carbs in pregnancy

[protein-girl]

Is there any consensus regarding the amount of carbs consumed during pregnancy?

Have the Eades ever posted on this topic? (I can't seem to find anything)

I'd appreciate your comments and thoughts

[lowcarbgirl]

From my knowledge there have been quite a few studies that show that a low carb diet is very beneficial during pregnancy. It reduces the chances of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure etc... during pregnancy.

Also, think of all the healthy foods that you are eating following an eating plan like PP.

This way of eating is extremely healthy during pregnancy. You may want to watch your consumption of AS though (the jury is still out on that--well aspartame and sweet n low atleast).

hope this helps

hugs,
Willow

[Gaelen]

This is the information about low carbing while pregnant (including recommendations on carb/ECC level during pregnancy) from The Protein Power Lifeplan Frequently Asked Questions. That used to be a searchable file on the old site; it's in the process of being converted to a .pdf to be linked here.

===========
Pregnant or Nursing Women:
Can you follow the Protein Power diet while you're pregnant or nursing?

Pregnancy and nursing place an increased demand on the mother for both calories and protein. It is not safe to undertake a reduced calorie intervention during these times. But the Protein Power Plan Maintenance program is actually a very healthy structure-plenty of lean protein, dairy protein, fresh colorful vegetables and fruits, no refined sugar, and minimal wheat, corn, or potato starch. As long as you have normal, healthy kidneys, it's a great nutritional regimen.

Add the extra calories required to maintain weight during these special conditions (pregnancy and lactation) as lean protein, dairy, or good-quality fats, and keep the carbohydrate at about 1/3 more grams than your daily minimum protein requirement. For example: If your daily minimum protein requirement was 75 grams per day, you should increase it to 90 or 100 grams per day during pregnancy or lactation. You would set your carbohydrate grams at about 30% more than that, or 120-130 effective grams per day.
Remember, you can have more protein and more good fat, but keep the carbohydrate fixed near this level. And remember to check any nutritional changes with your obstetrician before you make them.
==================

[protein-girl]

THanks for the replies. Its really hard to get good information on this topic. I'm finding that I can reach my protein targets ok but getting my carbs up to 120gms is a real challenge. I'm averaging 80-90. SOmetimes less because I just can't eat that much as the moment (yes nausea and the preotein shakes come in handy if I can stomach anything at the moment).

Any suggestions on increasing carbs? I've been eating a couple wheat cracker we have here in OZ called Ryvita or vita weat (not sure if they are anywhere else) but they have about 7 carbs per cracker. I cover them in cottage cheese, avocado and tomato. These increase my carbs.

Should I just eat some fruits with higher carbs?

I never thought it would be so difficult to increase carbs! I don't want to eat bread or any really high carb foods such as potatoes.

What about brown rice? what do ppl think should I stay away?

[Mitra]

We have ryvita over here, too. If you don't mind eating rye, then you could try rye bread, or pumpernickel.

I find small servings of brown rice don't seem to cause me a problem - try some and see. Or rice noodles. What about fruit - apple, banana, grapes, pineapple. And root vegetables other than potato: sweet potato, carrot, celeriac &c

[LisaS]

I think beans or lentils might be a good way to go - some nice hummus with raw veggies or a bean dip - or channa masala -- you can get some nice nutrition for your CHO dollar -

[protein-girl]

Thanks Lisa and Mitra they are great suggestions. I didn't think about beans or lentils for some reason and I love hummus!

thanks again~!

[Marilee13]

When I was pregnant with my kids, I made sure to eat berries everyday. I bought the huge bags of frozen berries and made shakes with added whey protein almost everyday. Also, yogurt and cottage cheese are excellent as well. Various nuts and nut breads, like a nut banana bread in one of the cookbooks is excellent. I have to say I didn't really focus on how many carbs I ate. I really made sure that I got enough protein, dairy, and fruits and vegetables. I wonder why you are so focused on getting a certain number of carbs per day. Is this something your doctor recommended? I tended to focus on protein and fats. Make sure you get plenty of good fats. The brain is made of fat and I think that's important for development. My kids are both pretty smart so I think I did the right thing. Also, one of my favorite kids juices is pomegranate. You can find it now at most grocery stores. It has quite a few carbs and is expensive but it is loaded with antioxidants which is quite good for you!

[Thedabara]

I tend to agree with Marilee. I ate berries almost everyday of this last pregnancy. I did watch my carbs but I found that if I went over 60 grams or so per day i got heartburn. I don't normally get heartburn, but during pregnancy I sure did. Not eating too many carbs was much more pleasant than taking Zantac or tums!;) I also focused on getting in plenty of healthy fats (coconut oil, fatty meats, cod liver oil), and protein each day. The protein part was difficult during morning sickness....then bagels and starchy foods did taste good.:D
Good luck with everything!
jenny

[LMN]

I use to nibble on dry Hi-Lo cereal, which although we can't get it here in NZ I have seen in Coles on the Gold Coast.
I would suggest increasing fruit and vege as I found it helped to keep my fibre intake up (you know why.....)

[protein-girl]

I wonder why you are so focused on getting a certain number of carbs per day. Is this something your doctor recommended? I tended to focus on protein and fats. Make sure you get plenty of good fats. The brain is made of fat and I think that's important for development.

Hi Marilee, my aim is to have a LC pregnancy and focus on protein and fats. No one has recommended a carb level - My DR is very supportive of LC, its more for my own piece of mind and my own information so I can make informed decisions about my pregnancy. Thats why its great to hear from you and others who have had a LC pregnancy.

