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The Possible Effects of a Low Carb Diet and Getting Pregnant
from: PregnancyExtra.comOne of the most important aspects of getting pregnant is a healthy diet. Before and after conception, this is key to helping ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby. With the current low carb craze hitting the nation, many women of childbearing age are wondering about the effects of a low carb diet and getting pregnant. Since many of the popular low carb diets are restrictive in terms of certain healthful food groups, it is important to be aware of the benefits and negative effects of low carb.
Maintaining a low carb diet and getting pregnant at the same time may not be the best option for women. Under perfect conditions, a woman should be in excellent physical condition before conceiving a child to help ensure the best possible results. A big part of an excellent condition is nutrition. No one wants to become pregnant and realize that important nutrients and vitamins are missing from their body. Many experts believe that low carb diets are unbalanced and will not be beneficial to the long term health of adults, let alone a growing fetus.
To help support this opinion, researchers at top European universities conducted a study on the effects of children born to mothers who ate a low carb diet while pregnant in the late 1960's. The diet these women followed was similar to the Atkins program most of us are familiar with today. Of the 100 children born to these mothers researchers found an elevated occurrence of abnormal blood sugar levels and higher blood pressure. The theory behind the findings is that an imbalanced diet while pregnant may cause stress to an unborn child. Most of us are aware that early nutrition affects children for the rest of their lives and this study doesn't support the idea of a low carb diet and getting pregnant.
While low carb diets are well known for providing large weight losses in a short period of time, young women who are considering getting pregnant may want to hold off on a low carb diet for awhile. For the sake of the mother and child's health, a simple diet of all of the food groups before and after conception is probably the safest way to go. Most doctors support the idea of a well balanced diet for expecting moms and a low carb diet and getting pregnant doesn't seem to go well with this suggestion.
It is, of course, up to each individual person to determine his or her food choices. The best policy to follow while pregnant is to make healthy choices for the two people involved. A low carb diet and getting pregnant may not go hand in hand for everyone.
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