Gillian McKeith's Food Bible (32 page)

Parsley contains specific compounds to help slow milk flow.

Eat generous amounts of lentils, dried figs, basil, mint, papayas, and papaya juice.

It may sound crazy, but place chilled cabbage leaves inside your bra. The anti-inflammatory compounds in cabbage can help reduce swelling. I know firsthand, as it worked for me!

Blocked milk duct

Blocked ducts are sometimes caused by too much milk, or a bra that is too tight pressing on a duct. You may feel a tiny lump the size of a pea. You need to deal with it quickly, as you do not want it to become infected. First, have your baby suck frequently, changing positions so that every part of the nipple is stimulated. Use a warm compress; after each feed massage breasts down and toward the nipple. My own patients have had great success with the following:

Put 2 drops of phytolacca, plus 6 drops of evening primrose oil, and 10 drops of sage tincture into some water. Drink this every two hours until you feel relief.

Mastitis

Occasionally, if the breasts remain engorged and blocked over a period of time, then the breast tissue can become infected,
resulting in a condition called mastitis. The blocked area will appear red and increasingly tender to touch. Your temperature may rise and you might feel ill. It is imperative that you take action at the first signs of mastitis, as the symptoms can get worse quite quickly and you can end up with a high fever. Consult your doctor, as you may require antibiotic treatment. Encourage the baby to feed frequently from that side. While feeding on that side, stroke the hardened part toward the nipple, thus helping the blockage to clear. Manually express the milk by hand in the shower or bath. Take 1,000 mg of vitamin C and 6 to 8 garlic pearls every three hours to combat the infection. You may wish to add two echinacea tablets every three hours. Add 10 to 15 drops of propolis tincture in warm water twice daily until you feel relief.

You could also try mixing a paste of the herbs marigold, poke root, and slippery elm powder with water and spread over the affected breast. If left on for a few hours, this will help to reduce the inflammation. Always carefully wash the breast before feeding.

Sore and cracked nipples

Sore and cracked nipples are usually caused by incorrect positioning of the baby on the nipple. If the baby is allowed to keep sucking incorrectly, then bleeding cracks may quickly appear on the nipple.

Consult a local La Leche League representative (www.gillianmckeith.info/breastfeeding). The league exists to assist breastfeeding mothers.

Add tinctures of marigold and St. John’s wort to a little boiling water, then allow to cool to air temperature: dabbing on the breast or nipple after each feed may help the delicate breast tissue to heal and harden. Calendula cream can also be helpful, as can anesthetizing the nipple by applying an ice cube before starting to feed.

If soreness and bleeding cracks persist, you may have an elevation of the yeast candida. Try submerging your nipples in pure yogurt (see page
219
for more information on tackling candida).

Baby rejects milk

There are cases where the baby rejects your milk. Babies might scream, grimace, “make faces,” bring up curdled milk, or have green, runny bowel movements. In my experience, this usually indicates a mother’s out of balance liver (see page
22
) or indigestion (see page
309
). You could also try an herbal infusion of the herbs fringe tree, valerian, and hawthorn, which are best sought out in a specialty herb store.

How long should I breastfeed for?

I generally recommend breastfeeding exclusively for at least the first six months after the birth. After the first six months, you might start to introduce other tastes or fresh juices with some solids. As this process continues after the first six months and your baby begins to eat solid foods or fresh juices, the baby should require less breast milk. The length of feeds may shorten; the frequency of breastfeedings may decrease. Allow your child to take the lead. My first child breastfed exclusively for ten months. She had no interest in anything else. Each individual child has different needs and desires as to how long breastfeeding continues. Some babies wean naturally by their first birthday; others are still feeding at two and three years. Ultimately, do what feels right for you and your child.

Weaning

Weaning is the process of gradually introducing solid foods to a baby, during the first year or so of its life. Every baby and every mother is different, so let me start by saying that this isn’t something to get stressed about—it’ll come naturally when the time is right.

Most people begin weaning when their baby is between four and six months old. I wouldn’t advise you to start younger than this, because babies’ digestive and immune systems probably won’t be ready for solid foods and may react badly.

