Healthy Diet For Breastfeeding Mothers Include DHA Omega3 Fats

You might disagree but hear me out on this, 80% of women around the world are deficient in essential DHA omega3 fats. Studies have proven that only 5% attain the desired levels of DHA during pregnancy. However, do you know the importance of continuing high DHA even after delivery? What is the healthy diet for breastfeeding mothers? Let us find out.

Experts recommend the consumption of high quality omega3 fish oil supplement as part of healthy diet for breastfeeding mothers. This is because; fish supplement contains high levels of DHA and EPA omega3 fatty acids. Both these fats are very vital for proper growth and development of both mother and her child.

Significance of healthy diet for breastfeeding mothers can be understood by one statement - breast milk is the only source of nutrition for nursing babies. This means that mother ought to take the required nutrients that are need by her child as well as by her body.

Studies have proven that continuing fish oil even after delivery reduces the risk of post partum depression. This is a physiological state of mind, which becomes noticeable after second week of delivery and can last up to 6-8 months depending on the social network of the mother. Common symptoms of this condition include frequent mood swings, anxiety bouts, sleep disorder, tearfulness, irritation, etc. It has been observed that in this condition, mother looses interest in many things that she used to enjoy before/during pregnancy.

Since, depression and DHA are related; it has been proven that consumption of high DHA diet (fish oil supplements being the safest) during and after the pregnancy are of help here. DHA omeag3 fats reduce the risk of breast cancer too.

For the baby, high DHA diet means lesser sleep disorder, better brain and nervous system development, better eyesight, improved memory, concentrating and comprehension skills, etc. In all, DHA fats increases the IQ of babies.

In the recent studies covering 100 children, it was observed that children whose mother followed a healthy diet for breastfeeding mothers were sharper, taller, stronger, and smarter as in comparison to other children whose mother did not had fish supplements. It was also observed that these children have better immune system to fight against common cold, flu, influenza and various other allergies.

A healthy diet for breastfeeding mothers as recommended by experts has at least 250mg of DHA per 1000mg of oil. In addition, look for supplements that have undergone the molecular distillation process to ensure that pharmaceutical grade quality of the oil is maintained.