Can keto diet be followed while the breastfeeding?

Welcome everybody, my name is Silva, and my best friend wants to get here some advice from you. See, she has born cute twins recently, and now she is breastfeeding, obviously. She is nuts about diets and healthy life, so now she does want to start the keto diet again, but I am not sure whether it will be good for her and her babies. I have found such workout  programs for her:

She knows that breastfeeding is an essential element of motherhood. It improves the child’s immunity, positively influences its development, provides such a necessary sense of proximity and safety. Moreover, it builds the unique relationship between the baby and the mother. During this period, she must care about her baby, it is recommended to consume a list of recommended foods. Therefore, my best friend is worry about the keto diet, because it excludes from her regime a lot of necessary food. She knows that she is not allowed to eat fruits and porridges. But still, she hopes that maybe she can at least try it. I see that her weight increased significantly after pregnancy. If I were in her shoes, I would also try some diet to lose weight.

Because when she followed the keto diet earlier, before pregnancy, she lost weight very fast. And the effect was long-lasting. Also, she has never been hungry. These are the main reasons why she wants to try again. But the child is the most important for her now. By the way, I have read a lot about this diet in the article about Ketogenic Diet: Everything you need to know about. It has really a lot of advantages, so I think to try it myself. But now I want to hear from you a piece of advice for my friend.

So, what are your opinions? Does the keto diet bring harm to babies? Do you think that it is good to begin the diet now or it is better to wait until she ends breastfeeding? Does not consuming prohibited products effect somehow on her child health? Does the keto diet provide the organism with all vitamins and nutrients that are important in proper milk supply to the breast? What are the main disadvantages of it that can be harmful to the baby?

Thanks for the answers!

 

Can keto diet be used during the breastfeeding?

9 Answers
Best Answer

Hi!
I have read all these comments on your question and do not agree with them enough. I think that it is possible to stick to the keto diet and do not harm your baby. But you need to stick to some recommendations to make your baby grow healthy. The keto diet is really effective if you want to lose weight. So, do not doubt to start it. Just read my tips, and everything will be okay.

Tips for successful breastfeeding on keto-diet:

1. Avoid dehydration.
One of the biggest culprits of milk deficiency is insufficient water throughout the day. Drinking large amounts of water is extremely important for the production of milk for any nursing mother – especially for those who follow a ketogenic lifestyle.

2. Do not forget about nutrients and electrolytes.
Consuming enough vitamins and minerals is extremely important to avoid any negative side effects, such as headaches, loss of energy, or slight dizziness.

3. Eat enough calories, especially high-quality fats.
It is important to ensure that you have a constant supply of energy throughout the day for you and your child. Consuming enough calories and high-quality fat will be another key to producing healthy amounts of milk and nourishing both yourself and the baby.

4. Consume enough fibre and vegetables.
Vegetables and fibre are extremely important for both your health and the health/development of your child. Make sure you consume a lot of vegetables to ensure enough intake of certain phytochemicals and antioxidants.

5. Try to moderate a low-carb diet.
If you have problems with producing enough milk, try starting from 50-75 grams of carbohydrates per day. Then slowly reduce this amount (5-10 grams each day) and monitor how this affects your milk.
Make sure you get carbohydrates from healthy sources like vegetables, nuts and seeds, and berries. Avoid bread, pasta and other refined “garbage”.

In general, there is no one ideal approach, even on keto. If you listen to your body and implement the tips described above, you will be on the right path to healthy and full breastfeeding.

Hello there Silva!

It is really cool that you care about your friend so much. Seems like #truefriendship goals to me.

Anyways, I have read somewhere that Keto diet is definitely on the list called “the most forbidden diets for breastfeeding women” . Bus after a while I have also found some information that helped me make my mind
and clear some blanks…

For starters, starting any diet while nursing is literally not recommended by many dietologists. Some explain this by saying that food restriction can actually badly after both mother and baby’s health: lactation problems, constant bad mood, dizziness and body pain. Believe it or not, but I do think your friend should rather find some local gym, buy the year membership and while the baby is asleep—go work out for a while. Though it would be better when the infant is more than 6 month old. She can also find some home exercises, since as I believe, nowadays almost everyone has the basic access to the Internet.

