The Paleo diet is also known as the caveman’s diet which is based on all what our ancestors used to eat 10,000 years ago in the Paleolithic age when they were hunters and gatherers. The food that used to be eaten then included game that would be hunted in the wild along with locally grown vegetables and fruits. At that time, all the food, whether of plant or animal origin, was eaten raw as fire was not invented yet.
Milk and other daily products were not available in those times, as animal domestication was not practiced – so dairy products are to be eliminated entirely in this diet. However, there are many variations in the Paleo diet as some suggest consumption of lean white meats, whereas others suggestion eating fatty red meats. Processed food is forbidden in this diet, so you have to exclude the casually consumed carbs and the sugars in this diet.
Dairy products are also not allowed while you are on this diet, which means no butter, milk, cheese or anything made out of milk. However, eggs are allowed, owing to the fact that the caveman would probably have eaten bird eggs while hunting for food. Root vegetables are also forbidden as they were believed not to have been eaten in those times.
However, when breastfeeding mothers decide to adopt the Paleo diet, then they have to be extremely cautious and should preferably refrain from it whilst they are feeding the baby. The Paleo diet can lead to a lot of deficiencies of minerals and vitamins that could negatively impact the baby and even the mother’s health. This diet requires eliminating all sorts of dairy products and milk from the diet, which can result in an acute calcium deficiency in the mother, especially when she is feeding the child. A Paleo diet also shuns carbohydrates and other root vegetables that can result in other health problems such as fatigue and lethargy with very low energy levels.
Another factor to keep into consideration would be that the Paleo diet initially starts off as a detoxification diet by cleansing the entire system of the body. The toxins that are removed in this process eventually go into breast milk and will affect the baby who feeds on the mother.
A breastfeeding baby requires a lot of carbohydrates and fats which is what breast milk is composed of. It is important for the mother to have well-balanced meal and not eliminate any food group from her diet.
Breastfeeding mothers have metabolic changes in their body’s post-partum, which makes their liver intolerant to huge amounts of protein, which is the basis of the Paleo diet. Babies require a lot of iron which is not available in the Paleo diet which eliminates processed cereals.
In order to get started on the Paleo diet, it is important for the mother to wean the baby from breastfeeding. A breastfeeding mother is the direct source of minerals and vitamins for the infant, and she has to ensure that she follows a well-balanced diet.
About the author: Kate is a blogger and writer. She loves writing on topics related to wedding, health and luxury. Beside this she is fond of bags. She recently shared an article on Wedding tips. These days she is busy in writing an article on style and fashion trends.