1. Low Carb, Whole Foods Eating is Not Unhealthy - This of course is still widely debated online, but the science says low carb eating is the healthiest way to go. If you wouldn't trade eating right (low carb) for eating a low fat, low calorie diet when you're not pregnant, why would you be willing to fall back into a non-optimal way of eating when carrying a growing life in your womb?
2. Low Fat Diets are Dangerous to Mother and Child - Just as the low fat diet craze is dangerous and unhealthy in a non-pregnant state for a woman, think about how disastrous it is for a baby! Eating grains, sugars, and a diet low in fat robs the baby of key nutrients it needs to grow. In fact, you could be setting your offspring up to be obese and unhealthy for the rest of their lives by doing so. Here's a study that may be of interest to you: High Protein, Low-Carb Diet During Pregnancy Improved Triglycerides, Fat Metabolism In Offspring
3. Being Obese and Becoming Pregnant is a Dangerous Proposition - While obesity can be an issue with fertility in the first place, if an overweight woman does manage to get pregnant she runs a higher risk of developing preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, especially if she's not eating a proper low carb diet. It's best to lose weight before trying to become pregnant, but that's not because low carb is dangerous to follow while you're pregnant. It just means that you run a greater risk of problems with trying to get pregnant and complications for mother and baby if you get pregnant if you are not eating properly to begin with. So, if you are able to plan ahead, follow a low carb eating plan and get into the optimal range weight for a healthy pregnancy beforehand. By the way, a low carb diet is beneficial in helping women with PCOS, one of the main reasons why overweight women have fertility issues. Just more low carb food for thought. Another helpful link: My PCOS Journey: Low-Carb Eating as a Natural Cure
4. Losing Weight While Pregnant CAN Be Okay - But it depends on how it's done. Eating a low calorie, low fat diet to lose weight during pregnancy means starving yourself and your baby, and that's why it has always been recommended that women not lose weight or "diet" during pregnancy. Eating a diet rich in meats, vegetables and good fats, while shunning grains, starches and sugars (which is a low carb diet) means lacking for nothing nutritionally. If you are overweight and pregnant while eating low carb it could mean you will lose fat while you are pregnant. This does no harm to mother and baby, as a low carb diet is not lacking in nutrients, it simply means your body is using excess fat stores. Here are some excellent links on the subject:
Low-Carbohydrate Diets and LOSING Weight while Pregnant
Optimal Diet and Nutrition for Healthy Pregnancy
5 Primal Superfoods for Fertility and Pregnancy
5. Low Carb Eating During Pregnancy May Help with Morning Sickness - For many, adhering to a low carb way of eating may help deter morning sickness. For anyone who has suffered through this during pregnancy, this is truly a godsend!
Low-carb gynecologist
High Carb Diets Can Cause Morning Sickness
The bottom line: Do not fear good, whole, low carb foods while pregnant. This is your chance to bring a healthy, happy, beautiful new human into the world. Go low carb and give your child, and yourself, every advantage of good health!
ETA: A commenter in a Facebook group where I posted this link suggested pregnant women explain their diet to their doctor's like she has: tell them you "focus on whole foods, low sugar, variety of meats, veggies, dairy, etc...they are in total agreement with the description of what I actually eat, but not with the 'low carb' label."
I think that's a very sound idea!
Labels: fertility, healthy pregnancy, infertility, low carb pregnancy, paleo pregnancy, PCOS, pregnancy, primal pregnancy
For the sake of full info: Some Paleo writers are saying that eating more than 20-25% of your calories as protein during pregnancy may not be the safest thing to do, as apparently women who have done this have shown up in studies as more likely to have premature/underweight babies. Some thoughts about this:
ReplyDelete1. I have no idea what methodology they used. It could have been total crap--and these studies are being touted by Loren Cordain, who has already screwed up in insisting that prehistoric people ate low-fat. (Hint: Oh hell no they dint.)
2. I have no idea what else the pregnant women were eating. Hell, I don't even know that all the protein was animal protein.
3. Smaller but full-term has GOT to be better for the baby than huge and full-term. The problem with preemies isn't the size but the degree of development. As long as the baby has adequate fat stores and is fully matured then it shouldn't matter as much what the birth weight is.
4. Smaller but full-term is also better for the MOTHER. How often do we suffer injury, including c-section incision, because we're trying to give birth to a miniature elephant? Both my kids were nine pounds and neither labor was a picnic. We've come to expect complications now and that just ain't natural--dying in childbirth is THE ultimate weeding out of the gene pool.
5. Just the same, it seems that a lot of pregnant women have aversions to protein. So my thought on this is, make sure you get that 20 to 25 percent of calories, but then make sure you're getting enough dietary fat too. Helps you not be ravenous, helps you grow the baby's brain. And making up those calories with carbs is just going to mean excess baby growth if you take it too far.
