Over the past few years, no diet has been able to attract the attention of obese and overweight people as much as the ketogenic diet. But is the keto diet equally useful in pregnancy?!
As you know, the main focus of mothers during pregnancy is more on the health and growth of the fetus; because this period is one of the crucial periods for the fetus and experts place a lot of emphasis on mothers’ nutrition. So they need to discuss it with their doctor in order to take the smallest dose of medication and even use a questionable diet.
Therefore, if you are pregnant and you don’t know whether the ketogenic diet is safe for you or not, we will answer your question in this article exclusively by examining the keto diet in pregnancy. So stay with Dr. Kermani’s nutrition magazine until the end.
Can you use the keto diet during pregnancy?
Although the keto diet is very popular and has many fans, the question of whether it is safe to take during pregnancy remains unanswered by researchers.
For the majority of healthy people, using a ketogenic diet in the short term is harmless, but due to the high sensitivity of pregnancy, using a ketogenic diet during pregnancy is not recommended!!
To put it simply, if we want to add the issue of pregnancy to the keto diet, the decision of pregnant mothers to use the keto diet will be very difficult due to the high food restriction of this diet.
On the other hand, considering the sensitive conditions of most pregnant women, doctors suggest them a varied diet and eating variety of foods. The low-carb, high-fat keto diet and following a specific diet make it difficult for expectant mothers to prioritize getting all the nutrients they need.
Therefore, instead of using a ketogenic diet during pregnancy, most doctors suggest getting a principled and balanced diet plan in which a person can use a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, lean proteins and other nutritious products.
Benefits of keto diet in pregnancy
Based on comprehensive medical research in America, having excess fat and obesity during pregnancy and before it, can increase the risk of miscarriage. On the other hand, the beautiful sense of motherhood instinctively in women makes them want to lose weight faster.
Hence, some articles claim that the keto diet can help women in their fertility efforts!
This advantage is because the ketogenic diet allows people to bring their weight closer to the equilibrium level.
Of course, the doctors advise obese and overweight women during pre-pregnancy to reduce their weight to increase their chances of fertility.
On the other hand, the brilliant history of the ketogenic diet in weight loss has made the majority of people consider it their priority to achieve weight loss, but it is interesting to know that there is still no valid medical evidence to show that you can lose weight just by following the keto diet.
Therefore, it is recommended that you discuss the matter with your doctor before getting a ketogenic diet plan for pre-pregnancy weight loss.
In addition, doctors always emphasize that using a ketogenic diet during pregnancy will not be safe, and even entering the ketosis phase (burning fat instead of glucose for energy consumption) will not work for growing and developing babies, and it can even be harmful to their health and endangers them.
So with the explanations we provided, taking this diet during pre-pregnancy and even after it does not have any special advantage compared to other basic diets that we want to mention!
Side Effects of Keto Diet in Pregnancy
As mentioned earlier, ketogenic diet is very popular in the world due to its brilliant history in weight loss. But the category of weight loss is not a criterion that other basic diets are deprived of.
So, when choosing a diet, we should choose a diet that does not endanger our health as much as possible.
The effect of keto diet on gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that mothers may get during pregnancy. Usually, this disease disappears after the birth of the baby, but it can increase the chances of getting type 2 diabetes for mothers in the future.
It is interesting to know that gestational diabetes even increases the risk of your child getting this disease.
For this reason, the doctor asks mothers to take blood sugar tests regularly to ensure that they do not have gestational diabetes.
On the other hand, some laboratory studies in 2014 show that the keto diet is very effective in managing and preventing all types of diabetes. But to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, you don’t have to follow a full keto diet.
You can greatly reduce the risk of gestational diabetes by using a basic diet that contains low carbohydrates, healthy fats, proteins, fiber, fruits and vegetables.
On the other hand, exercising for twenty minutes and not being completely inactive during this period can keep the blood sugar level of mothers normal and prevent it from rising.
Frequently asked questions about keto during pregnancy
Is the keto diet allowed during pregnancy?
For the majority of healthy people, using a ketogenic diet in the short term is harmless, but due to the high sensitivity of pregnancy, using a ketogenic diet during pregnancy is not recommended!!
What is the effect of keto diet on gestational diabetes?
Some laboratory studies in 2014 show that the keto diet is very effective in managing and preventing all types of diabetes, but to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, you don’t have to follow a full keto diet.
What are the benefits of keto diet in pregnancy?
There is still no valid medical evidence to show that the ketogenic diet is beneficial in pregnancy; therefore, it is recommended that you discuss the matter with your doctor before receiving a ketogenic diet plan for weight loss before pregnancy.
Bottom line
Pregnancy is one of the critical and decisive periods in the life of every woman, and the priority of doctors during this period is to improve the nutritional style.
When couples are trying to conceive, experts often advise women to increase their chances of fertility by losing weight. In general, it can be said that keto in pregnancy, or in other words, the ketogenic diet in pregnancy, is not very safe due to the elimination and high restriction of food, and it can cause their body to lack some very important nutrients for fertility, such as iodine, selenium, iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, etc. Therefore, it is recommended that you discuss the matter with your doctor before receiving a ketogenic diet plan for weight loss before pregnancy.
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