Switching to Raw While Breastfeeding

[gettingskinny]

I think switching to all raw was releasing toxins in my milk b/c my baby started getting sick. Is this possible? Should I just eat high raw and transition slow???

[Ginger]

I think what's more likely is that your baby is detoxing too. Now that you are eating much more nutritious food, the baby is cleansing out the lesser stuff.

[gettingskinny]

I wasn't eating "bad" before, just not all raw. Do you think that's ok though? I keep going back and forth on what and how to eat. I'm thinking I might do high raw for a while and see how we do.

[Ginger]

I discovered raw at 5 months pregnant and went 100% raw that day. Went off and on 100% the whole time I was pregnant & breastfeeding till she was almost 4 years. My kid had been 'sick' twice in her life- both times after I let her eat standard food for a bit.

[gettingskinny]

I discovered raw at 5 months pregnant and went 100% raw that day. Went off and on 100% the whole time I was pregnant & breastfeeding till she was almost 4 years. My kid had been 'sick' twice in her life- both times after I let her eat standard food for a bit.

it must be from the cooked food then.

[elfinbaby]

This is what I've gathered from my reading and if I'm not mistaken (and I could be) it was from Gabriel Cousens' Conscious Eating book.

He said that going raw while pregnant would not be an issue since what the baby is getting are the nutrients you are consuming via the placenta. The healthier the better. Your body is detoxing the same old way - sweat, body fluids, all those glands, even breath, etc. You know what I'm talking about. Your body is doing the work.

However, while breastfeeding, the toxins are getting in your milk and exiting your body while nursing. The body uses whatever orifices, glands are available to get rid of toxins. My first mw felt the same way. I wanted to "cleanse" and she said she didn't feel it was safe b/c toxins would wind up in my milk.

April

[gettingskinny]

This is what I've gathered from my reading and if I'm not mistaken (and I could be) it was from Gabriel Cousens' Conscious Eating book.

He said that going raw while pregnant would not be an issue since what the baby is getting are the nutrients you are consuming via the placenta. The healthier the better. Your body is detoxing the same old way - sweat, body fluids, all those glands, even breath, etc. You know what I'm talking about. Your body is doing the work.

However, while breastfeeding, the toxins are getting in your milk and exiting your body while nursing. The body uses whatever orifices, glands are available to get rid of toxins. My first mw felt the same way. I wanted to "cleanse" and she said she didn't feel it was safe b/c toxins would wind up in my milk.

April

See, this is what I'm worried about. I posted about it on my blog today that maybe I should just eat high raw and transition to all raw. Frustrating!

[Ginger]

So it's better to make less nutritious milk and take in toxins while still excreting toxins the normal way or wouldn't it make sence to make the best possible nutritious milk so the baby can handle the toxins that do come through? A plant grown in highly mineralised soil can come in contact with all sorts of toxins and resist them but the same plant grown in lesser quality soil will succumb to disease.

[elfinbaby]

I don't think it has to be a strict either or situation. I wouldn't switch my kids cold turkey esp. if I saw they were feeling sick or what I interpreted to be detox. I'd transition a little more slowly. Just b/c you're not 100% raw doesn't mean you should fill the cooked portion with Snickers and Cokes. Maybe steaming some veggies might slow the process or different types of slightly cooked breads like Manna.

It's all a personal choice. Sure you are making nutritious milk going 100% raw and if my baby had no reactions I'd probably feel fine about it. But if I noticed signs of illness (I'm not sure what the OP meant by her baby has been sick) I'd slow down. I'd be careful. 1) I wouldn't feel okay "detoxing" my baby if that's what's going on. 2) There's no research, to my knowledge, what amount of toxins would be released from my breast milk going raw. There's no way to know how many harmful things (if any) are getting through - so I'd pay careful attention to my baby. It's possible that I'd rather eat those steamed veggies to slow the process down so I didn't overload my baby's system.

