Can You Drink Slim Fast While Nursing? – Guest Post by Kate from Fitness Goals

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Many people looking to lose weight turn to Slim Fast. Slim Fast includes meal replacements and low calorie meals designed to help people lose weight. While Slim Fast is convenient, it does present a problem for nursing mothers, in that it may leave them without the calories and nutrients they need to create strong and effective milk for their young ones. Today we’ll be answering the question “Can you drink Slim Fast while nursing?”

There’s Too Few Calories

A breastfeeding woman needs to consume around 500 more calories a day than the average woman. Exactly how many calories you needs depends on the age of your baby and how often you nurse, along with your weight and metabolism. The average nursing mother needs 1,800 calories a day, and problems begin when consuming less than 1,500 calories. Given that the average Slim Fast users is consuming 1,200 calories or less, you simply aren’t getting enough calories to produce breastmilk. Make up the difference to avoid running the risk of harming your baby.

You Lose Weight Too Quickly

Nursing mothers can lose some weight without it being an issue, but you should avoid losing more than one pound a week. Your fat contains contaminants such as pesticides, and these can be released into the bloodstream when you lose weight. This is fine for losing weight as it removes them from the body, but they could find their way into your breastmilk, which is certainly bad for the baby. People on Slim Fast lose an average of up to 2 pounds a week. Avoid losing weight too quickly and you shouldn’t run into any problems.

Is Slim Fast Safe?

Slim Fast will certainly tell you that their products are safe. According to the website, they have no appetite-suppressants, drugs, or other stimulants that could be passed into your milk and harm your baby. They do still contain lots of flavourings, sweeteners, and artificial colourings however. This includes sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium, which can be ingested through breast milk. There is no real data on how much of these additives enter breast milk, and whether it is safe for an infant to ingest them or not. Try to limit your intake of them as much as possible.

Alternatives to Slim Fast

Slim Fast reviews can be found at fitnessgoals.com so you can see for yourself that the program works. Whether or not it is safe for mommy and baby is a different question though. If you want to continue taking Slim Fast while nursing, then you’ll have to take a few precautions. Make sure that you get enough calories and that you aren’t losing too much weight. There should be no problems with having the occasional bar or shake. Or you could just make your own meal replacement shake with low fat milk, fresh fruit, and a good fiber source. If you still aren’t sure, then consult with your doctor. They will be able to help you make the right choice.