After pregnancy in a woman, she begins an equally important period - breastfeeding. At this time, she needs to be very careful about what she eats. After all, most substances from food pass into breast milk and have an effect on the newborn.
What is the use of chicory
Chicory is a healthy plant. It is used in medicine as a medicine, and in cooking to make a pleasant drink that tastes like coffee. In medicine, both the roots and the whole plant are used. For the drink, a root is used, in which inulin was found in large quantities. It is he who has a positive effect on the work of the digestive tract.
Chicory root is used for diseases of the liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder and other diseases. It is effective for metabolic problems. Besides inulin, the roots contain organic acids, vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, fructose, tannins, and minerals.
There is a large list of diseases and conditions for which chicory can be used: gastritis, dyspepsia, constipation, diabetes, anemia, enlarged spleen, worms, neurodermatitis, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, acne and many others. It can also be taken as a choleretic and diuretic. It acts in such cases gently and does not have a negative effect on the body.
Is chicory drink contraindicated during lactation?
It is worth noting that no studies have been conducted to assess the impact of chicory on a baby while breastfeeding a mother. Taking this drink will certainly have a positive effect on the mother: it will remove toxins, improve the intestinal microflora, increase immunity, prevent and reduce the emerging swelling, normalize stool, and increase appetite. Do not forget that chicory contains vitamins and minerals, which a woman really lacks in such a difficult period.
And how the chicory drink will affect a particular baby, no one can say for sure. In addition, among the contraindications for taking chicory, there are no indications about the lactation period. But there is a contraindication to its use in children under two years of age. Since it has choleretic properties, it can cause discomfort and discomfort in the child, diarrhea, and can increase acidity. Its vasodilating and tonic effect can negatively affect the baby's nervous system.
Perhaps it will improve stool, promote the development of beneficial microflora in the intestines, reduce the intensity of colic, strengthen the immune system, but it can also cause an allergic reaction. Medicine does not give clear instructions about chicory during breastfeeding. But since it can cause an allergic reaction, its use should be treated in the same way as with other allergens: be careful.
When and how you can introduce a chicory drink into your mom's diet during lactation
A nursing woman should decide the issue of taking chicory for food in conjunction with a pediatrician. The approach here will be individual. If a woman constantly consumed a chicory drink during pregnancy, then after giving birth, after about a month, you can try to return it to your diet. Until the baby is a month old (during the newborn period), no dubious products are recommended at all. If a nursing mother did not drink a chicory drink during pregnancy, but has previously tried this product, then it can be introduced no earlier than the child is 6 months old. But if a nursing woman has never used chicory and a drink from it in her diet at all, then it is not worth introducing it during breastfeeding. Better to wait for it to complete.
The general rules for introducing a new product into the mother's diet during lactation are also applicable to chicory. For the first time in the morning, a minimum amount of a new product is tried. You can drink no more than a third of the prepared drink. The child's reaction to a new product is observed - from 1 to 3 days. In the absence of negative reactions (bloating, colic, skin rashes and others), the volume of the product increases. If the appearance of negative reactions could not be avoided, then the product is no longer used. It is worth remembering that chicory is not prohibited during breastfeeding. But you can use it only with the permission of a doctor, while observing certain rules.
