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Home › Articles › Overcoming Difficulties › Is It Something You Ate?

Is It Something You Ate?

The Art of the Elimination Diet

By Kelly Burgess

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Are you walking the floor because you ate broccoli for dinner, or is it just a coincidence? Are the two glasses of milk you drank today responsible for your baby's loose stools, or does he just have loose stools? An elimination diet may help answer these questions.

Elimination diets are not new. They have been used for years to isolate food allergies in both adults and children. However, they may help to soothe bouts of fussiness and other symptoms in breastfed babies.

Disagreeable Foods
There are a few common foods that are suspected of causing reactions in nursing babies. Amy Cobbley of Houston, Texas, had to cut back on her milk consumption after her daughter, Kayla, began having problems with gassiness and loose stools.

"It was never confirmed by my pediatrician that she had a milk allergy, but I suspected a sensitivity to milk, although other dairy products seemed to be OK," says Coffey. "I cut back on my milk consumption and that definitely helped."

A sensitivity to dairy products consumed by mothers seems to be relatively common, according to Diana Matthies, an IBCLC from Newton, N.J. However, in her experience, often the mother just has too much of a usually good thing.

"I once had a girl who knew yogurt was good for her so she figured if one was good, 10 was better," says Matthies. "She just had too much dairy. In my own experience, I ate brussel sprouts one night with my son and walked the floor. With my youngest, I couldn't drink colas. One good indication that it's a food sensitivity is if your baby is fussy and you've eaten something you don't normally eat."

Cole products, such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage, are often implicated in gas problems with adults. Since what Mom eats is absorbed to some extent by her nursing baby, it's reasonable to assume that these items could cause the same reaction in a sensitive baby.

Here is a list of some other foods to consider if a food sensitivity is suspected in a fussy baby:

  • Tomatoes
  • Citrus fruits
  • Beef
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Corn
  • Peanuts
  • Shellfish
  • Wheat
  • Coffee
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