Excellent post! I did a low-carb pregnancy (under 100 total carbs/day) in 2008-2009, which was far better and healthier than my SAD pregnancy in 1998 with my oldest. I run a blog and support group for other low-carb women who are either trying to conceive, pregnant, or lactating. The Yahoo group has been active since 2001, but I assumed ownership last year. I also have plenty of resources, research, etc. on our blog. Google searches on this topic scary. There is accurate info on safe low-carb pregnancy if you know where to look.
ReplyDeleteDana, very true that we do not know the exact circumstances under which these premature and low weight births occurred. It could have been any number of factors which contributed to that. Personally, I had no aversion to protein while I was pregnant (except for my third and final pregnancy when I had an aversion to nearly everything). I totally agree that fat should be the bulk of what is taken in, and beyond that I think the type of fat matters, as well. I am not an advocate of vegetable or seed oils (I know I'm preaching to the choir with you, but others may not be aware that those oils are typically rancid, nasty crap).
ReplyDeleteWendy, good to see you here! Im going to take the liberty of posting links to your group and blog so others can find them easily. Thanks for your comment, and keep up the great work!
ReplyDeletehttp://pregnantatkids.blogspot.com/
http://thelowcarbmom.blogspot.com/
Hi, I am 32 wks pregnant and i have gestational diabetes. I believe that its due to being over weight. I manager to maintain almost my same way as I was when I first found out I was pregnant, although its not healthy size/weight. For the most part, I can eat healthy, but I feel hungry all the time and recently I have a lot of cravings for sweets and pizza. I read once that cravings is a way in which your body ask for nutrients that are missing in your body. any thought? advise?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I am not sure I buy the notion that all cravings are related to what our body needs. That is no more evident than in the fact that when we are carb addicted we always tend to crave carbs, and no ones body needs carbs. Diabetes, whether gestational or non-gestational Type II, is exacerbated by the intake of carbohydrates, whether in the form of sugary foods (including some fruits) or bread/pizza dough.
ReplyDeleteThe only advice I can give, since I am not a physician, is to tell you what I would do in your given situation. My first piece of advice would be to find a doctor who is a low carb advocate. There's a link in the post above and it's a good place to start. There are also links in one of my comments above, and that site has links to other resources for finding a low carb doctor. Secondly, I would banish breads and pasta, and completely shun sugars and high glycemic index fruits, and avoid starchy vegetables. It may sound limiting, but you are left with a wide abundance of good, whole foods that won't effect your blood sugar adversely. After not eating the carby stuff for a week or two, you will find your cravings for it diminish greatly, and to a much more manageable level.
I wish you the best of luck, and best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy and beyond!
"Do not fear good, whole, low carb foods while pregnant. This is your chance to bring a healthy, happy, beautiful new human into the world. Go low carb and give your child, and yourself, every advantage of good health!"
ReplyDeleteWell said, although I am past child bearing years my daughter in law believes in a low carb high fat lifestyle, and she has two gorgeous healthy children, my grandchildren.
Low carb Doctor (and Type 2 Diabetic) Jay Wortman's wife carried their second child while low carbing, his daughter was born and is perfect. See his excellent blog for more.
All the best Jan
To Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteJimmy Moore once said in one of his YouTube videos that cravings for sweet were really masked cravings for fat. If I personally eat a snack with a bit of fat and protein, the sweet cravings disappear.
I run a support group and a blog for women who are following low-carb eating during their pregnancies. Many either have or had gestational diabetes. You are welcome to join us on our Facebook group, Pregnant Atkids. We also have a companion blog of the same name with many resources that may help you. Lisa linked to it above.
Here is a link to Dr. Jay Wortman's blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drjaywortman.com/
Excellent article. Going low carb paleo was essential for me. My husband and I were trying to get pregnant for years until we changed our diets.
ReplyDeleteA pregnant women should follow the diet properly so that they have a healthy future and a happy life
ReplyDeletehttp://nopainnograin.blogspot.in/2013/10/pregnancy-and-low-carb.html
Wendy-can you direct me to your group?
ReplyDeleteNice Article...
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I found this blog! I just found out I was pregnant 2 weeks ago, and I "treated" myself with baguettes, croissants, macarons (I was in Paris... so I figured "why not"). And I was totally nauseated most of the time. Upon returning home and finding your blog, and reading that low carb curbs nausea, I immediately went to the No Sugar No Grains routine, and the nausea has been non existent! I can't believe that this is the first time I've ever read that tip. Why isn't this textbook info? Just about all pregnancy sites recommend eating saltines/crackers to ease nausea... Which is probably what I would have done... but the problem's been solved. Thanks Lisa!
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. Going low carb paleo was essential for me. My husband and I were trying to get pregnant for years until we changed our diets.
ReplyDeletebest food for pregnant woman