Can someone help me tweak my low carb diet for pregnancy?

[Makqueen]

I am six weeks pregnant and have been eating low carb for a while now. I know the jury is out on if it's safe or not in pregnancy, but tbh, I can't see how adding sugar, pasta, rice and white potatoes into my diet can make me or my baby any healthier.

For weight loss, I couldn't tolerate diary, but since I found out I am pregnant I have started having full fat greek yogurt for breakfast everyday.

Meals are usually egg mayo/tuna mayo salad or meat and green veg.

What else should I tweak?

[GiraffesEatPineapples]

I think low carb has been shown to be healthier in pregnancy. will find a link later.

[GiraffesEatPineapples]

low carb diet found to be better briffa

I think adding in starchier veg like sweet potato, carrots and parsnips would be a good idea. maybe small amounts of nuts and berries?

Primal or paleo might be a good way to approach low carb whilest pregnant this would involving eating any fruit and vegetables including sweet potato and squash etc but white potatoes only in moderation. Grass fed meat is best if possible (app healthier than meat reared on soya products), ideally fruit would be seasonal. Nuts and bacon and dairy are ok in moderation dep which version. The benefit of paleo/ primal is there are lots of blogs with an emphasis on healthy nutrition rather than weight loss and a lot of the blogs are by parents with a family focus. Paleo and primal isn't necessarily low carb but all the foods you mention are more or less avoided.


There is a bit on here chris kresser but there are probably better links on paleo / primal.

I think one or two of the posters on the paleo thread have excluded those carby foods whilst pg

[Makqueen]

Hi, thanks for those links.

I can't stand nuts and berries unfortunately, but I will be adding things like swede a bit of sweet potato and carrots to my meals.

I wish I could afford grass fed or organic meat, but we don't have a lot of money for food, so I eat the cheapest meat chicken I can, usually from Lidl.

I was pregnant earlier in the year but had a mc, when the midwife asked what I ate I stupidly said low carb - she immediately said that I needed to eat pasta and bread etc or I would do the baby damage. She even said I needed to eat sugar for energy and that I didn't need fat and should eat as little fat as possible. Um, other way round love. It's madness. Will just be nodding and agreeing and keeping my mouth shut this time round.

[Makqueen]

Oh, and fruit make me feel really bad, I have not eaten a single piece of fruit in ten years, I used to feel so sick and acidy when I ate it. I eat loads of veg instead.

[justpoppy]

I just came in here to post the exact same thing! Found out this week that I'm 6 weeks pregnant too. Have been following bootcamp for 7 weeks now but weight has stalled for last 3 weeks dispite being really careful. I'd really liket to carry on this WOE as much as I can as I know if I start eating bread/pasta I'll just end up huge and feel rubbish. Will have a read of those links too. Congrats on your pregnancy Makqueen

[BIWI]

Congratulations! I would simply say to add more veg to your diet. How on earth could that possibly be construed as unhealthy?!

Are you eating plenty of good quality fat, e.g. butter/cheese?

I might also consider having a slice of wholemeal toast for breakfast - not too carby (and some low carb plans allow that to be included anyway).

(Oh and by the way, swede isn't high in carbs so you could be eating that anyway!)

[Makqueen]

BIWI - I cook everything in butter. I don't eat cheese as I have some bowel problems which cheese exacerbates. I eat fatty cuts of pork and other meat, fatty mince, fish and go through gallons of mayo and olive oil.

I actually haven't eaten any dairy for two years, although have just stated to eat greek yogurt due to the pregnancy.

I only eat green/white veg (mainly cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage) so adding in swede will be novel!

My diet may seen boring to some, but I feel great on it.


justpoppy congratulations to you too!

[Makqueen]

BIWI Also, the midwives I saw (two of them) we so aghast when I said I low carb. They were so negative and so insistent that I needed to eat carbs (in their words bread and pasta) in order to be healthy. One even said that all the fat would kill me and I should try to not eat any and that I was harming my baby.

One of them even told me after my mc that my diet caused it. I cried for days until a friend pointed out to me that if not eating refined carbs was dangerous to pregnancy, then most of the indigenous populations of the arctic regions would have died out eons ago, and none of us would be here now either.

