Health Tip: Do's and Don'ts While Breastfeeding

Mar. 23 -- (HealthDay News) -- Since a new mother's diet can affect her breast milk, what a breast-feeding mother eats can be as important as when she was pregnant.

Here are dietary suggestions for breast-feeding women, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

• Do eat a well balanced diet of plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans or meats, and whole grains.
• Do get plenty of calcium via dairy foods like milk and cheese. Talk to your doctor about calcium supplements and other ways to get more calcium.
• Do eat more calories than normal -- about 500 more per day -- and increase your fluid intake.
• Don't take any medications without talking to your doctor.
• Don't smoke.
• Don't use alcohol or caffeine.
• Don't eat foods that seem to bother your baby.