You Shouldn’t Diet During Pregnancy

There has been a lot of research done on the effects of a woman’s weight prior to becoming pregnant and the experts agree that your ideal weight is also the ideal weight for your pregnancy. However, one you have become pregnant, it is time to stop dieting.

This has been confirmed by an expert in women’s weight management at Cleveland Clinic, Karen Cooper, D.O.:

“Dieting may help with the imbalance of your hormones and allow you to conceive more successfully, however during your time of pregnancy there are essential nutrients you need and your baby needs for proper growth.”

This is actually very common sense, when you think about it. The food you eat is the main source of your nutrition during pregnancy, meaning that it is also the food that is sustaining the life inside of you. If you restrict the amount of nutrients that you gain through food, this can only have detrimental effects on your pregnancy and the health of the fetus.

Moreover, the National Institute of Health clearly states that pregnant women should eat at least 300 extra calories than they used to prior to the pregnancy.

One of the worst things that can happen during the pregnancy is to actually lose weight. Cooper warns:

“We really don’t want to see a lot of weight loss during pregnancy. We want to ensure that you are doing your best during pregnancy and so is the baby.”

This is also the reason why pronounced morning sickness during pregnancy needs to be addressed and monitored closely so as not to endanger the pregnancy.

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