Moreover, I still want to admit that many online fitness editors let you know that Keto is safe for breastfeeding moms. Those there also some cons coming:
1.Since the diet is a low-carb one, it literally restricts many beneficial fruits and vegetables. Take tomatoes or bananas,for example. On the other hand, your daily fats intake will be increased. So should you count this a “-“ as well?
2. Keto can be really dehydrating. It is quite essential for breastfeeding women to drink at least 12-13 cups of water daily.
3. Your friend’s mind might be a little “foggy”. If she is one of the Keto newbies, it is likely to be pretty hard at first. She might forget about doing something important or feel under the weather. It is great actually that she has the support from her loved ones, but are you always with her? Consider this too, please.

Some studies show that Keto diet does not affect your milk production or even slightly affects it somehow. Some say quite the opposite.

Personally, I would not recommended your friend to choose this diet. Just suggest her the gym offer, maybe even take her out and try working out together? Being with someone always helps. I am almost sure she would like it (cause c’mon, being with your friend in a new place always have this calming effect on you, doesn’t it?). In addition, you have also mentioned that she loves that “all-healthy” stuff..why wouldn’t she take up some yoga classes? It helps to calm down your nerves and she might even stretch her muscles after an exhausting babysitting to relax fully?

Just go ask her and work out the plan together. Hope you will like and consider some of those at least!

Hello Silva!
Women are generally discouraged from being on any kind of diet when they’re nursing—but, obviously, it’s your body, so you decide what you eat. As a baseline, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends trying to get around 2,500 calories a day to make breast milk for your baby. They also suggest eating fish and seafood two to three times a week, but avoiding fish high in mercury (like ahi tuna or swordfish). Otherwise, they say you may want to keep taking a prenatal vitamin and that you should drink plenty of fluids—and that’s it. But as for a definitive ruling on the keto diet while breastfeeding, well, there isn’t one. “Unfortunately, the current research on the keto diet and breastfeeding is very limited,” says women’s health expert Jennifer Wider, M.D. “Depending on who you ask, the answer might be different.”
Wider does add, however, that breastmilk is high in fat—one cup has 11 grams, per the USDA—which could mean that newborns are in a natural state of ketosis and are keto-adapted. “A mom on a keto diet would be likely be able to keep her baby well nourished,” says Wider. That’s not to say that you shoulbe on the keto diet while breastfeeding, but that it’s likely not harmful, says Wider.

Hello, Silva!

Very good question, because taking care of the baby is the essential thing to do. I think every woman want to see her child healthy and happy. I tried different diets when I was younger. I was always worried about my figure. One of the diets I tried was keto diet. I agree with you. It was really effective. After some time I tried it again and also was satisfied with results. But if you are breastfeeding, I do not recommend sticking to this diet. I know enough about this diet to claim it surely. So, there are a lot of reasons for it.

It is unacceptable to comply with such a diet for pregnant and breastfeeding women. In the first case, this may restrain the growth and development of the fetus. In the second case, it may reduce the amount of milk and impair its properties. So, why it is prohibited to follow the keto diet while breastfeeding?

Before moving on “ketone fuel”, the body uses up the available glucose. There is the period when this “fuel” ends, and the switching has not happened yet. And, unfortunately, it is accompanied by weakness, fatigue, nausea. Some note a worsening of mood and a depressive state.
Imbalance (exclusion of whole groups of products).
High degree of restrictions.

Imbalance
Keto diet does not include consumption of vegetables (except for a small amount of green). This leads to a reduction in the number of vitamins, trace elements and fibre. Perhaps, this is the worst thing about this nutritional system. But without it, there is no way. When vegetables, especially “sweet” ones enter the body, glucose starts to form, and ketosis will not occur. So, it is obvious that milk for your baby will be lack of necessary elements.

But still, there is the way out of this situation. To compensate for the lack of fibre and prevent digestive disorders, you should consume no more than 50 g of carbohydrates from the green vegetable. And add a small amount of pharmacy fibre.

Compensating the absence of microelements is not difficult. You just need to calculate the number of essential microelements, buy them separately at a pharmacy. Then eat and enjoy life instead of going out with poison and talking about what kind of keto diet is unbalanced and leads to the grave.

High degree of restrictions
In one way or another, there are restrictions in all diet systems. But before you choose a keto diet, you should understand – you cannot consume carbohydrates. If at the low carbohydrate diet there is nothing to be afraid of because of one eaten candy, then on ketogenous – this is impossible. In the second case, ketosis does not occur, and the kilos of fat you have devoured will be deposited in the fat, instead of being energy for you.