[BIWI]

I'd definitely look to introduce some carbier veg then - peppers are great, because they are also high in vitamin C, and carrots would be good - and possibly some low carb fruit? If you don't like berries, how about melon?

[Makqueen]

Yes, I was just writing a list (saddo!) and I do like red peppers.

I am saying all this with the best intentions, morning sickness kicked in on wednesday and all I have been able to eat so far is chicken with mayo and bowls of mince!

I do like carrots though, so will get some later and maybe snack on them raw.

I can't seem to stomach fruit of any sort, it makes me feel awful, just like cheese does.

[BIWI]

How dare they suggest that you caused your mc?! That's appalling, and I might even consider complaining about that.

Anything grain-based is relatively new for human beings; how on earth did our early ancestors survive if all they could eat was meat/fish and plants?!

No need to worry about fruit if you don't like it/can't tolerate it - veg/salad is just as nutritious.

[badguider]

Oats are very good for you in pregnancy and breast feeding. I'd add them as a minimum if I were you.

Do you eat any breads? Rye bread? What about bran? You really don't need to eat easily digested processed carbs at all but you might find you are low in fibre. Pregnancy dies horrible things to your bowels if you don't get enough fibre.

[justpoppy]

Makqueen Thats just awful for them to suggest that your diet had something to do with the MC. At a time when its so easy to blame yourself anyway.

I've had no morning sickness just yet (thankfully) although I'm sure it will kick in soon enough. Just hoping it won't bring with it ridiculous cravings for cake!

[Makqueen]

Badguder - I eat a LOT of spinach and dark greens and that so far keeps everything regular!

I think it's just the normal notion that you need carbs that makes people react that way. People forget that grain hasn't actually been used for that long in human terms and we managed to thrive very well without it.

[giraffeseatpineapples]

Sounds like you eat really well. I think you should apply the midwives slogan 'do what your body tells you* listen to your cravings/dislikes etc. I went off caffeine and craved oranges (app vit c helps with folate) in my last pregnancy (lets ignore my crumpet and hot cross bun cravings in first pg).

Have some emergency sweet potatoes in incase you get low blood sugar. It's only £1.15 for a huge bag in tesco you can pop one in the micro for 4 mins and slather in butter. Cauliflower is my favourite veg at mo, just had some roasted with fennel and beetroot with grated cheddar on top - really yum! You might find your carb needs go up half way through pregnancy as that seems to be when more calories are needed. I have the gentle birth method book and that obstetrician reccommends no grains in pregnancy and eating steamed veg and meat/fish etc

[giraffeseatpineapples]

Oh and I don't think you necc need to eat oats unless you want to, but it might be worth carrying a packet of emergency oat biscuits in your bag for when you are out and about, esp if you don't like fruit or nuts?

[Makqueen]

Oh, just looking back on this post and laughing at myself......

MS kicked in bigtime. I am living off turkey slices and ketchup. Today, anyway. Yesterday all I ate was a potato. An evil white one at that . That's when I can face anything, and as for drinking lots of water..........that's not wanting to stay down either. I was like this with ds until I gave birth. So much for best laid plans.

Dh is still LC and I can't stomach the smell of things frying in butter, I can't look at raw meat, the stench of food is unreal and I have developed a pathological hatred of bratwurst, omg, the smell.....

[giraffeseatpineapples]

[giraffeseatpineapples]

Sorry I wasn't grinning at your ms btw just very familiar I would buy optimum nutrition guides when pg then feel unable to eat anything but toast! Hope your morning sickness eases

[Makqueen]

Me too!

I was so hopeful that I could continue to LC. But I can't even look at an egg without breaking into a sweat and the thought of eating fat of any sort makes me want to gag. Oh well!

[giraffeseatpineapples]

I wouldn't eat anything that makes you feel physically sick, for me it was caffeine and salad!

My second pg was most successful in terms of weight and ease of giving birth - overall I was 10lb lighter after giving birth compared to pre pregnancy (still overweight though) and baby DD was 9lb and quick and easy delivery. I tried not to eat away the morning sickness and avoided chocolate and obvious sugar towards the end but couldnt give up on bread etc. 3rd time round with 2 under 5 I just did whatever it took to get through the day!