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Dear Lactation Consultant:
As a new breastfeeding mom I am overly concerned about what I eat, whether it gets into my breast milk and how it will affect babies (yes, I have twins!) I live in an agricultural area so the food I eat is extremely fresh but recently I read something about a high accumulation of nitrates affecting certain vegetables. Can you give me any information on this and whether I should avoid any foods, particularly vegetables? I am doing so much to provide for my 3 month old twins and I want to continue to provide them with the best.
Angela Cortes Webster
Santa Maria, CA
Dear Angela:
First of all, hats off for providing breastmilk to your twins and finding the time to keep up on important topics such as nitrates, as long as it is not impacting on your sleep!
You are correct that many vegetables, notably root and leafy vegetables, contain the highest concentrations of nitrates. This is due in part to the type of soil moisture levels, the level of natural nitrogen in the soil and the sunlight exposure. The leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, kale, lettuce, etc.) have more nitrates than root vegetables (beets, carrots, broccoli, etc.) You are fortunate because at three months there is an increase in the amount of hydrochloric acid in a baby’s stomach. This kills most of the bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite. As your babies reach six months, their digestive systems should be fully developed and none of the nitrate-converting bacteria remain. In older children, nitrate is absorbed and excreted and therefore no longer a problem.
So you can continue to eat the foods you enjoy, although I would do everything in moderation and if it looks like one or both of the babies is not comfortable, eliminate the food you have eaten in the last 72 hours from your diet to see if you can figure out the culprit. The only food that lasts longer than 72 hours in breastmilk is dairy and that remains for a full three weeks.
For more specific information on nitrates in foods go to
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/116/3/784
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/nitratearticle.htm
Leslye
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