It is important to know these nuances before choosing a diet

Hi!
I feel you. I have the same situation. My baby is six months old. After pregnancy, I gained weight and do not like myself now. But, unfortunately, I do not know what to do, because any diet, it seems to me, can be harmful to my baby. I considered keto diet a good variant because my friend told me that it is beneficial and I necessary should try it. I have read a lot of information on the keto diet, including an article about. And I understood that I should not do that. Sticking to this diet can harm my baby due to some reasons.

On the keto diet, you are allowed to consume meat, eggs, a fish, nuts, cheese, cottage cheese, vegetables (green, in small quantities). But, there are banned products that you cannot eat anyway. There are cereals, fruits, sugar, bakery products, sweet vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beets). And you know that these prohibited products include vitamins and microelements that are essential for our body, especially while breastfeeding.

Proper nutrition is a necessary condition for the favourable course of pregnancy, breastfeeding and the healthy development of the baby. In a woman’s diet, it is required to use only the freshest and most useful products. Since the use of glucose and other carbohydrates is recommended to reduce on the keto diet, there is a question. How to ensure the flow of energy into the body? The answer is simple. It is necessary to eat complex carbohydrates, which are contained, for example, in cereals. Porridges for pregnant and breastfeeding women is the most optimal way to cope with hunger, saturate the body with useful substances and vitamins. And thus do not gain extra pounds. But you know that porridge is a prohibited product, so that is one of the reasons to not stick to the keto diet while breastfeeding.

Doctors always recommend daily use of various porridges. Cranberry side dishes and other cereal foods normalise the work of the gastrointestinal tract, eliminate constipation, which is undeniably essential for pregnant and breastfeeding women. If you are not delighted with the usual porridge on the water, you can cook a garnish with vegetables, with herbs, with dried fruits, on a meat broth, on milk with butter, with berries, etc.

Cereals for the breastfeeding woman should be sour, delicious, without the excessive amount of fat. At the same time, cereal dishes should be diverse, as the most delightful porridge sooner or later can get bored. Also, in different cereals contain different combinations of trace elements, vitamins, carbohydrates, essential amino acids.

Hello!
I am glad to hear from you. Keto diet is one of my favourites. I lose up to 7 kilograms per course. I recommend it almost everyone who wants to lose weight. But you said that you are breastfeeding now, so I doubt whether you should stick to it or no. You know, that this diet means not consuming carbohydrates at all. So there is a problem. Because fruits also are not allowed. Now I have a beautiful daughter. She is eight years old. When I was breastfeeding, I always ate a lot of different fruits. They are essential to make your baby grow healthy.

For the healthy development of the baby and the well-being of the expectant mother, herbal products should be ⅔ of her diet. In this case, you need to eat not only fruits but also vegetables and greens. Also, you must pay particular attention to the products of nature, which contain prostaglandins. These substances affect the elasticity of the tissues of the important milk canal.
As for fruits, they saturate the woman’s body with valuable vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help to cope with stress. At the same time, it is better to use them raw and without the use of sugar, syrups and other additives.

Experts advise young mothers to include in their diet fruits, grown in their native latitudes. They saturate the woman’s body with essential trace elements and contain the minimum amount of nitrates and pesticides. What kind of fruit can you eat while breastfeeding?

Apples are a valuable source of fibre, iron and B vitamins. They regulate the functioning of the digestive system, and are also necessary for a good skin condition, protein synthesis and the functioning of the nervous system. Strawberries are considered invaluable to the young moms. These juicy berries saturate the body with vitamin C, beta-carotene and anthocyanins, which are famous for their powerful antioxidant properties. When eating fruits during breastfeeding, do not forget about peaches. They are rich in nicotinic acid, vitamin C and potassium, that are so necessary for the milk you feed your baby. Pears are also required while breastfeeding. They increase immunity, prevent the occurrence of constipation and normalise the work of the cardiovascular system. Berry is considered a good source of flavonoids. These substances help to maintain the health of a pregnant woman. And also protect the body, therefore you milk, from viruses. Grapes are famous for their high content of B vitamins and fibre. And flavonoids in the product protect against heart disease and promote normal blood supply to the placenta.

So, due to that fact that fruits are not allowed on the keto diet, I do not recommend you to follow eat while breastfeeding. You see how many essential vitamins and microelements, required for good breastfeeding they have. Look for others diet, or it is better just eat a smaller portion and do sport. It seems to me that any diet can be harmful to your baby because all of them have a lot of different restrictions.

Hello!
It is very good that you asked this question. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are the most important period in your life and life of your baby. When I had a baby, I always asked experienced women what and in which way I should do. Women advised me a lot, and I am grateful to them.
And all that also include a piece of advice about diets during pregnancy and breastfeeding. And now I want to share my knowledge with you.

