Modified keto in pregnancy.

What is modified keto?

It is less restrictive than the standard keto diet.

A Regular strict ketogenic diet is not recommended for pregnant woman. This is because your body and

baby need more calories and carbs to properly develop baby and nourish mom’s body.

The modified keto diet can help prevent or heal pregnancy related ailments.

To name a few, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, edema, and anemia.

This diet also helps woman stay within a healthy weight during their pregnancies.

I can attest to eating a modified keto diet during my last three pregnancies and their healing health

benefits.

I have had a history of hypertension in some of my pregnancies. During my first pregnancy I ate whatever I

wanted. I ate with the mindset that I am eating for two. I gained a lot of weight and surprisingly did not

have any health conditions other than swelling in my feet and legs. I do remember having extreme fatigue

throughout my entire pregnancy that was so disabling. In between the Four years before my second child

was conceived, I had two miscarriages. One in the form of an ectopic pregnancy in which I almost died

and had to have one of my fallopian tubes removed surgically.

Shortly after that procedure, I started the ketogenic diet. I found it to be hard at first. I did not give up. My

love for cooking kept me going. It was a fun journey of trying new recipes to see which ones were the

best. There were failures but through those failures there were wins. I felt amazing on this diet, and it

worked for me. I also lost about 50lbs.

Within 6 months of starting the ketogenic diet I got pregnant with my second child. I found it difficult to

maintain the traditional ketogenic diet during this pregnancy. In my first trimester I had food cravings and

aversions which contributed to the challenge of maintaining the traditional keto diet. I ended up eating

more of a low carb diet or modified keto diet.

Despite all the negative criticism around eating this way in pregnancy, I did it anyway and discovered it

worked for me and my baby. I was able to maintain a healthy weight throughout my pregnancy. I also had

moderately more energy than the last pregnancy.

I never had any swelling or gestational diabetes in the second pregnancy, I did however have gestational

hypertension. Which I feel if I did not eat a healthy diet, it could have been much worse than it was. I was

under the care of a nurse midwife, and doctor at this time. I feel if I had the knowledge that I have now

this may have been prevented in the way I approached mine and my baby’s medical care.

I was diagnosed with polycystic kidney and liver disease when my second child was about 6 months old.

This solidified my need to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle.

Moving forward 2 years I got pregnant with my third baby. I hired a midwife for this pregnancy. Which was

a game changer in how I approached my entire pregnancy and birth. I continued to eat a modified keto

diet, which my midwife supported 100%. I exercised throughout this pregnancy and had so much more

energy. I maintained a healthy weight and overall health during this pregnancy.

Today, I am currently 6 months pregnant with my fourth baby. I am eating a modified keto diet during this

pregnancy. For me it is the only wat to go. The health benefits from the modified keto diet are substantial.

Overall, I feel great. I have improved my kidney and liver function. I can maintain a healthy weight and

overall health in my pregnancy due to the modified keto diet. With the help of my midwife and the

modified keto diet, I have improved my overall health during my pregnancies.

Once I have this baby, I will continue a traditional keto diet.

The traditional ketogenic diet is defined by the following macronutrient guidelines:

• 60-75% of total daily calories come from healthy fats.

• 15-30% of total daily calories come from protein.

• 5-10% of total daily calories come from carbs.

The modified keto diet does not have defined macronutrient guidelines. However, the following breakdown

is accepted as modified keto:

• 50-55% of total daily calories come from fat.

• 30-35% of total daily calories come from protein.

• 15-20% of total daily calories come from carbs.

The standard keto diet credits its health benefits, including weight loss, stable blood sugar levels, and fewer

food cravings, to ketosis, which is when the body switches to burning ketones, sourced from fat, instead of

glucose as its primary fuel.

Your body enters ketosis when glucose is not available from your diet and your glycogen stores have been

depleted. The only way to remove glucose from the equation is to eat very few carbs.

For most people following ketogenic lifestyles, which means eating less than 50 grams of carbs per day.

Anything more than that kicks most people out of ketosis and back to burning glucose for fuel.

The modified keto diet incorporates the following heart-healthy diet principles:

• Sourcing most of your dietary fat from plants

• Eating fewer servings of red meat and dairy

• Eating more fish

These guidelines help you eat more healthy, unsaturated fats and fewer saturated fats.

Foods to include on a modified keto meal plan include:

• Fatty fish – salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, anchovies

• Meat – beef, pork, lamb, wild game

• Poultry – chicken, turkey

• Avocados

• Eggs

Dairy – whole milk plain yogurt, full-fat milk

• Nuts – almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews.

• Seeds – flax, chia, sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, sesame

• Healthy cooking oils: Coconut oil, Avocado oil, Extra virgin olive oil, Ghee

• Low-starch veggies: Leafy greens (kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens), Zucchini, Eggplant,

Asparagus, Bell peppers, Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage)

• Lower-sugar fruits: Berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), Citrus (lemons,

limes, grapefruit, clementines), Coconut, Kiwi, Tomatoes

Depending on your unique macronutrient ratio and how many carbs you get from fruit, vegetables, and

dairy, you may be able to include some higher carb foods from time to time such as:

• Higher sugar fruits – watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, bananas, peaches, and plums

• Higher starch vegetables – carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, winter squash,

• Sweet potatoes

• Legumes – beans, lentils

• Quinoa

• Oats

• Wild rice

You will limit or avoid the following foods on a modified keto meal plan:

• Refined grains – white bread, pasta, rice

• Most whole grains

• Most legumes

• Most starchy vegetables – white potatoes, corn, peas

• Breakfast cereals

• Snack foods – crackers, chips, pretzels

• Processed and cured meats – bacon, sausage, salami, lunch meats

• Sweeteners – table sugar, maple syrup, honey

• Sweets – cake, cookies, candy, pastries

• Fruit juice

• Sugar-sweetened drinks – soda, iced tea, energy drinks

• Alcohol

• In pregnancy avoid raw cheese and meats

Resources:

What is the Modified Keto Diet? - Perfect Keto