Our past food choices decide the health condition of our future selves. For women, there are many phases in life to be extra careful with their health. Pregnancy is one such phase. During pregnancy, the soon-to-be mother is expected to take care of both her and her baby’s health.
This calls for a healthy and safe food plan with a recommended level of exercise. But as beauty standards and other harmful traits are trending, the new generation of mothers is adopting a low carb diet during pregnancy.
This article discusses the importance of a healthy food plan, the dangers of following a low carb diet during pregnancy, and the required calories.
Eating for Two
A woman’s pregnancy means she is responsible for the growth of life inside her. The growing life needs its supplements to grow. And that is why a pregnant woman eats for her baby.
The main point is to eat, rest, and exercise as recommended. There is no room for a high or low carb diet during pregnancy. Both of these bad habits have consequences for the growing child.
Therefore, the nutrients should be whole while pregnant, and meals should be as much as required. This does not mean that pregnant women should eat two large portions. The idea is to take in extra calories, not the food quantity.
And eating less amount of high-calorie food and following a low carb diet during pregnancy is not going to cut the mark.
Is there a Need for a Diet?
A diet means eating healthy, taking in all the necessary nutrients and calories with adequate hydration. But these days, due to false trends in social media, the meaning of a diet has changed to starving oneself.
This is the ideology for everyone, from an ordinary person to a pregnant woman to an older person. A healthy and whole meal is what is needed for a pregnant woman. That is the only diet a pregnant woman should follow. Irrespective of their body weight.
As long as she gets the vital nutrients in the needed amounts, there is no need for an extra diet plan and no place for a low carb diet during pregnancy.
Calories Required
The calorie requirement for a pregnant woman depends on the number of babies she carries. At this point, a low carb diet during pregnancy will only be harmful. For an average woman who is not pregnant, the required calorie count is two thousand calories a day.
When a woman gets pregnant, the baby takes all the nutrients from the mother’s body for growth. Hence, the need to eat more calories during pregnancy. Fitting a low carb diet during pregnancy is absurd and risky to the mother and the baby.
The required calories for a pregnant woman with one baby are extra 340 calories, that is 2340 calories a day. If it’s twins, then the count goes to 2600 calories. This is the healthy count. Going past or below is downright dangerous.
Risks of a low-carb Diet During Pregnancy
A low-carb diet has little to no carbs and focuses more on proteins, vitamins, and minerals. While this may be the best choice for an average person to lose weight, a woman should not take this low carb diet during pregnancy.
Avoiding all the lentils, starchy foods, legumes, and other complex carbs results in losing some vital nutrients needed for pregnancy, such as folic acid, vitamins, minerals, calcium, and fibers.
Folic acid is the essential nutrient required for pregnancy. This is found in chickpeas, kidney beans, whole grains, fruits, and other carb food items. A low-carb diet during pregnancy can also lead to increased toxic chemicals in the blood.
The risks of low carb diet during pregnancy are,
- Defects in growth and weight of the baby.
- The health of both the mother and the baby gets affected.
- Leads to severe complications during childbirth and more.
Conclusion
A low-carb diet during pregnancy is neither safe for the baby nor the mother. If you are pregnant with too much body fat, you can consult with your ob-gyn for food and exercise plans.
But please do not go in for this low-carb diet during pregnancy as these are highly dangerous for the baby and the mother.
While we read about the dangers of the baby, the mother will face her share of defects in her health too. So, it is wise to follow your doctor’s advice, eat healthily and stay happy.
Have a happy, safe, and healthy pregnancy!