I do not recommend keto diet while breastfeeding. And the main reason I consider a restriction on products. And I mean essential products for you, so to have health milk to feed your baby. Not consuming that products, especially porridges, fruits and potatoes, can harm your baby.

For example, potatoes during breastfeeding are a source of trace elements and vitamins. For the baby to develop properly, you need to stick to the diet when you eat only healthy foods. And all required food.

The potato contains a lot of vitamins: C, H, RR, B. Also do not forget about folic acid, that is a need for good development of baby because it will save him from troubles with the nervous system.
Moreover, there is a whole group of trace elements, including potassium, which is needed for proper functioning of the baby heart. And calcium with phosphorus that forms the future musculoskeletal system of the baby. And sodium, and iron, and bromine with zinc, and fluoride, copper, iodine. All these make your baby grow healthy.

By the way, potassium will help to avoid such misfortune in many breastfeeding women as swelling. Potassium not only eliminates all unnecessary fluid from the tissues but also prevents the accumulation of new.

Also, this rich representative is passionate and antioxidant. And thus protects the young mother from colds and helps to preserve her youth and beauty. And the protein in it is enough. Potatoes remove toxins and acids, leachate the body.

Now you see how this one product is essential for you to correct breastfeeding your baby. If you exclude it from your diet, you can harm your baby. At the beginning of his life, he needs everything to grow healthy. So, forget about sticking to the keto diet while breastfeeding.

Hello!
I agree with everyone here that the keto diet during breastfeeding can bring harm to your baby. You should not stick to it and let your baby grow healthy.

For instance, you see that even carrots are not allowed in the keto diet. But do you know how essential it is while breastfeeding? And what can you do if you will refuse to eat it?

Carrots during pregnancy are the whole group of vitamin B for young moms! Not every product can boast of this ability. Look! Only 8 of its components are at the heart of the spectrum of the most important components of human nutrition. What else can we say? And what about your baby? He needs every vitamin and microelement to grow.

Potassium is irreplaceable in the work of the heart. A young mother body system must work fine, because, as you know, the volume of blood in the body of her increases significantly while breastfeeding. The heart must freely cope with such loads. So, it needs potassium, which is so rich in carrots.

Beta-carotene. The so-called ancestor of vitamin A. It is an essential element for your vision. Therefore, for the vision of your baby. The milk must be rich of this vitamin because it is the only one resource of vitamins and microelements in this period.

One crude carrot every day, and the doctor will praise his patient for excellent haemoglobin values. And this is an excellent prevention of anaemia for young mother and her baby.
The phytoncides contained in carrots are the real killer of microbes. Therefore, carrots are the most successful fighter with caries and disorders of digestive processes.

Dietary fibre and potassium in carrots have diuretic properties, and this is one of the most effective prophylaxis of oedema. Carrot juice from time to time will force everyone around to doubt in the public testimony that young mother, after childbirth, are losing beauty. This juice of carrots makes a better face, struggling with rashes, redness and pigmentation spots. But the juice should be freshly squeezed. Not from the store packaging. Carrot juice cures gastritis during breastfeeding.

Hello!
It is wonderful that you are interested in such a question. Taking care of your figure is always important, especially when you are young. But there are always some problems that young women have after childbirth. The overweight. I also faced with it when I was breastfeeding. And now I can confidently claim that it is not the best decision to stick to the keto diet during this period.

The basis of the keto diet is consumption of fats and proteins in the proportion of 1/3 protein + 2/3 fats. Also, carbohydrates should be eliminated! An exception is possible only for green vegetables. But the number of carbs should not exceed 20-50 grams per day.

Perhaps I look obsessive but want to emphasise. Any carbohydrates must be eliminated on the keto diet. I tried it myself, so I know that is one of the main rules of it.

But, it is known that carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for our body. And the young mother while breastfeeding should monitor the optimum amount of carbohydrates in the diet to ensure the mild course of this period. And most importantly, to ensure the harmonious development and health of her baby.

For example, what about consuming beetroot while breastfeeding? It improves digestion, cleanses the body. Being a strong energetic, adds strength, relieves fatigue. It is useful in mental workloads. It helps to prevent fetal malformations and contributes to the formation of a healthy nervous system of your baby. Due to the contents of a large amount of fibre and organic acids regulates metabolic processes, enhances the intestine, effectively helps with constipation. If you exclude this product from your daily ration, you will harm your baby because you will deprive him essential elements.

Next Post