Is it possible for pregnant and lactating women to lose weight on a keto diet
Opinions about it can be heard completely opposite: from the statement that this is the most optimal diet for maintaining health, to statements that this is the most dangerous diet for human health, which should be used only in extreme cases and only for a very short time.
Some use the keto diet for weight loss, sometimes in the treatment of serious diseases, some recommend using it as a lifestyle, which is called ketolifestyle. There are cases when convinced vegans switched to the keto diet and were happy: the state of health changed so radically. But is this way of eating suitable for everyone? Is it okay to go on a keto diet during pregnancy and while breastfeeding? We decided to ask the experts.
Doctor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, author of the book “Keto diet. You can eat fat “
“The ketogenic diet is a diet low in carbohydrates, high in fat, and adequate in protein. In principle, this is the optimal diet for maintaining our health, and this is all the more important during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Unfortunately, on the now widespread so-called balanced diet, more and more pathologies of pregnancy appear, disorders of carbohydrate metabolism are diagnosed, the level of glucose in the blood increases, it is not absorbed by the body. Obstetricians call these conditions pregnancy diabetes. An increase in glucose levels is associated with an increase in the risk of developing fetal pathology, a tendency to diabetes, pathology of the nervous system may develop.
To avoid these complications, insulin is prescribed for the pregnant woman, although it would be most logical to exclude excess carbohydrates from the diet. At the same time, swelling goes away, a sufficient amount of fat enters the body, and this is very important for maintaining hormonal balance and providing the growing body with nutrients. After all, many human organs are composed of more than half of fat, for example, the brain. Therefore, a balanced diet for a woman in preparation for pregnancy and during pregnancy is a low-carb, high-fat diet or ketration.
It’s clear with pregnancy, but what about breastfeeding?
Breast milk contains milk sugar, lactose, proteins, and fats. At the same time, fats cover half of the child’s calorie needs. And we can say that even at this time, he is already on a relatively low-carb diet. In order for the milk to have sufficient fat content, the mother must be on a low-carb, high-fat diet.
Then the risks of allergies in the child will be less, and he will receive a sufficient amount of nutrients. In addition, if the mother is on ketotherapy, her recovery after childbirth will go faster, she will lose extra pounds in a shorter time and restore hormones.
There are practically no differences between the ketogenic diet during pregnancy and the standard ketogenic diet. The only thing – in a normal situation, the food intake is 1-2 times a day, during feeding it should be 2-3 times a day. And do not switch to ketogenic nutrition immediately after childbirth, this may affect your well-being. It is better to carry out all adaptations to the diet before pregnancy, and if they did not have time, then during pregnancy, as soon as they saw an increase in blood glucose. “
Another view
Nutritionist, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Head of Dietetics, European Medical Center
“The keto diet was originally recommended as a therapeutic food for epilepsy. Now it has become just another fashionable diet that many people follow, not fully understanding whether it is necessary or not, whether it will bring any benefit. Yes, when following a keto diet, body weight decreases quite quickly, which, of course, additionally motivates a person.
But it is important to note that the keto diet is quite limited and does not provide us with the required amount of a number of nutrients. The main thing that is strictly limited in such a food system is carbohydrates, and not only the notorious “sugars”, but also the so-called complex carbohydrates (cereals, pasta, etc.), which should provide us with energy, give us a feeling of satiety, are a source a number of important substances. Many vegetables and legumes are also excluded from the ketogenic diet, and meanwhile they are the main helpers for the trillions of beneficial bacteria that live in the colon – the microbiota, on the composition of which a lot in the body depends.
When it comes to women preparing for pregnancy, pregnant women, who have just given birth, nursing, we must be doubly careful about their diet, because we are talking about both the health of the woman and the health of the baby. Their diet should be as varied as possible. You cannot limit any of the vital macronutrients – proteins, fats, carbohydrates. It is important to get them in the right amount for each of us and from the right sources.
When giving recommendations on the nutrition of such a category of women as pregnant women, lactating women, we must take into account a number of individual indicators – the initial anthropometric data (body weight, height, body mass index, etc.), metabolic indicators, food tolerance, taste preferences, goals, physical activity, baby’s condition and much more. No standard diet will meet these requirements and take into account so many individual indicators.
I have not come across any serious scientific evidence supporting the benefits of the keto diet for pregnant and lactating women. Moreover, now there is more and more evidence that adherence to a keto diet can lead to an increase in the level of bad cholesterol, a violation of carbohydrate metabolism. Therefore, everything is far from being as unambiguous as we would like to think. The most effective was and will be an individual approach. Only a doctor can determine whether this or that nutritional system is right for you or not. “