Lemon in water during pregnancy to reduce weight?

by Fiza
(Dubai)

A pregnant woman drinking water

A pregnant woman drinking water

QUESTION:

Is it good to drink lemon water during pregnancy to reduce weight and lessen the food craving and heart burn?

Worst situation with me is that all day long I have food cravings, my mind is mostly planning what to eat next???

So I keep joining gym but now due to pregnancy I left the gym and stay at home with one hour early morning walk.

But my weight is increasing day by day.

So I decided to have heavy breakfast in the morning then whole day take a sip of ground one big lemon with 500ml water.

After breakfast I don't eat anything other than lemon juice till next day.

I want to know would it be healthy and safe for me and fetus to drink lemon water the whole day, every day.

ANSWER:

Since this site is for educational purposes only, I cannot advise you, especially during pregnancy. You should definitely consult your health practitioner.

However, in general I will say from my personal experience as a nutritionist that any type of fasting or diet restriction during pregnancy is generally not a good idea.

In fact, I highly recommend to pregnant women to eat small amounts of healthy food every couple of hours to regulate blood sugars and keep hormone levels balanced.

It is absolutely critical during pregnancy to get adequate intake of healthy fats, such as nuts, nut butters, avocados, olives, olive oil, and fish that are rich in omega-3 fats, including salmon, anchovies, and sardines.

Your Fetus Needs Fats

I learned in the study of embryology that the outer membrane of the embryo forms the brain and nervous system, as well as the skin of the baby.

In addition, the membrane of every cell in our body is composed of essential fats. The most essential fat for brain and nervous system development is Omega-3s, and specifically DHA.

For this reason, many doctors will recommend a DHA supplement (a fish oil supplement that has a higher concentration of DHA than EPA) to pregnant women to ensure that the brain and nervous system of the fetus develops normally.

And here’s the part that relates to your questions and concerns about food cravings and weight loss.

In order to burn fat in the body, you have to eat moderate amounts of these healthy fats.

I know that might be hard for some people to believe, but it is absolutely true and I have experienced it firsthand in my consulting business with numerous weight loss clients.

In addition, when you eat fat and burn fat in the body, your unhealthy food cravings will diminish because fat is very satisfying.

Sugar and Starch Are the Problems

Your body will either burn sugar for fuel or it will burn fat for fuel. Fat is a much cleaner-burning fuel. It will leave far less metabolic waste in the body than sugar.

Sugar burning is the problem! It causes the food cravings, excess weight gain, and hormonal imbalances including mood changes. Excess sugar in the body converts to fat!

Our bodies burn primarily sugar when we eat excess animal protein (especially red meat), starchy carbohydrates (especially breads and snack foods), and all forms of sugar (including hidden sugars found in almost every type of processed food, including canned vegetables, cereals, grains, etc.)

Dietary Recommendations for Pregnancy

So here are my general recommendations for a daily healthy eating plan for pregnancy:

Eat moderate amounts of lean protein (such as wild fish, and grass fed, hormone free turkey and chicken)

Eat moderate amounts of healthy fats (such as avocados, almonds, almond butter, other nut butters, olives, olive oil, coconut oil, salmon, anchovies, sardines)

Eat an abundance of fresh vegetables (a daily salad, steamed or sautéed vegetables, vegetable juices, raw finger veggies) and a smaller amount of fruit (especially berries and other seasonal fruit).

Limit the amount of starchy carbohydrates, including breads, pastas, grains, muffins, snack foods such as chips and cookies. Instead, eat a minimal amount of high-fiber, low-starch bread, crackers, or tortillas with your food or in between meals for a snack.

For example, a healthy snack might be a couple of high-fiber crackers (such as Wasa or Ryvita brand) with one-fourth avocado or almond butter spread on top. This type of snack will satisfy your body's need for calories, protein and fat. The high-fiber cracker will less likely convert to sugar.

Eating this way will give the developing baby optimal nutrition and not cause excessive weight gain for mom.

As always, if you have specific health conditions, consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.

However, I believe it is critical during pregnancy to not focus on weight gain. You will gain weight and that is perfectly normal!!

If you can focus strictly on giving your developing baby the best possible nutrition through the food you eat, minimizing all junk food, especially sugars, starchy food, fried food, processed food, excess animal protein, you will gain just the right amount of weight your body needs to nourish the baby and prepare for child birth.

And you will be far less likely to gain extra, unhealthy weight that your body does not need. Or weight that would be hard to lose after the baby is born.

Lemon in Water During Pregnancy

As for drinking lemon in water during pregnancy, I would recommend no more than one-fourth lemon in 8 to 12 ounces of water once or twice a day.

However, even this much may be too much for some women who are not used to drinking lemon water since it does have a cleansing effect, which would not be advisable during pregnancy.

Thus, if a pregnant woman did not already drink lemon water regularly (before pregnancy), I would not recommend adding it to a daily diet without consulting her doctor.

I hope this helps somewhat . . .

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