Breastfeeding is an important part of your child’s nourishment and development which is considered to be ideal for both mother and baby. Although to breastfeed or not is a mother’s choice, doctor’s recommend that mother’s milk should be the only thing being fed to the baby at least for the first 6 weeks. Breast milk is known to be rich in nutrients such as proteins, fats, vitamins and carbs that can be digested easily by the baby. Consumption of mother’s milk also helps the child to have a lower risk of getting affected with diseases and conditions such as asthma, diarrea, ear infection, respiratory issues, diabetes, childhood cancer, crohn’s disease, etc. Not just the child but breastfeeding is beneficial for the mother in certain ways as well. It helps a mother to lose weight faster, lower the postpartum bleeding, stimulates uterus contraction and lowers the chances of anemia and getting urinary tract infections. Where breast milk and breastfeeding comes along with so many benefits one must know that the production of this healthy breast milk can be improved by various methods. Consumption of spices such as fennel seeds, carom seeds and cardamom can help a woman to boost up the production of milk in lactating women. Not just this but consumption of these spices is known to be good for gut health as well. Let us take a quick look at the spice water recipe as suggested by Dr. Gaganpreet Gill, Pediatric, PT aka connecting milestones that will help you to have a healthy gut and improve milk production in lactating women.
Gut Healthy Drink for Lactating Mothers
View this post on Instagram
Also Read: What Are The Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Mother And The Baby?
If you are worried that you might not be producing enough breast milk for your baby, then let us tell you that you are not alone in this. Many times new mothers are left strangled with the thought of not being able to meet their baby's requirements of breast milk. Well we have got your back and hence we have brought to you Dr. Gaganpreet Gill’s recipe that will not just help you to improve breast milk production but is good for your gut health as well.
Ingredient
- 1 litre water
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ tablespoon carom seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2-3 green cardamoms
Method
- Take a pan and add 1 litre of water to it.
- To this water add in your fennel seeds, carom seeds. Cardamom seeds and cumin seeds.
- Let the mix boil in the pan for about 5-7 minutes on low to medium flame.
- Turn off the flame and strain this water with the help of a fine mesh strainer
- Let it cool and pour then transfer this water into a bottle.
- Consume this water throughout the day to keep your gut healthy along with improving the breast milk production.
Let us take a step ahead and learn how this spice water can benefit your health along with the benefits of the ingredients used to prepare this drink.
Fennel Seeds
Image Credits- Quint Fit
Also Read: Does Eating Fennel Seeds Help In Weight Loss? Read Answer and Other Benefits Here
Small green colored seeds that are loved by Indians and are consumed as a post meal refreshment, fennel seeds come in with lots of health benefits as they are packed with nutrition. A rich source of vitamin C, vitamin E, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Potassium, vitamin K, fiber, Antioxidants and selenium. Consuming fennel seeds and making it a part of your regular diet can help to improve digestion, regulate bowel movement, prevent constipation and improve the overall digestive health. Apart from aiding digestion there are several benefits associated with the consumption of fennel seeds like fighting bad breath, controlling blood pressure, reducing respiratory issues, purifying blood, improving skin quality, preventing cancer and promoting lactation.
Including fennel seeds into your diet helps in improving breast milk production by stimulating galactagogues.
Carom Seeds
Seeds extracted from carom herb, carom seeds are an integral part of the Indian diet and are well known for its health benefits. Inclusion of these seeds into your diet can help in fighting bacteria and protecting you from bacterial infections, lowers blood pressure, controls cholesterol levels, provides relief from indigestion, cures peptic ulcers and has anti-inflammatory effects which makes it a good option for reducing inflammation and fighting oxidative stress.
Cardamom
Image Credits- Terra Earthgoodfood
Green cardamom are black flavourful seeds that sit inside green pods that are used in a variety of dishes ranging from tea to biryanis and halwas. This spice is well known for its strong flavour and sweet taste. Not just treating your taste buds but these seeds come along with some other benefits as well such as preventing cancer, improving digestion, treating bad breath, preventing ulcers and reducing inflammation due to the presence of anti-inflammatory compounds.
Cumin Seeds
Highly flavourful spicy seeds that are used to prepare curries and stir fried vegetables, cumin seeds are used in a variety of ways in an Indian household. Cumin seeds are extracted from cuminum cynium plants. Consumption of these seeds on a regular basis improves digestion, prevents diabetes, improves blood cholesterol, prevents food borne illnesses and aids weight loss.
This article is based upon a post by Dr. Gaganpreet Gill, Pediatric, PT aka connecting milestones on her instagram handle.