Gestational Diabetes Diet
A gestational diabetes diet is recommended for women who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. With this type of diabetes, the placenta, which is nourishing the baby releases hormones which cause insulin resistance in the mother, leading to very high blood sugar levels. It is necessary to control these levels with a combination of exercise, a gestational diabetes diet, and usually the use of medication.
If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you should meet with your doctor or diabetic health care provider to come up with a healthy meal plan that is just right for your personal needs. Everyone’s body is different and every woman’s pregnancy is different. However, there are some general guidelines in choosing what types and amounts of food are necessary for someone on a gestational diabetes diet, and most of these also apply to anyone who has diabetes and is trying to eat a healthy diet.
Pregnant women with diabetes should eat a variety of foods throughout the day. The focus is on limiting the amount of carbohydrates consumed as carbohydrates have the most direct correlation to blood sugar levels. Several smaller meals throughout the day are recommended. According to the American Diabetes Association, a diet for someone with diabetes should consist of 3 small-medium meals a day with 2-4 snacks.
A higher number of complex carbohydrates is advised as these metabolize at a slower rate into the bloodstream, meaning that they make the blood sugar rise at a much slower level than other foods. Examples of complex carbohydrates are potatoes, beans, pasta, cereals, rice, breads, and bran. It is also advisable to spread out the number of carbohydrates throughout the day and not save them all up for one meal.
Foods and beverages that contain simple sugars should be used cautiously--these include most sweets and sodas. There are many “no sugar added” foods on the market as well as ones that use sugar substitutes. Other elements of a good gestational diabetes diet are foods high in fiber, and lots of vegetables and fresh fruits.
Breakfast is an important meal and needs wise choices--consuming an egg and whole wheat toast would be a better choice than most cereals and juices. Blood sugar levels are also most accurate when taken in the morning. It is a good habit to have one or two of the daily snacks before bed so blood sugar levels don’t drop to much overnight. Examples of healthy snacks include a piece of fruit, crackers or pretzels.
When you on a gestational diabetes diet, you will need to keep track of the amounts of the different kinds of foods you eat each day and your blood sugar levels at different times of the day. There are a couple different systems that are used--one is carbohydrate counting, which will have a designated number of carbohydrates and a set total for the entire day. Another version is the Exchange System, which is based on the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s pyramid of foods. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are all broken down into equal units. You need to eat a certain number of units of each kind of food group throughout the day. You can also exchange one food unit for another at a meal, as long as by the end of the day you have eaten the right number of units of every food.
Whichever method is used, a gestational diabetes diet usually includes a higher number of overall calories than a typical diabetes diet because the baby consumes a certain amount of calories each day as well. Being diagnosed with gestational diabetes is no longer the concern it once was, because as long as the mother’s diet is managed well, along with medication and exercise, both mother and baby should be doing just fine.