I'm looking forward to my nausea settling - although I'm still LC I'm not eating much. I'm not worried because I"m making each meal that I can eat count as much as possible, and I know I'll be ok once the nausea settles.

thanks again for the ideas everyone, its very helpful!

[Marilee13]

I would always read the product labeling and decide for yourself but another thing that I loved during my pregnancy and both my kids eat it today is "Derby tamales". They come in a glass jar and are usually, unfortunately hard to find in the supermarket. They have about 17 carbs per serving (which is about half the jar - 3 tamales). They do contain ground corn. They also contain meat and seasonings but they are made with "rendered beef fat" aka lard. They are quite delicious..a bit spicey but not too hot. Also, just something easy to prepare when you are feeling tired, lazy, and pregnant. And corn has never seemed to bother my intestinal tract...like wheat and some others.

Marilee

P.S. A low carb pregnancy is, I think, one of the healthiest starts you can give your kids. I did not go to a doctor, I went to a midwife and I found her very supportive of my diet. She, in fact, stated that when discussing nutrition with her patients always made sure that she talked about protein and fats for baby's development. She always would laugh and say, we all get enough sugars and breads....I'm not worried about that!

Best of luck with your pregnancy! and Congratulations!

[jennifer r]

Ok, I'm new to this, but I am confused. I am a lactating mom with more than 20% of my body wieght to lose, I am consuming 30-40 grams of carb a day. Is that ok? I am shooting for 90-100 g protien a day.....

[Gaelen]

Jennifer, I know that it seems confusing to not be aiming at 'weight loss' during pregnancy and lactation, especially when you have what seems like a good chunk of weight to lose. Believe me, it was the same when I went on chemo...to have not one but multiple docs telling me "omigod, whatever you do, you CAN'T try to lose weight while you're on chemo" was like ... medical culture shock. ;)

I handled it by aiming to *maintain* my current weight. If I dropped a pound or two a month, or maintained my exercise/fitness levels so that my muscles stayed in shape, nobody minded...but the valid reason for trying not to lose weight (for me) was that under the level of stress of chemo, my body really was going to need all of the weight it had...and it's very similar for most women who are pregnant/nursing. The baby needs what the baby needs, and if you don't eat enough to provide those things for BOTH of you (yes, you really are eating for two, whether pregnant or lactating) then the baby will take what s/he needs, and you'll be left with not enough to sustain your own needs.

Do women lose weight while breastfeeding? Often, yes, and often at a faster rate than they may have been losing before pregnancy. But a steady and accelerated rate of loss during either pregnancy or lactation is usually an indication that *mom* might not be getting enough of what she needs (the baby will take exactly what s/he needs, and s/he'll get all the nutrients FIRST, before mommy. The caloric/nutritional deficit that's resulting in the weight loss can be tough on a body that's just delivered a baby, especially if mom breastfeeds for longer than a couple of months.

Again, from the official PPLP "Frequently Asked Questions" about following this plan while pregnant...posted earlier in this thread but it bears repeating:

"Pregnant or Nursing Women:
Can you follow the Protein Power diet while you're pregnant or nursing?

Pregnancy and nursing place an increased demand on the mother for both calories and protein. It is not safe to undertake a reduced calorie intervention during these times. But the Protein Power Plan Maintenance program is actually a very healthy structure -- plenty of lean protein, dairy protein, fresh colorful vegetables and fruits, no refined sugar, and minimal wheat, corn, or potato starch. As long as you have normal, healthy kidneys, it's a great nutritional regimen.

Add the extra calories required to maintain weight during these special conditions (pregnancy and lactation) as lean protein, dairy, or good-quality fats, and keep the carbohydrate at about 1/3 more grams than your daily minimum protein requirement. For example: If your daily minimum protein requirement was 75 grams per day, you should increase it to 90 or 100 grams per day during pregnancy or lactation. You would set your carbohydrate grams at about 30% more than that, or 120-130 effective grams per day.
Remember, you can have more protein and more good fat, but keep the carbohydrate fixed near this level. And remember to check any nutritional changes with your obstetrician before you make them."

There ARE 'official' recommendations about how many carbs to eat during pregnancy/lactation. They are to keep your carb levels close to your basic minimum protein requirement that you get from PP...the calculated value you get from taking your measurements and doing the math, NOT the 'quick estimate' from the PPLP charts!

Further recommendations are to increase your protein intake by about 1/3rd, and to increase your calories using lean protein and healthy fats, to the extent needed to maintain your CURRENT body weight.

Hope that helps, and welcome in! ;)

[mcsblues]

I'm pretty sure PG won't mind me posting this here as well, just so you can see how unhealthy and absolutely not cute as ... a low carb baby looks like ... ;) OK?



http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g314/mcsblues/100_0203.jpg

[Mitra]

Thank you, Malcolm - please pass congratulations on to PG :D.

[protein-girl]

:D thanks Malcolm no I don't mind .... and thanks Mitra.

Yes this is what a LC bub looks like! My little girl is now 3 weeks old - its hard to believe. She was born at 40 weeks and 2 days and weighed 9lbs 2oz (4.1kgs). Having a LC pregnancy was I believe very benefical to me and bub - my Midwife was very pro-LC and breastfeeding is going well.

It's good to read the post on breastfeeding as I'm really hungry and been working at increasing fat and protein to manage this.

Although I was initially a little concerned about what I should and shouldnt be doing with carb and protein levels, I truly believe that LC contributed to what turned out to be a wonderful pregnancy and birth....:) I would encourage anyone considering LC eating during pregnancy to do it!!!