Juice cleanse healthy for breastfeeding Mom?

[themaybaby]

I am wanting to do a cleanse. In all honesty I have adopted the lax ways of eating whatever I want when I was pregnant with my son. But he is 2 weeks old and I'm still eating crappy. So my question is: Is there a juice cleanse that is healthy enough to do while bf'ing. I want to do it for a week and then start my healthy eating up. Have any of you done this? Or is this just not a good idea? Thanks in advance

 

[jenmcn1]

I wouldn't do a 'juice cleanse'. Since a cleanse is meant to detoxify the body. And that's not recommended while breastfeeding at all. I would just start with healthy food choices and, juice on top of that! You can still do juicing, just not on it's own.

 

[amurray]

considering that some people don't think twice about eating all the junk food full of sugar and preservatives and who knows what else-- I would say that it's not too bad of an idea. the only thing that I would worry about is the lack of calories to give you energy and to feed your baby since they take a substantial amount from you just by breastfeeding. juicing is a great way to get lots of micronutrients. Maybe I would try to have a snack in the morning though and a normal healthy dinner just to try to keep your calories up!

 

[summer rain]

With a much older baby or toddler who only BF seldom then it may be ok but at 2 weeks? It could be harmful to your health as you're still recovering from the birth and it could cause, theoretically, toxins to leach into your milk from fatty tissues xx

 

[angelandbump]

If juice cleanses similar to the UK's juice plus then this is their FAQ guide answer

Is it safe to take Juice Plus+ while nursing?
Yes! There is not a reason on earth to worry about Juice Plus+ and nursing. On the other hand, there are a million and one reasons to take Juice Plus+ during nursing. Nursing is almost as critical as in-utero as far as nutrition is concerned. Ask yourself when is nutrition not important? When would fruits and veggies become dangerous? The baby is not going to become colicky because of Juice Plus+.

“Colic” is a term that doctors use when they can’t explain why babies are especially fussy, or in extreme discomfort. Quite often, babies have an intolerance or allergy to a food like soy, dairy, or wheat. It’s passed through breast milk or formula to the newborn, causing terrible pain or gas. Many pediatricians will chalk it up to “colic,” and never think to have the nursing mother go on an elimination diet to see which foods upset her baby. They’d rather try a prescription medication for the baby, or put the baby on formula.

One thing is certain: the fruits and vegetables in Juice Plus+ are extremely good for both the nursing baby, and the mother.

It is also useful for nursing mothers to eat whole ground flax seeds in order to get some “good fat” into her diet. Good fats and fruits and veggies make for the most nutritious breast milk.

 

[the why bird]

I really wouldn't. You're healing from birth and breastfeeding takes extra energy too. Your body needs proteins and fats to heal, and very few fruits and veg contain much of those food groups. Lots of women have iron deficiencies and sluggish bowels/trouble using the bathroom after birth and though some veg are high in iron, most that are used in a juice fast are not. You are also removing the roughage which your body needs to regulate your diet - you'd be better off eating whole fruits and veg. And lastly, most juice cleanses massively restrict your calorie intake. Not what you need when healing, sleep deprived and trying to feed another human being.

You don't need to do anything specific to cleanse your body. Assuming you have normally functioning kidneys and liver, your body does it automatically. By all means, cut out the junk food and supplement with juices if you want a vitamin boost, but cutting out whole food groups even for a week is a bad idea, especially so soon after birth and while breastfeeding.

 

[Stacey_Ann]

Juice plus is completely different to I think what you're getting at

Juice plus is a nutritional supplement that comes in 3 forms, capsules, chewables and complete shakes. Bridges the gap between what we should eat and what we do eat.

Xx

 

[angelandbump]

Juice plus is completely different to I think what you're getting at

Juice plus is a nutritional supplement that comes in 3 forms, capsules, chewables and complete shakes. Bridges the gap between what we should eat and what we do eat.

Xx

oops sorry... ignore my comment then. I don't do juice plus so don't know much about it... only what people put on fb x

 

[jenmcn1]

The whole point of a juice cleanse is to detox the body. While juicing is healthy, it's not suggested while nursing because the toxins go straight to the breast milk and passed onto baby. You can still juice once in a while or even once a day, but for every meal and snack for a week? Not good for baby.