Foods You Eat and Your Breast Milk

Did you know that your baby is exposed to the different tastes and flavors of the foods you eat through your breast milk? The foods we consume slightly change the taste of our milk, exposing our baby to the flavors they will someday consume directly. I find it fascinating that my girls LOVE their green juices in the morning. When I was nursing both times, green juices were a huge part of my morning breakfast routine. Could it be they were exposed to the leafy flavors early on when they were nursing and now they developed a preference for it? Well maybe but maybe not. Research suggests babies may react less negatively to the flavors they have been exposed to via breast milk. Whether they end up liking the food or not is subjective.

There is also research being conducted on breast milk and allergies. There is early evidence that may suggest when mom consumes a potential allergen and nurses baby, the baby has less of a likelihood of developing an allergy to that food. Very similar to desensitization therapy. Little exposures to certain foods may help develop a tolerance and possibly a preference for them.

Sources

Hausner, et al. 2010; Boston Children’s Hospital.