



There seemed to be a lot of discussion in places I frequent online about the safety of eating a low carb diet during pregnancy. I'm sure a lot of people are hesitant to offer advice about this because it's a very serious subject considering it's the life and health of a womana not yet born child at stake, and who wants a poor outcome on their conscience? I've seen some offer the advice to check with your doctor first, which typically will yield the result of, "OMGZ, NO!" (or something very similar) from most physicians because most physicians have no flippin' clue about proper nutrition and are mired in the low fat dogma that is still prevalent today, even for non-pregnant women. My first advice for anyone, male or female, is find a doctor who "gets it," and proceed from there, then sure, ask their advice about diet. In the meantime, consider these points:1.- 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.- 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.- 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.- 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 usingfat stores. Here are some excellent links on the subject:5.- 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!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!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!