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Complete Guide: Keto Diet for Post Pregnancy.

A keto diet, also known as a ketogenic diet, is a low-carb (5%), moderate-protein (20%), high-fat ( 70 or 80% ) diet that can aid in weight loss. In short, the keto diet for post pregnancy aims to extract more calories from protein and fat while consuming fewer calories from carbohydrates.

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which the body starts to burn fat for energy when there aren't enough calories to burn. Ketones are chemicals produced by the liver during this process. The ketogenic, or keto diet helps put the body into ketosis to lose more fat. As a result, an increasing number of physicians and healthcare professionals are recommending it.

A ketogenic diet is particularly beneficial for shedding extra body fat and reducing appetite.

Is Keto Diet Safe After Pregnancy?

In your pregnancy, your body has been through a lot. You might have gained a lot of weight during the postpartum period. A healthy ketogenic diet after pregnancy can be considered safe and an effective way to improve both mother and baby's health. You can eat a ketone rich diet to supply adequate nutrients for both you and your child. As long as you are eating enough calories, you can proceed with the keto diet.

Now that we know a bit about the keto diet let's look at some of its benefits after childbirth.

Benefits of Keto Diet After Pregnancy

Weight loss: It is a no brainer that most women gain weight during pregnancy. However, if you want to revert to your pre-baby body, following a keto diet would be perfect. Ketogenic diets can help you in postpartum weight loss by boosting your metabolism and reducing overall appetite. This diet consists of foods that are very filling and which may reduce your food cravings.

Improves acne: Acne is pretty common amongst pregnant women due to hormonal imbalance. Plus, eating a diet high in processed and refined carbohydrates may alter the balance of gut bacteria and may cause blood sugar imbalance, both of which can adversely affect skin health. Following a keto diet postpartum may decrease carbohydrate intake and reduce acne symptoms in some people with ketogenic diets.

Better mental focus: Most women who go through pregnancy are sleep deprived and face mental fatigue. Pregnant and new moms call this "mommy brain" as they struggle to retain memories and are often forgetful.

Following a keto diet will help reduce oxidative stress in the brain, giving your neurons more energy and boosting neurotransmitters that support mental health and improve overall brain function.

Increased HDL (the good cholesterol)
A recent study has shown that cholesterol is critical to brain development for babies. When you follow a keto diet, you eat foods with low-carbohydrate resulting in your liver, producing fewer triglycerides, which may further raise HDL cholesterol levels.

Vegan Keto Rich Foods

It's essential to eat healthy food & follow a good keto diet postpartum. A well-planned vegan keto diet contains all the nutrients that post-pregnant women need.

The vegetarian keto diet eliminates meat and fish, relying on other healthy fats, such as coconut oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds.

Here are some of the vegan food you can eat during your postpartum weight loss:

Non-starchy vegetables:  These kinds of vegetables are the best source of potassium, vitamin K, folate and magnesium. Examples of non-starchy vegetables are spinach, broccoli, celery, mushrooms, kale, cauliflower, zucchini, cucumber and bell peppers.

Healthy fats:  Not all fats are good. Listed here are some of the excellent sources of heart-healthy fats and provide a hefty dose of fibre and essential vitamins. Examples of healthy fat-rich foods are olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, MCT oil, and avocado oil.

Nuts: Including nuts in your postpartum weight loss plan is a great way to boost your intake of healthy fats, plant-based protein, and fiber. Almonds, walnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, pistachios, and Brazil nuts are some of the great options for low-carb diets like keto.

Seeds:  These are some of the excellent sources of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats and fiber. Having chia seeds, hemp, flax, and pumpkin seeds may help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and degenerative brain diseases.

Nut butter:  These nut butter offer the same benefits as eating whole nuts and seeds. Nut butter such as almond, peanut, pecan, and hazelnut butter are good sources of healthy fats—nut butter helps improve cholesterol levels.

Full-fat dairy products: The products like milk, yoghurt, and cheese contain the highest nutrients. These dairy products have saturated fat with bad cholesterol (LDL); it's also a healthy source of good cholesterol (HDL), which can overcome the LDL's adverse effects.

Protein:  These are the source of essential amino acids and must be consumed in food on a daily basis. Keto-friendly plant protein sources include tofu, tempeh, spirulina, natto, and nutritional yeast.

Low-carb fruits (in moderation):  Not all fruits are low in carbs. You can eat berries, lemons, and limes instead of fruits as they are much higher in carbs.

Also, if you are a vegan looking to start your keto journey, check out our  5-days warming weight loss keto cleanse plan today!

Signs That You're Body Is In Ketosis

Bad Breath
When your body produces a high amount of ketone, acetone is exhaled through your breath, resulting in bad breath. Although this smell isn't suitable for social situations, it may be a good indicator of your diet. Many ketogenic dieters brush their teeth many times a day or chew sugar-free gum to fix the issue.

Decreased Appetite
You could be in ketosis if you notice that your cravings are lessening and that you can go longer between meals without feeling hungry.

While the exact reason behind this effect remains a little brighter when on the keto diet.

Enhanced energy
When you start a keto diet, you will experience a drop in energy and performance, which is temporary. You will need less and less sugar as your body begins to burn more ketones for food, and your energy levels will be more consistent throughout the day.

Weight Loss
Ketogenic diets, like low-carb diets in general, are very beneficial for weight loss. During the first week, you will experience rapid weight loss. While some people mistake this for fat reduction, however, this happens because your body uses up all the excess water weight and carbs.

As long as you continue the diet and stay in a calorie deficit, you can begin to lose body fat after the initial dramatic decrease in water weight.

In the beginning, digestive issues such as constipation are common side effects.

Also, eat plenty of low-carb vegetables, which are low in calories but rich in vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients.

If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, check out our  keto weight loss plan.