically significant elements necessary for the body to ensure normal functioning.

The product contains a whole vitamin-mineral complex.

• Retinol. It helps regulate the production of protein, normalizes metabolism, increases the body's immune defense, has a positive effect on the quality of hair, skin and nails, participates in the formation of teeth and connective bone tissue.
• Vitamins of group B. They are involved in energy metabolism, ensure the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous and immune systems, help stabilize blood sugar levels and help the body fight stress.

• Vitamin C. It has powerful antioxidant properties, increases the elasticity of blood vessels and the body's resistance to viruses, accelerates wound healing, affects the production of hormones, helps synthesize collagen, and charges with vital energy.
• Tocopherol. Neutralizes free radicals, protects the red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen to the heart, improves blood circulation, reduces blood sugar, affects the reproductive system, protects the skin from UV rays.

• Phosphorus. It is an active participant in the processes of cell division and growth, storage and use of genetic information. It improves the digestibility of glucose by the body, helps in the production of proteins and carbohydrates, strengthens bones and teeth, affects the acid-base balance.
• Zinc. Participates in the processes of metabolism, improves immunity and mental activity, helps produce hormones, keep nails, hair, teeth and bones healthy, promotes accelerated healing of wounds, normalizes the nervous system.
• Selenium. It improves the functioning of the pancreas, the thyroid gland, the immune system and the musculoskeletal system, affects mental activity and mood, speeds up the removal of toxins and neutralizes the aggressive effects of UV radiation.
• Iron. Participates in the processes of metabolism, storage and transport of oxygen to tissues and organs. It is necessary for the synthesis of bone tissue and thyroid hormones that control metabolic processes. Restores skin tone.
• Magnesium. It affects the growth of bone tissue, normalizes increased blood pressure, strengthens tooth enamel, prevents the formation of kidney stones, stabilizes blood sugar.
• Copper. Affects the work of the nervous system and the brain, helps break down fats and carbohydrates, produce prostaglandin, activate insulin, produce red blood cells, utilize vitamin C. Participates in supplying muscle tissue with oxygen, accelerates blood circulation during intense exercise.
• Essential amino acids. Methionine protects the digestive tract, reduces cholesterol and has a lipotropic effect. Lysine helps fight viruses and prevents the development of immunodeficiencies, and L-tryptophan regulates weight, improves mood and normalizes the cardiovascular system.

Despite its therapeutic and dietary value, cheese can harm health. Its use is contraindicated in diagnoses:

• atherosclerosis and high cholesterol in the blood, causing clogged blood vessels and disrupting blood flow;
• gastritis, colitis, peptic ulcer and other gastrointestinal diseases;
• arterial hypertension and pathologies of the cardiovascular system;
• obesity, because cheeses with 40-70% fat are too high in calories (up to 390 kcal), and soft varieties stimulate the production of gastric juice;
• allergic to lactose or predisposition to it.

During pregnancy, any type of cheese with the addition of food mold is prohibited. Because of the bacteria contained in such cheeses, listeriosis can be infected — a dangerous infection that causes various fetal complications: spontaneous abortion, intrauterine growth retardation or gross developmental abnormalities, stillbirth and prematurity.

Cheeses are classified according to different criteria - method of production, technology of coagulation of milk, chemical composition, type of main raw material, microflora used. Depending on merchandising characteristics (shelf life, structure, appearance), there are several groups of cheeses.

Young or fresh cheese is a product with a curd consistency and high moisture content, with a pleasant, salty taste. Not for long.

They are hard, having a very dense texture, low humidity, sweetish taste and soft, which are characterized by a combination of delicate texture with high humidity, no crust and small size. Here you can also include various types of low-fat cheeses.

Combined technology is used for their production: pressing under high temperatures and maturation, during which the head is covered with natural mucus with the subsequent formation of a crust. They have a delicate structure with characteristic voids.

Can be soft and hard. The raw material is the milk of various types of livestock - goats, sheep, cows, buffalo. After the formation of a milk clot, it is kept in brine until the cheese is ripe. They have a multi-layered soft, brittle texture.

Different types of cheeses are used as raw materials in combination with additives - butter, powdered milk, cottage cheese, melting salts, which dissolve proteins.The assortment range is represented by various types of canned, sliced, pasty, sausage with spices, smoked without additives and sweet cheeses.

We list the attributes of a quality product.

• It has a uniform color and a clean surface: white scurf, spots and other defects are unacceptable.
• Holistic form. The crust should not be damaged. Any crack provides free access to molds and pathogens.
• Elastic head. When lightly pressed, it only slightly squeezes, quickly taking its original form, which indicates compliance with the technology of making cheese.
• The absence of foreign odors, especially ammonia, which indicates that the product has begun to deteriorate.

Preference should be given:

• hard cheeses - Maasdam, Cheddar, Parmesan, Gouda, Russian with fat content up to 50%;
• brine type Chechil, Brynza, Suluguni, Lori, Brunost;
• gentle cheese with high content of phosphorus and calcium - Feta, Ricotta, Mascarpone, Mozzarella;
• low fat type of edam, Maribo, Oka;
• homemade cheese, where every ingredient is known, and the freshness is beyond doubt.

Consider what else you need to know.

• The production of breast milk is adversely affected by the use of salty varieties of Roquefort cheese, since an excess of salt retains fluid in the body.
• Moldy varieties, canned and sausage processed cheeses containing ham, spices, mushrooms and other additives provoke diarrhea, accompanied by spasms, pain and other unpleasant symptoms.
• The composition of smoked processed cheese contains a large amount of preservatives, thickeners and flavor enhancers. Therefore, it is not only useless, but also dangerous for the absolutely zero digestive system of the newborn.
• When breastfeeding from the entire range of processed cheeses are suitable only those that do not contain additional components that can cause negative reactions in the child. It is important that food supplements with flavoring cheeses contain a minimum amount.
• When buying a pasty cheese, you need to make sure that the packaging is made of safe polypropylene, what the letters PP mean, not harmful polystyrene (PS).

When breastfeeding add new foods to the menu always start with small portions. Cheese is no exception. First you need to check how the baby's body reacts to it. To do this, mother only needs to eat a slice of soft cheese, and watch the condition of the baby for a couple of days.

If he has no upset stool, and the skin is clean without redness or rash, then you can continue to use cheese, gradually increasing the volume of servings, bringing it to the daily norm. With the appearance of negative reactions in crumbs of cheese will have to forget at least 1-1.5 months, and then repeat the experiment.

Cheese, as a living food and product, continuously staying in the mode of aging, important proper storage conditions. It is equally negatively affected by high and low temperature conditions. In the first case, it begins to thaw and instantly deteriorates, and in the second, it crumbles when it thaws after it is frozen. Due to the high humidity of the air, the product deteriorates quickly, and when it is low, it dries out, losing moisture. Optimum storage conditions:

• stable t values ​​in the range of 6-8 ° C;
• constant humidity mode 80-90%;
• good air circulation.

So the perfect place is the fridge.The product is placed in an airtight container (preferably glass) and refined 2-3 pieces are added to remove excess moisture. So you can increase the shelf life of cheeses: hard for 4-4.5 months, and soft for 1.5 weeks.

How to balance the diet of a nursing mother, see the following video.