AboutTanya Zilberter, PhD Expertise I am in neurophysiology, nutrition and dieting academic research since 1972 (PhD in Physiology) and on the Internet since 1995. Developed the Banta Diet program based on macronutrient balance using the Wilder's formula (1922). I granted the non-exclusive reprint rights to the current owner of BantaDiet.com under the condition of free online access to the program.
Experience Authored 3 academic print books and two popular diet print books as well as about a hundred scientific and popular articles
Organizations I currently do my research on neuroprotective effects of foods and diets. The site where this can be read is Brain Fuels
Diet eBooks (contact me for free copies)
LOW-FAT to LOW-CARB Rotation Diet
Complete Banta Diet jump-start
Dr. Shatalova and Her Very Low Calorie Diet
Alternative medicine eBook
On Pins and Needles of Why Children Rub Their Bruises (Free information based on this eBook can be found at Reflexo-therapy.com)
Education/Credentials PhD in Physiology
Past/Present Clients I wrote for about.com as a guide to the category "weight loss", for the lifetips.com as an expert in the category "diet", for the dietandbody.com, infozine.com, atkinszone.com, and bantadiet.com. My eBook "On Pins and Needles" is used as a content by the reflexo-therapy.com.
Question I would like to drop some weight however i am still breastfeeding my son (five months old) whats a good way to dite but still getting enough calories to make healthy breast milk for my baby?
Answer There are two major reasons to be concerned about going on any diet while breastfeeding, especially nursing a newborn:
1. Will your baby have all necessary nutrients on ANY restrictive diet?
2. Will your body sustain the restrictions?
Specifically on Atkins diet, there are two additional concerns:
1. being dehydrated and straining your kidneys;
2. getting ketone bodies in your milk and to your baby.
It's easy to protect yourself from dehydration: drink plenty of water and reduce your sodium intake. As to the ketones, There's no reason to be worried. Breast milk, with its high-fat, low-carb content, is ketogenic for the baby NATURALLY.
Before your baby was born, ketones were natural food for her or him. As soon as your baby starts suckling, he or she actively maintains the state of ketosis:
"During late gestation, free fatty acids are used for ketogenesis by the mother, and ketone bodies are used as fuels by the fetus. During the perinatal period an active ketonemia develops, which is maintained in the suckling newborn." -- Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2000 May-Jun;16(3):202-10
I think the best answer is that given by Dr. Atkins himself. During his interview to Power Surge in AOL "Odeon" Auditorium, the first question was: Is your diet safe to use while breastfeeding a newborn?
Dr. Robert Atkins: The diet is quite safe for breastfeeding; however, weight loss will be painfully slow because of the hormones involved in supporting breastfeeding.
There's anecdotal evidence that new mothers successfully do Atkins with one or both precautions:
1. omitting the induction phase;
2. waiting until the baby can eat solid food plus to the breast milk.
Authored 3 academic print books and two popular diet print books as well as about a hundred scientific and popular articles