Is Paleo Diet Safe During Pregnancy?

If you’re wondering what paleo diet is, it is the diet that implies consumption of healthy foods and cutting down on farmed and processed foods. As you might have guessed already. The paleo diet means eating in the manner of the caveman. If you are expecting, it is extremely important to eat a variety of healthy foods and cut down on junk and processed foods. However, eliminating dairy and carbohydrates totally will be unsafe for you and the baby as well. It is recommended to hold off on going to the paleo diet if you are pregnant. It’s not as simple, though, as experts widely differ in their opinions on whether pregnant should go on paleo diet. Some believe that the paleo diet helps to lower the risk of anemia as the diet includes a sufficient amount of iron. The best way is to modify your paleo diet when you are expecting and consulting your medical practitioner who will be your best guide.

Risks of paleo diet during pregnancy

In the paleo diet, a high-protein diet is taken and the consumption of carbohydrates is lowered. If pregnant women continue with the paleo diet, there will be chances of specific risks. Research has shown that women who increase the consumption of fish and meat during pregnancy gave birth to children who, in their later life, suffered from blood pressure. Consuming low amounts of carbohydrates when you are pregnant will result in the low birth weight of the offspring.

In the paleo diet, you are not asked to completely cut off carbohydrates from the diet. You are instead asked to lower their consumption. Thus, you can eat vegetables and fruits.

Modifying the paleo diet during pregnancy

Include healthy carbohydrates like berries and sweet potatoes in your diet. Consume almond milk as it has the same amount of vitamin D and calcium as that in cow’s milk. A tumbler of coffee, health drinks or chai can be consumed with almond milk. However, you should always consult your doctor when modifying your diet during pregnancy.