Carrying a whole new living being inside your body is indeed quite a different yet beautiful experience. Pregnancy is not only about carrying your baby with care but also providing him/her with beneficial minerals and nutrient that will enable the fetus to grow nourished and healthy.
Keto diet, also known as low carb diet, is a diet that enables your body to produce ketones in the liver which are subsequently used to provide it with required energy.This induces a process known as ketosis in your body which ensures that energy needs are met even when on a low intake of carbs. It helps you to go through starvation of carbohydrates so that your body can have a healthy metabolic state. Mentioned below are some benefits of the keto diet and whether it’s helpful for a pregnant lady or not.
Some Benefits of a Low Carb Diet You Might Know
#1. Reduces appetite
A low carb diet doesn’t mean that starving yourself; instead you are stuffing your body with better food that lacks carbohydrates, thus helping to reduce your appetite.
#2. Leads to weight loss
A large portion of calories is restricted when you consume a diet that is low on carbohydrates. Thus, this lowers the level of insulin in the body and leads to fast weight loss.
#3. Increased level of good HDL cholesterol
HDL rises dramatically when you consume a diet less in carbohydrates and high on fats. This portion of a healthy diet increases high-density lipoprotein that is prominently good for your heart.
Is a Low Carb Diet Safe for Pregnant Women?
A low carb diet might actually be helpful for women to get pregnant. However, it’s best to talk to your doctor about your nutritional needs during your pregnancy before trying any diet.
Moreover, women suffering from PCOS can consume a keto diet to get healthy that might help them to get pregnant. However, a woman should consume a balanced diet that contains both, the glucose and ketones. A dietitian can further describe if your body type allows you to adopt a diet having significantly rich fat content.
A fetus requires both glucose and ketones to grow appropriately and healthily. The critical point that all the to-be-mothers need to remember is that they must balance the level of sugar in their bodies to get enough calories throughout the day.
When it comes to doing keto while pregnant, it’s best not to start a keto diet while you’re pregnant, unless you already did keto for a long time before your pregnancy. The reason is, when you start a new diet or lifestyle change, it might put some stress into your body, and you might not want this especially when you’re pregnant.
But if you have already started keto before and now you’re having a baby. Here are some essential tips to follow for all the pregnant women
- Don’t aim for weight loss
When a woman is pregnant, it’s quite evident that a number of changes happen within her body. Though the keto diet is all natural but trying to lose weight through this process might be a bad idea as pregnancy is not the best time to pursue it. Regardless of the type of set you follow, there should be a proper intake of calories and nutrition.
- Eat whole food.
When a baby is growing, a woman should take all the vital vitamins and minerals. There are certain foods that provide adequate carbohydrates required by a pregnant woman. This includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and sometimes milk and other dairy products.
- Don’t do intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting can turn out to be vital when you are following a keto diet. Though it has a number of benefits on an average person’s body, however, a pregnant woman should avoid it. These days are the most important to listen to your own hunger cues and cravings as insufficient intake of food might retard the growth of a baby.
Takeaway:
Keto diet might prove to be the best option that you can choose in order to meet several health goals for your baby. Therefore, you should eat foods that provide adequate nutrients and nourishment to your body. This would ultimately improve your health along with being beneficial for your baby as well.
