Eating Peanut Butter, Honey, Etc... When Breastfeeding

Updated on January 01, 2011
E.S. asks from Los Angeles, CA
14 answers

I was recently told by our pediatrician that it is wise not to eat peanut butter, all nuts, honey, berries and other foods that can cause food allergies while breastfeeding. I did not follow this when I was nursing my first child and she turned out OK. There are no known food allergies within our families, so I'm wondering why should I refrain from eating these items? I'm already avoiding all dairy products because my 10 week old was not digesting the protein in the dairy. Finding food to eat has been hard, and my go-to-food is peanut butter and nuts not only for the protein, but because it is fast, easy and yummy. I guess what I'm asking is how many Moms (with no known family food allergy)out there ate peanut butter, honey, berries, etc. while nursing and found that their child later developed an allergy to the food.

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D.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

I love peanut butter and was eating it all the time when my daughter was first born. I learned quickly that it was giving her gas... peanuts = legumes. I am still breastfeeding, 5 months now, and can't wait to eat peanut butter again ;)

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J.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

OH, OH, OH, EMILY - I GET TO RESPOND TO THIS POST BECAUSE I AM THE MOTHER OF A CHILD WHO IS SEVERELY ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS -CAUSED BY MY EATING PEANUTS WHILE BREASTFEEDING!!!!!!ok, I'll come off the soapbox, now. There are NO food allergies on either my side, nor my husbands....our eldest child (a boy) is food allergy free (and yes, I ate LOTS of peanut butter when nursing him, too). I exclusively breastfed BOTH children for over a year; peanut butter was a staple in my diet with both kids. Here are the facts: the protein found in peanuts CAN cross through into your milk supply. As a lactation educator, I never recommend that a mom remove any food in her repetoire, unless it is a known allergen to the child. However, I do recommend that women eat "in moderation" - for me, that means 1-2 times a week (not every day). I would vary it with almond butter, soy-nut butter (that vary a bit in taste, but not in texture).
Interesting that an on-line group that I used to be involved with (the women who ran it has since gone back to "being a mom"), asked over 500 women, whose children had a peanut allergy, how many of them ate peanuts a) while pregnant and b) while nursing. 98% of them stated that they had done both.
Just for your information: my daughter (now 9.5) went to a peanut-free nursery school - never wanted a peanut-butter sandwich, etc. Accidentally got a peanut in her mouth shortly after her 7th birthday - and stopped breathing in my bedroom. She now carries an Epi-Pen with her, at all times, and wears a bracelet stating her anaphalactic status to peanuts. She is not allergic to tree nuts, but we refrain from them, all the same. NO ONE MISSES PEANUTS MORE THAN I! Unless you are exposed to this situation, I don't really think you know where to look - so here is just another view.

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F.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi Emily,

Gosh, when I breastfed years ago, I was told not to eat spicy food cause it would upset my baby son's stomache. To this day, I couldn't understand how spices could get into my milk via my blood supply? To me it was obsurd then and now. I loved Mexican food and my baby never showed signs of upset from my consumption. Now my waistline did. Recently I have adopted a low glycemic diet way of life plus a fantastic medical break-through weight loss product that helps my brain to turn off the signal for me to keep eating but instead to not be hungery and burn the fat. Now while you are breastfeeding it's not recommended you can use this product, no double blind studies done with nursing mothers, but the glycemic diet will be good for you and if somehow our diet really does effect our breast milk, it would be good for baby too.

Best Wishes ~ F.
My website is: www.fitandfatfreeforever.com
Steve and I lost 31* pounds in 28 days plus 14* inches off our waists. *Results will vary.

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J.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would follow your doctor's advice

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L.W.

answers from San Diego on

Hi Emily,
My ped told me I was free to eat what I wanted while breastfeeding, but to just pay close attention to my baby's reactions. He told me that certain foods could cause gassiness and cause my baby to be a little irritable, such as chocolate, garlic, onions, and cabbage, so I just checked for any sort of reaction of this sort, which there were none. I was never told to restrain from nuts, berries, or any other sort of foods, but I was told to hold off on feeding them to him when he started to eat solids.

C.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

In support of what you have been doing, I'm a mom of three children who ate whatever I wanted while breastfeeding(which includes the foods you specifically mentioned because I love them) and none of my children have any food allergies. Neither my husband or I have food allergies either. I do; however, have a brother who had food allergies as a child, so I can't say our immediate families are food allergy free.

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A.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

I ate everything! And I ate so much peanut butter for the same reasons as you. My little man, now 1yr, loves it now too!

I say go for it. :)

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M.J.

answers from Los Angeles on

I eat peanut butter, berries, nuts, etc. ALL THE TIME. No problems here with either of my kids (I nursed my daughter until 23 months, and we're on 10 months with my son).

I've never heard that - I was just told to just be aware if certain foods were causing spitting up, etc. and to stay if that was the case. For example, I couldn't eat brownies (or a chocolate bar) while nursing my daughter (although there was no problem with caffeinated sodas when I gave in to the craving!). But she's not allergic to chocolate now, so go figure!

