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Subject:
From:
Jane Hedges <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 3 Sep 1999 16:35:16 -0400
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Here is what La Leche League International has to say with regards to the
Atkins Diet while breastfeeding. Hope this helps add some insight to the
matter!

Since your baby is over two months old [BE SURE THIS IS TRUE], and your
body has mostly recovered from childbirth and
your milk supply is well established, losing weight gradually should not
present a problem in either the quality or the quantity of
your breastmilk. Gradual weight loss (done by lowering calorie intake by
about 25%) is considered to be about one pound per
week and has not been shown to affect a mother's milk. Research has shown
that 1800 calories per day is the minimum for a
lactating mother, including a well-balanced selection of foods that are
high in nutritional value and perhaps a vitamin and mineral
supplement. Moderate exercise, as always, is recommended in tandem with
calorie reduction.

From THE BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, page 380: "When a breastfeeding mother
does not get the nourishment
she needs, she runs the risk of using up her own nutritional stores to
provide for her baby's nourishment, although her milk will
still be best for her baby. Depleting her own reserves may lower her energy
level and her resistance to illness." Only you can
decide whether the Atkins diet is nutritionally sound, from your knowledge
of the diet and how it is purported to work to aid in
weight loss. Your health care provider may have information that can help
you to decide whether that particular diet is
nutritionally sound for *anyone*, not only lactating women.

Jane Hedges
La Leche League Leader in Prince George, BC

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