If you’re a new mom and choose to breastfeed, you might have a hundred and one questions about it, and what you should be eating, drinking and doing while nursing.
You might also be keen to get back your pre-baby figure, so you might be thinking of adjusting your diet to allow you to shed a few pounds. But what’s safe to eat while you are breastfeeding, and is it even okay to go on a diet?
The ketogenic diet is becoming increasingly popular. But is it safe to follow when you’re breastfeeding? The keto diet involves eating a low-carb, high-fat diet. Not much research has been undertaken about the safety of the diet during lactation.
However, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study in 2009 comparing the effects of a high-fat diet with a high-carbohydrate diet in breastfeeding women.
The study found that there was no difference in milk protein content, lactose content, or milk volume between the two diets.
Experts advise that if you want to follow the keto diet while nursing, adjust it so that you have a maintenance level of carbohydrate intake for best milk production.