How To Tackle Grocery Shopping When Breastfeeding a Baby With a Suspected Allergy or Intolerance
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Before I became a mother, I was sure that breastfeeding would be a breeze. After all, I had all of the fancy equipment, I was loaded up on oatmeal cups, and I even earned a certification in lactation education! But I was not prepared for the realities of my breastfeeding journey – and my experience was certainly not smooth sailing.
After a few weeks of welcoming my daughter into the world, my new-mama bliss was interrupted by my discovery of blood in my daughter’s diaper, followed by inconsolable screaming and a nursing strike. My daughter would latch, but after a few seconds of feeding, she would stop feeding and would cry. She was in pain.
As my doctor tried to convince me that I was a hysterical and dramatic new mother, I watched my daughter’s weight start to trend down. Finally, my doctor advised me to eliminate milk and soy from my diet, as my daughter had a suspected cow’s milk protein and soy protein allergy.
How To Navigate Eating While Eliminating Certain Proteins
Before I was told to make changes in my diet, I was living off of quick snacky foods that nourish my body but require minimal prep effort. But now that I had to actually think about each ingredient I put into my body, my head started to spin.
Especially when it comes to eliminating soy protein, it may be surprising to learn of all of the terms that need to be watched-out for when evaluating which foods are safe to eat.
Some surprising sources of soy protein include:
Edamame
Tofu
Tempeh
Teriyaki sauce
Natto
Miso
Okara
Tamari
So, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and even the beloved miso soup was a no-go while breastfeeding.
From there, you should plan out your grocery shopping trips and have a detailed grocery list handy – which includes brand-names of foods. In other words, don’t just have “ranch dressing” on your list. Find the brand of ranch dressing that is free from potentially triggering proteins and list that exact condiment on your list. Trust me – you do not want to start reading every salad dressing label when you are trying to make it out of the grocery store before your baby wakes up.
Or better yet, embrace the joys of online grocery shopping.
A Solution For Grocery Shopping When Eliminating Proteins
Way back in the “olden days” (back in 2015) when I had my daughter, I was left to my own devices to navigate the grocery store and figure out what I could eat and which foods I should avoid. With my tiny baby in-tow, I would evaluate box after box of food to make sure that each item added to my grocery card was free from any no-no proteins.
But now, thanks to the power of technology, there are tools that can help breastfeeding parents find appropriate and allergen-free foods that are easily accessible and delicious.
Sifter.shop is one new website that takes all of the guesswork out of shopping. Once you register (for free!), you simply indicate which restrictions you are following which creates your custom profile. From there, Sifter will only show products that are safe and free from anything you are trying to avoid – it’s like having a registered dietitian helping you shop!
And if you are not sure if your favorite casserole, meatloaf, or muffin recipe is within the restrictions that you are following, you can simply copy and paste any recipe into RecipeSifter within the website. From there, you will be alerted about any ingredients that need to be swapped out.
How Does Sifter Work?
Using sifter is easy-breezy and only takes a few short steps – steps that can easily be done while holding your little one or multi-tasking somewhere around your home.
1. Visit Sifter.shop and create a profile (or add one for each family member) based on your personal dietary needs.
2. Sift and select
1. Once your dietary profile is set, Sifter will only show products that meet your dietary needs.
3. Buy with confidence
1. Sifter makes it easy to drop items into your online cart at trusted retailers including Walmart, Amazon, Stop & Shop, Giant and other major grocers and drugstores coming soon.
And if you are avoiding certain potential allergens along with following a certain diet (like Mediterranean or Keto), Sifter will take all of your dietary restrictions and lifestyle preferences into account when it sifts through all of the goodies available at your store.
Find What Works For You When Eating While Breastfeeding
Learning that you have to eliminate certain foods from your diet can be a stressful pill to swallow on top of being sleep-deprived and learning how to care for a tiny new human. Leaning on solutions like Sifter can be a life saver when trying to find out what the heck you can eat to support your needs.
Disclosure:
· The information provided by Sifter is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease or medical health condition nor substitute for advice from your own healthcare provider. Sifter users are encouraged to check product labels to be certain product choices match personal preferences.
· This post is a collaboration Sifter. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.