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G.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi Emily,

I was told to avoid gas causing foods. But not warned to avoid nuts honey and berries. Nuts are a great source of protein and oh how I miss them. My little one tested highly allergic to nuts. Neither me or my hubby have food allergies. But apparently if you have any history of environmental allergies or if your parents have any allergies = they are now advising against nuts, eggs, and cow's milk while nursing.

Here is what I found after searching the AAP and other sources-web articles at the bottom- for others who might want to know more. All the best to you! So many kids with allergies these days -hope you can keep eating your nuts & other healthy tasty treats!

Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics
regarding formula, breast milk and allergens:

a) Mothers should eliminate peanuts and tree nuts (eg, almonds, walnuts, etc) and should consider eliminating eggs, cow's milk, fish, and perhaps other foods from their diets while nursing infant / toddler at risk (a child who has developed a food allergy symptom or has a family member with a history of an allergy [including but not limited to food allergies, dermatitis, eczema, hay fever or asthma]).

b) Solid foods should not be introduced into the diet of high-risk infants (an infant who has developed a food allergy symptom or has a family member with a history of any type of allergy) until 6 months of age, should consider waiting until
• 1 year to offer dairy products
• 2 years to introduce eggs
• 3 years to expose to peanuts, nuts, and fish

c) Breastfeeding mothers should continue breastfeeding for the first year of life or longer. During this time, for children at risk (a child who has developed a food allergy symptom or has a family member with a history of allergies), hypoallergenic formulas or possibly a partial hydrolysate formula can be used to supplement breastfeeding.

d) Breastfeeding mothers on a restricted diet should consider the use of supplemental minerals (calcium) and vitamins.

e) During pregnancy mothers should consider excluding peanuts.

http://www.ama.com.au/web.nsf/doc/WEEN-6PW34A
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/abstract/168/10/1279
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/ped...
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/285/13/1746

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A.T.

answers from Nashville on

I am on child #2 - I breastfed my first for 13 months and our youngest is almost 10 months. I have always eaten pretty much whatever I wanted to eat. I had a very wise lactation consultant that told me to do whatever I liked but in moderation. Obviously, if you were to eat something and you could tell that it was not agreeing with your child, please refrain from eating or drinking whatever it is. But, in 3rd world countries where breastmilk is usually the sole nutrition for babies and even toddlers, those mothers may not have a choice to what they are eating or traditions call for drinking say coffee three meals a day, and their babies are just fine. I have found that mylicon(sp) or gas x does not hurt your child either. And in my experience, I've found pediatricians don't know a whole lot on breastfeeding or how it affects babies - if you have questions, I would refer to a lactation consultant.
Good luck and what really matters most is you do what makes you feel like you are doing the right thing for you and your baby.

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J.F.

answers from Las Vegas on

Hi Emily,

I noticed that my son seemed to have trouble breathing and was making choking-like sounds during the time that I was breastfeeding and still consuming dairy. His pediatrician thought is was just him being a newborn and trying to clear out his lungs, but it continued for weeks. It finally dawned on me that it might be due to the dairy in my diet. I am not allergic to dairy. I cut out the dairy and the problem stopped, but he did end up being allergic to milk/dairy. He finally outgrew that allergy around 3 years-old but is still allergic to soy, peanuts, and eggs. If you are noticing symptoms in your baby, it seems wise to do as you've done and cut out the dairy, but it may also be a good idea to cut out those things that are the most likely culprits for allergies---peanuts, soy, etc. A great alternative to peanut butter that we use (I am allergic to them as well) is sunflower seed butter. It is great-tasting, has the protein you need, and tastes as good as PBJ in a sandwich! Trader Joes is the only place I have been able to find it. Not even our whole foods carries it. I hope this helps.
J.

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D.V.

answers from Las Vegas on

Honey and berries are fine. Nuts and peanuts can raise your child's chances of having asthma later in life, so you shouldn't eat a lot of them. Since you know you have food allergies in the family and your daughter reacts to dairy, I'd go VERY slowly with the allergenic foods. My own daughter is allergic to dairy, and we avoided nuts and peanuts until she turned 5, at the advice of her allergist. Honey is not an allergy issue, it is a spore issue. If you can't find honey that is certified as "spore free", then cook it. Eaten raw, it can cause botulism in a child under 6 months of age, especially if it comes from certain high-risk states like Pennsylvania. Basically, you want to wait until the gut is closed before you offer foods that tend to be troublesome, and in most full term babies, that happens at around 6 months. Feeding certain proteins too early, even through your breastmilk, can sensitize the immune system and wreac havoc, causing lifelong problems. It's always better to err on the side of caution.

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R.W.

answers from Las Vegas on

This is a bit technical, but the AAP has changed their tune a bit about the introduction of foods while breastfeeding and while adding solids. Reading the Summary section is helpful.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/12...

Hope that helps,
R.

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M.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

i just want to say that if you choose to continue to eat hunny while breastfeeding, make sure that you do keep up with your handwashing. it's hard to think that since you're using your hands for feeding yourself they are still clean enough to breastfeed your child.

well, the reason i mention this is because there was a case that a baby got botulism (the reason we don't give infants honey until after 1 years old). the mom was eating peanut butter and honey sandwiches and the residue was on her hands and got to the baby.

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