The reason for weaning is a baby’s nutritional and calorific requirements increase as they grow. At around six months they are likely to need more than just milk—although it’s worth pointing out that this depends on the strength of your milk. My first child didn’t want solids until she was ten months old; my other daughter was ready at seven months. At some point in their first year, though, your baby will not be able to consume enough milk to meet his or her needs (milk is also low in iron, so if weaning is delayed, anemia can result). Babies usually start to show an interest in food around this time, and chances are they’ll demand more frequent feeds.

What foods and when?

Introduce foods to your baby one at a time, leaving three to four days in between each new food so you can monitor any reactions (how’s their diaper, their skin, their mood?). I’d suggest keeping a food and symptom diary to help the monitoring process.

Although there’s a plethora of baby foods on the market, homemade is always best—and it’s pretty darned easy, as all you really need to do is blend or mash. Start with a teaspoon of fruit and vegetable purées, as these are the easiest to digest. Sweet potatoes, carrots, rutabaga, and squash are good vegetables to start the process. For fruits, try pears, apricots, and bananas. Go for organic wherever possible to reduce the baby’s intake of
pesticides and maximize nutrient intake. Do not include citrus fruit, berries, or tomatoes initially. Soft, well-cooked grains such as rice and millet can be included in the early stages, but avoid gluten-containing grains (wheat, rye, oats, barley), as these can be hard to digest.

By the time your baby is seven to nine months old, they’ll be well and truly bored with purées and ready for some new textures. And of course you can continue to introduce new foods, too. Instead of blending to a purée, fruits and vegetables can be mashed and left lumpier, and babies can be given small amounts of soft food such as bananas or cooked vegetables to encourage chewing. As their food repertoire increases, you’ll find they drink less milk. So this is when you start them on a healthy fluid intake for life by making sure your baby has water—vegetable juices are a possibility, too. I combined celery, carrot, and cucumber juice with a little apple juice and water for my daughters.

When they show an interest, you can start introducing protein—in the form of cooked pulses, fish, and poultry—to replace the protein they were getting from milk. They need to be cooked and puréed.

Of course there are some foods and ingredients your baby definitely won’t be ready for. Crucially, you must make sure they don’t have any food containing added salt—their kidneys are simply not developed enough to deal with sodium. Sugar, peanuts, and stimulants, such as caffeine, must be off limits. And if anyone in your family has a food allergy or intolerance, it’s best not to introduce the food in question to your child until they are at least two years old.

By 12 months, your baby should be able to eat three regular meals a day with a milk feed between each, and you can give them finger food to snack on, such as slices of avocado, cooked carrots, or green beans.

Children

Why is a healthy diet for children important?

There’s no way I can soften the message: kids suffer when their diet is poor. Making sure your children eat well is one of the most important and loving things you can do for them.

Studies suggest that a significant number of children today have worryingly low intakes of essential vitamins such as vitamins A, C, and D and minerals such as zinc, iron, calcium, and magnesium—crucial nutrients for healthy growth and development. A nutrient-poor diet, especially when combined with low activity levels, will significantly affect the future health of your children by increasing the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and obesity. And, in the short term, unhealthy eating will affect their concentration, energy levels, immunity, and cholesterol levels. Add to that something that worries me enormously—the shocking rise of type-2 diabetes in children. It’s all due to a sugar-laden, junk-food diet and lack of exercise. In other words, it’s completely avoidable, and I’m sorry, moms and dads, but you’re accountable.

Given the overwhelming body of evidence of the negative effect of poor diet on the growth, development, intelligence, and well-being of children, it’s never too early to get healthy. The earlier in their lives you start, the easier it will be. Studies have shown that when children are fed healthy, nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, not only do they stop overeating and feel more satisfied, but their body weight decreases and they perform better at school. So ditch the family value-pack of chips and start thinking and shopping healthily, today. Your kids will thank you.

Incorporating healthy foods into your child’s diet

I love to watch children play by making food in the kitchen. They have such a great time. Getting kids involved with food preparation as early as possible is one of the best ways to interest them in what they put into their bodies. It’s so old-fashioned to think children don’t like anything that’s “good for them.” They deserve more credit than that. Allow children to experiment. Healthy habits start young—and, reassuringly, last a lifetime.