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Low Carbs and Pregnancy - Part 1

The Great Debate
-- By Becky Hand, Licensed and Registered Dietician

As a prenatal dietitian, I am constantly asked about low carbohydrate diets. Are low carb diets safe during pregnancy? Can a low carb diet help prevent too much weight gain during pregnancy? Are carbs bad for me? The list goes on and on. I know that radio, television, diet books, and magazines have given a lot of attention to the no or low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets.

Let's check out the facts:

The Truth About Carbohydrates
  • Carbohydrates are the ideal fuel for most body functions. It supplies the body with the energy needed for the muscles, brain and the central nervous system. In fact, the human brain depends exclusively on carbohydrates for its energy.
  • Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy products, foods made from grain products, and sweeteners such as sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup.
  • The body converts the digestible carbohydrate into glucose, which our cells use as fuel. Some carbs (simple) are broken down quickly into glucose while others (complex) are broken down and enter the bloodstream more gradually. Some glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles for future use. If there is extra glucose, it is converted into body fat. That means the faster that carbs are converted to glucose, the more that eventually converts to fat.
The Body's Immediate Reaction To Very Low Carbohydrate Diets 

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Member Comments About this Article
"I think this was helpful. This sight is to bring helpful general information. It's not to take the place of what your Dr wants you to do. Too many of you just sound angry or argumentative. I have found this site to inform women who are not informed. To help women have healthy pregnancies. Of course, you can have different viewpoints, like arguing what's better for you, vegan, vegetarian, paleo or what ever other diet there is. Everyone is different, that's why this article pertains to those wom..." -- BLESSEDBY2
"Well this is rather irrelevant for people who follow Atkins, because you do eat vegetables, and fruits, and nuts and some grains. I would be interested in an article that covers that information." -- 5-AND-COUNTING
"ketones have not been conclusively proven to be dangerous, neither have they proven to be benign, and there is a fair amount of data linking significant amounts to problems in the baby. It seems safest at this time to err on the side of safety and carefully test for and avoid ketones. Here is some information with some cited research -- Ketones

" -- TANYA_BABYFIT
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About The Author
Becky Hand
Becky is a registered and licensed dietitian with almost 20 years of experience. She teaches prenatal classes and counsels individuals, helping women eat right and stay fit before, during and after their pregnancies.
Becky Hand

 


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