I'd actually love for a study to be done on this. How many moms could we find? 3 maybe 4 It's an excellent question and it would be enlightening to know how much more nutritious was a raw foodist milk vs. vegan, etc. and what happens to the milk if a woman goes raw in the midst of bfing.

Everybody's guessing. I'd follow my intuition - that's a mother's strongest ally imo. There are two highly respected raw foodists (Jinjee and Shazzie) who at some cooked while pregnant. They just listened to their bodies. Somewhere on Shazzie's site she talks about it saying she was still not 100% raw but she felt great so she was happy. I don't know the date of that post - I'm not saying she's not 100% now. I have no idea. But my point is you go with what you know (in this case, no one really knows the answer to the question) and follow your gut.

April

[Ginger]

Very good points April, you make a lot of sense. I agree that transitioning is healthier, easier on the body, then jumping in 100%. The bottom line for me though, is that raw foods are not chemically altered and are not compromised and thus contain more nutrition and are higher quality which to me as a breastfeeding mother would be of great importance. Pretty much all standard eating babies 'get sick' and it's not usually a big deal or life threatening for a baby to have a cold aka detox. If transitioning avoids that cleansing crisis great, but how long is the childs nutrition going to be compromised in these critically important first years? Different things to consider, like you said. :)

[Ginger]

It just seems so strange to me that people would worry about feeding thier baby the best food ever yet have no problem with, or even think it's SAFER, to feed them man-altered foods!

[gettingskinny]

You both make great points! I think too that maybe I should jump right in and let us deal with it. Then I think maybe not.

When ppl eat bad food or even healthy, but cooked food, wouldn't you think the breast milk would still be healthy?

[Ginger]

Toxins are created when food is cooked, even a healthy cooked vegetable like a potato would then contain acrylimide for example (that's just one!) it's not just that the nutritional content diminishes from cooking the food. So if you are eating cooked, your baby IS getting toxins AND the milk isn't as nutritious as it could be. If you are raw you take in no unnatural toxins in your diet but since you are still living in a toxic world you will have some to process BUT your baby will be getting the nutrients it needs to resist disease.

[gettingskinny]

Toxins are created when food is cooked, even a healthy cooked vegetable like a potato would then contain acrylimide for example (that's just one!) it's not just that the nutritional content diminishes from cooking the food. So if you are eating cooked, your baby IS getting toxins AND the milk isn't as nutritious as it could be. If you are raw you take in no unnatural toxins in your diet but since you are still living in a toxic world you will have some to process BUT your baby will be getting the nutrients it needs to resist disease.

Interesting. Isn't it amazing how far we can go? Nowadays, just getting someone to breastfeed is a triumph (over formula), then eating healthy, instead of fast food, etc and then take it further to raw to get the least amt. of toxins in your body. Can be overwhelming. Ykwim? I do want my baby to be healthy. Heck, I fought hard to have a VBA2C and to breastfeed this one (my other 2 I pumped, then switched to homemade formulas). I should be giving her the best I can. I just don't want to release to much crap. However, it may be a rough week or so, but then it would be done, right? And we would both be healthier b/c of it.

[Ginger]

Ok I was reading your blog, LOVE the way you write BTW you had me smiling the whole time , and I saw you were eating sugar cookies and cooked foods etc after trying to be raw right? Then you said: "They left me tired, unfulfilled and bloated! I was so tired that night, I had to keep my eyelids open with toothpicks. The next morning I could not get out of bed until 10:40 am! When I eat all raw, I do not feel anywhere near this. I was cranky all day too. Ask the hubby. It was not a good day.

Something that I am concerned about it my daughter. She is 11 weeks old and I think all these changes are effecting her a bit. When I eat all raw, I wonder if I am releasing toxins in my breast milk. I can not be sure if she wasn’t feeling well on Christmas because of eating raw or eating cooked. I can not tell how long what I eat effects my milk."

So you think it was the fruits & greens you were eating that made your baby not feel well? Or could it be that going back and forth makes the reaction stronger and makes you guys feel unwell? I am willing to bet it was not lettuce that made your baby sick, but rather all that sugar etc.