Are you a new mom trying to shed some pounds? A Keto diet is sure to cross your mind while you think of losing weight healthily. The Keto diet is a low-carb high in fat diet. It is packed with advantages good for improving certain health conditions. Thus, it’s not a one-benefit diet but has much value to add to your overall health. But is it safe for moms who have recently put on weight during pregnancy and trying to lose it after postpartum?
How Does Keto Diet Works?
The low-carb fat-rich diet pushes the body to use fat reserves for the body’s energy requirement instead of glucose. The body enters the state of Ketosis. The process occurs naturally. A keto diet includes vegetables, meat, fat-rich products like butter, fat milk, cream, beans, and sugar. It is, however, hard to maintain the state of Ketosis in the long run. Unlike other diets, it doesn’t have any cheat days because cheat foods will wake the body from the state of Ketosis. It will bring the body back to its original form. The diet is not so strict because the food you take while on keto is already fulfilling and satisfying. It strictly prohibited the intake of sugar, starch, alcohol, and oils. Some people cannot tolerate this diet and may suffer from Keto flu. The symptoms of keto flu are bad breath, fatigue, muscle loss, and digestive problems. The symptoms are not severe, but they may bother some people.
How Can It Help Lose Weight?
The main thing that you want to lose from a diet is fats. The Keto diet does this for you. When you limit your carbohydrates and sugar intake, your body has no other source but fats for energy. The absence of enough glucose for energy puts the fat-burning process to work. When your body depends on fats for fuel, the keto diet helps in burning them constantly. The process of fat burning helps to lose weight. The weight loss looks so intense in the first few weeks, but it’s all water weight in the body. The actual weight loss starts after a few days of losing water. It is because each gram of stored glucose in the liver takes up three grams of water. The initial weight loss that you will experience is all water weight.
Benefits of Keto Diet
The Keto diet has many health benefits besides its main aim and goals. Here are some benefits listed below.
Weight Loss
The keto diet impacts the body by making you feel full and preventing you from taking extra meals. It reduces the urge to eat because the food you abide by the Keto diet stands longer in the stomach. It also boosts the body’s metabolism that helps in the easy breakdown of essential nutrients. The Keto diet is known to work 24/7. Even when you are asleep, you are losing weight.
Overall Health
A Keto diet makes the body more sensitive to insulin and promotes weight loss. It cuts off the chances of problems like cardiovascular health, diabetes, and being overweight. It is also a complementary diet for people suffering from some cancers. It combats the oxidative stress in the body by eliminating the free radicals. It also guards the body against other critical health conditions.
Acne Problems
The hormonal changes that the woman goes through during pregnancy and the postpartum period can cause acne. It can appear in different areas of your body because of high hormonal levels. As the keto diet is rich in iron and zinc content, it helps get rid of acne issues.
Seizure Control
Breastfeeding women suffering from seizures can incorporate this diet to control seizures. The advice of a professional is recommended here if you have some serious issues.
Postpartum And Diet
Postpartum can be challenging when you give a lot of your energy and nutrients to keep your baby living. It is the time when hormones are at their peak and are necessary for you and your child. A Keto diet can help your body in such times by keeping the average balance of hormones. You need 300-500 extra calories every day when you breastfeed, based on a 2000 calorie diet per day. Diets are not recommended for a breastfeeding mother, but it does not harm too. Not getting enough calories can interfere with milk production that can affect your baby. There is still no evidence to prove this statement, but the doctor recommends taking up a healthy, balanced diet.
There may be some hydration problems because of this diet because initially, the body starts losing water. A breastfeeding mother needs more water to produce milk daily. During a keto diet, the body remains in the state of Ketosis, which removes a lot of water. The low carbohydrate keto diet can also cause brain fog in the first few days because the brain needs glucose to work. The low glucose supply makes the head go heavy and foggy during the initial days.
Side Effects of Planning Keto Diet
The known side effects of planning a keto diet after postpartum are:
- The plan could affect the mom and baby due to a deficiency of some essential nutrients.
- It increases the risk of ketoacidosis while breastfeeding. It can also affect the neonatal brain structure of the baby due to the absence of some crucial nutrients.
- It may result in impaired baby growth and can affect the mother too.
- Scientists do not recommend a high-fat diet for breastfeeding mothers.
- The keto diet includes the loss of water in the initial stages. It can lead to dehydration in a breastfeeding mother. The need for water by the body cannot be satisfied by fruits because this diet does not includes fruits.
- It may give rise to kidney problems and other issues.
- It can cause brain fog for the first initial days. The problem can go further if the diet is not suitable for you to carry forward.
- Low-calorie intake may affect milk production, which can affect your baby’s health.
- It also commences the fat build-up in the liver and the blood.
- It can also lead to some minerals and vitamins deficiency that can be necessary for a breastfeeding mother.
Diets For Breastfeeding Moms
There are many restrictions on the diet while women are undergoing pregnancy. The postpartum period is free from such conditions. A doctor recommends having a balanced diet rather than cutting out on nutrition. Here is a short diet guide for you and your growing kid that will help you both.
- Include a lot of colored vegetables. Try adding fiber-rich and rainbow-colored veggies.
- Don’t forget to add fruits. They will add up many nutrients that your body may have become deficient in.
- Take whole grains, including pasta, cereal, and bread.
- Drink water to stay hydrated as it helps a lot in milk production.
- Try to add an iron and zinc-rich diet that includes dry fruits, seeds, nuts, and beans.
- Add meat to your diet along with supplements. It will help in filling up the nutrition gap.
- Add foods like fish, eggs, beans, nuts, dairy products, meat, and poultry.
- Try out natural fat-burning supplements that can assist you in healthy weight loss.
Is Keto Diet Safe for New Moms?
It takes more than 2000 calories that are required by a mother to produce milk for the baby. The research on the keto diet for breastfeeding is not available. There are different theories and ideas on the keto diet for breastfeeding women. Some theories claim that newborns are naturally keto-adapted and can feed on a mother running on a keto diet. This clears the fact that if it’s not going to be beneficial for them, it’s not going to harm them either. It’s finally you who will decide if you want to go with a keto diet or not.
Alternative Way to Lose Weight Healthily
The easiest way to shed pounds without the fuss of the keto diet is using natural supplements. Supplements made from natural ingredients will help a lot in shedding pounds without the fuss of dieting. They will be good for you and your breastfeeding baby. Supplements don’t interact with the mechanism of milk production and only cut off the fat. If you are serious about weight loss after postpartum, use supplements to get results. If you have any doubt, make sure you read medical reviews before you take out your wallet.
Conclusion
The Keto diet is safe but not recommended by experts to a breastfeeding woman. It can have some issues with the mother and baby’s health. It can also cause ketoacidosis in breastfeeding women, which can lead to diabetes. This weight loss plan can be harmful to the kidney when included in the long run. People who are obese and suffering from PCOS should ask their doctors first and then proceed with a keto diet. Supplements are a better alternative if you want to lose weight without affecting your baby’s health.
