Keto diet while breastfeeding

Keto diet while breastfeeding: What is it and is it beneficial?

Babies enter into a natural state of ketosis as soon as they are born. If you already know about this then it’s nice. But in case you don’t know then we are here to help you to know more about the keto diet while breastfeeding.

Researchers say that new-born babies remain in a normal healthy state during breastfeeding called ketosis.
The researchers also confirm that the breast milk of a healthy mother is composed up of 50-60% of fat and the remaining cholesterol present in the milk supplies the baby about six times more than that present in a daily diet of an adult.

As the babies are naturally born in ketosis and they are benefited from this normal and healthy phase then it would not be an issue for the mother to follow a ketogenic diet or a lifestyle.

 Research on the keto diet while breastfeeding

A study performed in 2009 compared an LCHF diet ( low carbohydrate and high fat) with an HCLF diet ( high carbohydrate and low fat).
The following conclusions were made from the study:

• The daily amount of breast milk production and the daily amount of the infant milk intake remained the same regardless of the diet.
• None of the diets could affect the milk lactose and protein concentration. However, the energy content of the breast milk was higher in the LCHF diet than in the HCLF diet.
• The energy intake of infants was higher during the supply of the LCHF diet than the HCLF diet.

Based on the above conclusions, the researchers stated that without affecting the milk production and still supplying the baby with proper nutrients required for proper growth, the breastfeeding woman could lose more weight by consuming an LCHF diet than the HCLF diet.

Although certain reports say that there is reduced milk production in the breastfeeding woman after undergoing a keto diet. This is possibly due to factors like dehydration, lack of adjustment during rapid carbohydrate restriction, or inadequate supply of proper nutrients.

Are you having a keto diet while breastfeeding? Here are some tips for making successful breastfeeding during a keto diet.
Breastfeeding is a really important task for the mother and trusts me no women want to take any type of risk d while breastfeeding their child.

As we already mentioned that you can follow a keto diet while breastfeeding but you need to do it properly for mutual benefits.

Start keto early

Your body needs to adjust to the keto diet when you choose to start it. Due to it, the woman may feel flu-like symptoms. The case of This flu-like symptom during the keto diet start is keto flu.

You don’t want to go through some type of adjustment period when you are pregnant and nursing your baby. Rather you would want to prepare and adjust before you nurse your child. So don’t wait, we advise you to start keto now.

Moreover, the keto diet is also considered to be useful as it increases the likelihood to get pregnant and can contribute to an overall healthy lifestyle. So starting the keto diet while breastfeeding early is an important thing that can be useful.

Avoid dehydration

Not drinking an appropriate and enough amount of water in the day is the biggest cause of the scarce milk supply of the mother.
As there is less carbohydrate intake during the keto diet, excretion of water is more than normal so to produce enough amount of milk for any breastfeeding mother, drinking a lot of water is very important.

To get relief from the labor and delivery and most importantly for the production of milk, your body needs more amount of water than normal. Moreover, drinking more water is important to maintain the electrolytic balance in your keto diet while breastfeeding. So we suggest you drink a sufficient amount of water and avoid dehydration during keto.

Take care of your nutrients and electrolytes

The intake of the appropriate amount of vitamins as well as minerals is an important task. It avoids various side effects like headaches and loss of energy. Due to this intake of the appropriate amount of nutrients and electrolytes in a keto diet while breastfeeding is a must.

Consume high fats and enough calories

To ensure a steady and consistent supply of energy for both the mother as well as the baby, it is necessary to intake the proper amount of calories. So the mother should consume high-quality fats as well as enough calories in their keto diet while breastfeeding.

Don’t forget to intake fibers and vegetables

Intake of an appropriate amount of fibers as well as vegetables is really important. It ensures the proper development of your baby and maintains your health properly.

Consuming an adequate amount of fiber and vegetables provides you with certain phytochemicals as well as anti-oxidants. Due to this make sure you take the appropriate amount of vegetables and fibers.

Is low-carb milk safe during keto diet breastfeeding?

Yes. but care should be given not to take a strict low-carb diet.  The adequate carb should be intaken remembering the fact to meet the demand of carb required for breastfeeding. To make sure you get enough carbs you can add three fruits per day or can have extra servings of root veggies.

What happens if you don’t take enough food during breastfeeding?

It can be detrimental to the health of the mother as the nutrient gets depleted from the body to meet the demand.

You can also subscribe to a keto meal delivery service if you are unable to identify what to eat.

A word from WOMS specialist

Taking care of your baby is time-consuming work, you may not get enough time to prepare vegetables. In that case, you can go ahead with a green supplement to nourish yourself.

While you are undergoing a keto diet while breastfeeding, these above-mentioned points can help you get good health during breastfeeding.

Moreover, you must understand that the cases are not the same for everybody as the body of everybody is not the same. So the WOMS advises you to listen to what your body says and do accordingly.

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