Low carb during pregnancy
 

Hi all, I am new to this forum but have been low carbing (Wheat Belly) for about 4 months. My daughter is also low carbing and has just discovered she is pregnant. She has asked me if it is safe to remain very low carb while pregnant and I want to be sure to give her the best advice so thought I would ask here. Her midwife says she should eat lots of carbs including wheat, which we are totally against so asking traditional medical specialists is not really an option. I would appreciate any feedback and advice.
Thanks Sue

Hi Sue, there are many here who eat LC while pregnant. I am hoping to concieve and will stay LC durring pregnancy. They've done many tests on the subject and found it to be a much healthier option than the traditional high carb, junk laden fare.

Check out the pregnancy and parenting threads.

Thank you Jacki
 

My only concern is that she gave up bread (which is wonderful) but now she is worried that she hasn't had all the folic acid she needed pre pregnancy and early days. It is so widely believed that folic acid is hard to get naturally. What are your thoughts?
Sue

Take a supplament and don't worry, its to late to change anyting now. The traditional HC food is not nutritionally balanced, I was always told to take a mult and folic acid. Looking back on all of my children (3), I don't know I had concieved tilll I was 4-5 weeks along, 8 with my youngest. I wasn't on mulits, I was dieting hard with my youngest and drinking, and I was all upset that he could have birth defects. My Dr laughed at me, told me his will be just fine, and he was. Most women aren't getting all the stuff the government tells us to take and 60% of the pregnancies are "oopsies" so no ones on prenatals anyway.

At this point, I'd stick with LC, take the prenatals and folic acid and what ever vitamens she wants and let nature take its course. We can't add vitamens that were missed durring the first few weeks, only do the best we can now.

Folic acid is available in leafy greens. The only reason it is in wheat is because they spray it on after processing it. Besides, the phytic acid and lectins in wheat keep you from absorbing much of the nutrition that is in wheat. I'd also take a supplement. You can't really get too much folic acid or B-vitamins, so go ahead and supplement away.

I'd also get my vitamin D3 levels checked and supplement that at 5000 iu a day, depending on what they're at. I think D3 deficiency might be one of the worst things that can happen to a developing child and people have such low levels these days.

Get the book "Wheat Belly" and that should help answer the question whether or not your daughter should eat wheat during her pregnancy.

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/...lic-acid-foods/

We've had some paleo folks eat nothing but meat, veg and fruit during their pregnancies and they had perfect children.

Just think about it... if humans couldn't survive without grains and other high carb products, how did we survive until we invented agriculture? How did Eskimos and those living in the arctic circle manage to have babies?

Yes, low carb is healthy even during pregnancy, but if you do add carbs, add them in the form of higher carb veggies and fruit, not grains.

I should have let you answer her in the first place, Nancy. ;)

Thank you both so much for your awesome replies. I do feel confident now that low carb is safe, I wish I had know about it when I was having my babies! She is taking a multi vit plus folic acid, I will advise her about the D3... Many thanks! Sue

I low-carbed in my pregnancy with my daughter now 12. I also took fish oil supplements. She is thin, academically and musically gifted and has a wonderful personality. Didn't seem to hurt her a bit!

Excellent! I wish my Mom had done it!