Shedding pregnancy pounds can be a thrilling side effect of breastfeeding. A woman's body burns through an extra 500 calories a day in order to produce milk according to La Leche League International. This isn't much comfort for many women with postpartum weight that refuses to budge. Because dieting can decrease breast milk production, choosing a weight loss plan that will not compromise infant milk supply can be vexing. While several weight-loss plans are safe during breastfeeding, the popular Atkins Diet -- and similar low carbohydrate diets -- are not recommended during breastfeeding due to potential effects on breast milk supply and composition.
Milk Supply
After milk supply is well established, aiming for weight loss of 2 to 4 pounds per month can trim a woman's waistline without harming her milk supply, states the New England Journal of Medicine. Most women can retain milk supply and gradually lose weight by consuming between 1500 and 1800 calories a day, notes LLL. In contrast, all weight loss phases of the Atkins Diet strive for rapid weight loss at low calorie levels. By putting the body into a starvation-like mode, the Atkins method is prone to decreasing milk supply as the mother's body protects itself against starvation. Additionally, since the diet dehydrates the body and induces low blood sugar, a nursing mom will likely to lose energy, adding more stress to her body's ability to produce milk.
Maternal Health
In addition to feeling physically drained by the Atkins Diet, the diet can jeopardize a breastfeeding mother's nutritional status. By avoiding carbohydrate-rich foods, the diet deprives a nursing mother of a host of vitamin-packed foods, including fruits, most vegetables and whole grains. LLL advises women that inadequate diets may lead to low maternal levels of vitamins A, D, B6 and B12. That's a lot to demand of a body that's manufacturing food for a little human.
Infant Health
The Atkins Diet is designed to put the body into ketosis, a metabolic state in which the body is forced to burn stored fat instead of glucose for energy. The resulting acidic buildup in a mother's bloodstream can spill into her milk supply. Physicians aren't certain how ketones may affect an infant, but registered dietitian Susan Wood has suggested that consuming ketones might affect an infant's growing brain and nervous system. Fat breakdown may also threaten an infant by exposing him to environmental contaminants. Because chemicals and other contaminants are stored in fatty body tissues of the mother, diets that cause significant fat breakdown can release stored contaminants into her bloodstream and breast milk.
Milk Flavor
The foods that a nursing mother eats can influence the flavor of her breast milk. A woman who eats a wide variety of foods allows her nursing infant to sample these food flavors states the article, "Prenatal and Postnatal Flavor Learning by Human Infants." These early exposures to flavors may play a role in shaping an infant's food preferences. Because the Atkins Diet is highly restrictive of fruits and vegetables, a nursing mom will miss this great opportunity to expose her baby to the flavors of many nutritious foods. It's also possible that ketone in breast milk make the milk unpalatable for an infant.
References
- La Leche League International: Maternal Nutrition During Bresatfeeding
- PubMed.gov: The effect of weight loss in overweight, lactating women on the growth of their infants
- La Leche League International: How can I lose weight safely while breastfeeding?
- Topics in Clinical Nutrition: "Use of low carbohydrate diets during lactation"; Susan Wood, RD MS, et al; 2004
- La Leche League International: I am breastfeeding my baby and I want to lose weight. Is a low carbohydrate diet safe for a breastfeeding mother?
- Pediatrics: "Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants"; Julie A. Mennella, PhD, et al; 2001
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