Coffee & Breastfeeding

Are you worried that you’ll have to give up your morning cup of joe habit while breastfeeding?  Yesterday I told you about why coffee can be good for you.  I’ve also told you about coffee safety during pregnancy.  But what about while nursing?

A cup of coffee while breastfeeding is fine!  In fact it’s probably very welcomed after sleepless nights.

Some babies might react negatively to the caffeine so watch out for these signs:

• irritability
• not sleeping well or for long periods
• overly active

As babies age they might be able to tolerate it better.  So if you try having a cup of coffee and you know right away tht your newborn is not tolerating it, try again in a few months.

Remember moderate intake is considered 300 mg/day.  Try to limit yourself to one cup each day.

I love my morning cup of coffee.  I have it right after I feed my daughter in the morning.

Another Kitchen Staple: Coffee

My morning cup of joe is probably what gets me out of bed in the morning.  Well that and my 6 month old daughter “telling me” that it’s feeding time.

I gave up coffee during my pregnancy.  Not that you have to, but it sort of made me nauseous and I was able to phase it out and had a few decaf lattes when I was craving a warm drink.  However, sleepless nights as a new mom got me back into my old habit and I’m here to tell you it’s not a bad thing to drink coffee!

Why I love coffee:

• There’s something ritualistic about a morning cup of joe
• I love the taste of good coffee (bad coffee is just…bad!)
• It gets me going in the morning

Why coffee is good for you:

• some studies have shown that coffee drinkers are less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.
• some studies have also shown that coffee drinkers have a lower incidence of some cancers, heart rhythm problems and strokes.
• it contains antioxidants which can fight off the bad free radicals roaming in your body.

The downside of coffee:

• There are a few substances in coffee that have been shown to slightly increase cholesterol.  Filtered coffee removes these substances but they are not removed in the french press or espresso drinks.
• It may make you jittery, anxious and irritable
• It can disrupt your sleep

Bottom Line:

• Don’t become a coffee drinker just to reap the benefits.
• If you are a coffee drinker, do so in moderation: 1-2 cups/day
• Watch out for the coffee add-ins: the milk and creamers and sugar can turn this rather good beverage into something very unhealthy.  Choose fat free or low fat milk and limit sugar.
• Make your own coffee you will save a ton of money and you will help save the environment by not using the throw away cups!

Tomorrow’s Post: Can You Drink Coffee while Breastfeeding?

 

A Day in Versailles

Versailles Gardens:

For our 2nd day in Paris, we decided to visit the Palace of Versailles.  It was truly an incredible place to visit, we were there all day!  Before heading on the subway to Versailles, we decided to get breakfast in Paris.  Our hotel’s breakfast was very expensive so we found a small cafe around the block.  There was one option for breakfast – eggs, baguettte, juice & coffee.  The waiter immediately put a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on our table, it was about 4 oz (served in a small wine glass), I’m not a huge juice drinker as I would rather eat the fruit but there was no option for fresh fruit here and it was delicious!  I asked for my omelet plain and had 2 tiny pieces of baguette, maybe 1 ounce in total.

As for my coffee, I got the cafe au lait, and this time asked for low fat milk and I was surpirsed that they had 2%.

This was not my typical breakfast, since I would normally eat whole grains (not white), fresh fruit (instead of juice), and 1 egg plus whites cooked in cooking spray (the omelet was probably 2 eggs and cooked in some butter).    But since the portions were very small, I felt satisfied after the breakfast and it held me for about 5 hours.

We stopped midday to eat at the cafe in Versailles.  Most options were very heavy (think pasta, quiches, etc).  During this trip I tried to keep breakfast & lunch on the lighter side so that I wasn’t eating heavy foods all day long.   There was one entree size salad, they called it a chicken caesar salad, I asked for my dressing on the side (at this point I figured out how to ask for it in french!).   It was a simple romaine salad with grilled chicken, tomato, a hard boiled egg, anchovies, and croutons.  I used a little of the vinaigrette they gave me on the side.  It wasn’t a typical caesar salad: no cheese and no caesar dressing.

This is what was left at the end:

Clearly I don’t like anchovies (but they are healthy for you)!  I also left the egg yolk, my husband helped me with about half of the croutons.

We spent the rest of the day walking around the Palace and the gardens, some how we ended up walking 10 miles!  We were exhausted when we got back to the hotel.