17 foods to avoid while breastfeeding

Will eating spicy food upset my baby's digestion?

Many mums are told by well-meaning family members or friends that they should avoid spicy foods while breastfeeding because these foods are thought to cause colic, gas, diarrhoea, or rashes.

But there's no evidence that spicy snacks and meals have any of these effects (Jeong 2017).

Traces of what you eat do enter your milk, but it shouldn't unsettle your baby if you eat spicy food (Wilson 2020).

Because what you eat affects your milk, it's natural to worry that something you've had has upset your baby’s digestion, especially if they:

There is some research to suggest that a chemical found in spicy food, called capsaicin, can make it into your breastmilk in very low amounts.

Capsaicin is found in hot peppers, such as chilli peppers, bell peppers and jalapenos. Another compound, called piperine, found in black pepper, can also make it into breastmilk (N’Diaye et al 2021).

However, using chilli pepper or black pep

is spicy food bad during breastfeeding

is spicy food okay while breastfeeding