As soon as babies are born, they’re in ketosis and breastmilk is around 60% fat. Think about this for a minute. If babies are born fueled with ketones and surviving on a diet then why can’t you? It’s important to breastfeed, and it’s understandable you don’t want to risk harming them. The good news is that you can still follow a keto diet while breastfeeding and here is how you can do it.
1. Get a head start Your body needs to adjust to the keto diet by getting over keto-flu and becoming fat-adapted. Breastfeeding is hard, and the last you want is to be suffering from keto-flu at this point. It’s best that your body learns now how to use ketones for fuel so when you do become pregnant, give birth and breastfeed, your body will have an easier time processing the changes. 2. Drink Water Should you find that you are not producing enough milk, could be that you are not getting enough water. You need to be drinking more water than before especially while you’re on the keto diet. Producing breast milk and water loss from labor alongside hydration from the keto diet will require you to drink a lot more water so keep a few bottles of spare wherever you go. 3. Take Extra Nutrients To avoid headaches, lack of energy or dizziness, it’s important to take on aboard enough vitamins. There are a wide of variety of supplements available that you can take if you’re not getting enough of a certain vitamin.
4. Eat High-Quality fat Having enough energy for yourself and your baby is very important and to make sure you are producing enough milk, you need to be taking on enough fats. The amount of calories you need to consume is 80% fat, and the remained 20% coming from fat and protein. 5. Take on fiber and vegetables You need to be getting your fair share of antioxidants to improve your health as well as that of your baby. Fiber contains a high amount of antioxidants, and you get your fiber from some healthy vegetables. Not too much thou as you may throw yourself out of ketosis and the worst thing you want to do is start all over again.
6. Avoid strict-keto, go low-carb If you’re struggling with producing enough breast milk, it could be that you’re not getting enough carbohydrates. Start with 100g of carbs per day and lower the amount gradually but also take note of how much milk you’re producing to find your sweet spot. You can get your carbs from berries, nuts, and vegetables. Avoid foods that are high in carbs like paste, junk food, and bread. There is no one size fits all here. Everyone had different bodies and went through different pregnancies. Use the tips above as a guide only and make adjustments as you progress. You can go keto while breastfeeding so ignore everything you heard and enjoy a healthy lifestyle that you will cherish with your body forever.