This article covers the basics of gestational diabetes and guidelines to help pregnant women to eat a healthy diet to keep their blood sugar levels controlled.
Gestational diabetes is a special kind of diabetes developed by 2-5% of moms-to-be. Unless the blood glucose level is extremely high, doctors generally would not advise the use of medication. With a proper gestational diabetes diet plan and exercise routine, your blood sugar level can be controlled. And most pregnant women's blood glucose level will return to normal after birth.
Basics Of A Gestational Diabetes Diet
A balanced diet is important for women with gestational diabetes. With the advice of your physician or dietician, you can first determine the total calorie requirement for your daily diet, based on your age, body weight, height, activity levels, and the phase of your pregnancy.
Then you should know how to get the right balance between carbohydrates, protein, and fat in your diet.
As a general rule, you should choose foods that are high in fiber such as whole-wheat bread, cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruits. These foods contain “healthy” carbohydrates as they are digested and absorbed more slowly by your body. This can help control you blood sugar after a meal. These foods should form the foundation of what you eat daily.
What To Eat For Gestational Diabetes
Whole-wheat breads, rice, pasta are good choices of carbohydrates as these are the healthy carbs which are beneficial for maintaining a stable blood glucose level. They contain high fiber levels and are also good for your digestive system.
Vegetables including all leafy greens and yellow vegetables are rich in dietary fiber. For example, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflowers and bell peppers are all good choices as they are also filled with vitamins and minerals.
Fish is a good choice of protein as they contain more healthy unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 that are beneficial for you and your baby's development.
Vegetable oils are also good sources of unsaturated fats that are essential for your health. Olive oil (cold pressed, extra virgin), grape-seed oil, oils from raw nuts are all good choices.
For fruits, try to choose those with a relatively low sugar level, such as green apples, pears, peaches, berries, grapefruits, oranges and so on. Fruits such as watermelons and banana contain relatively higher sugar levels and therefore should be taken in limited amount. Fruits are best eaten with a meal for 1 to 2 servings a day. If your blood glucose is unstable, you may want to eat cucumber, tomatoes instead of fruits.
What Foods To Avoid (or eat less of)
In general, you should avoid or restrict your intake of foods containing simple sugars such as soft drinks, fruit juice, fruit tea, chocolates, and most desserts. These foods are quickly broken down into glucose, enter your blood stream, and then raise your blood sugar levels.
If you are really craving for sweet foods, consult your doctor to see if you can eat foods containing artificial sweeteners.
You should also limit your intake of unsaturated fats. Choose lean meat instead of fatty ones. Trim off any visible fats before cooking.
Milk contains high levels of lactose, a simple sugar, so if you should control your consumption of milk to 1 to 2 glasses daily. As an alternative, you can reduce your sugar intake by drinking milk formulated for diabetes.
Diet For Gestational Diabetes
Although you want to control your blood sugar levels, this does not mean you should compromise your nutrient needs. You should be eating a diet that provides enough calories and nutrients for you and your baby. At the same time you need to achieve a healthy weight gain during pregnancy.
The nutritional needs of pregnant women with gestational diabetes and women with normal blood sugar are the same. However, you must pay more attention to the caloric intake, the ratio of nutrients (food groups), and meal times.
The following is a ratio and guideline widely recommended by dieticians and is a helpful guide for your to build your own diet:
Intake of carbohydrate-based calories should account for 50-60% of your daily calories
Intake of protein should account for 15-20%
Intake of fat should account for 25-30%
Eat small meals, or 5 to 6 meals a day (note: the purpose of breaking down your meals is to help keep your blood sugar stable)
Your breakfast should make up for 10-15% of your total daily calories requirement
Your lunch and dinner should each account for 30%
Your snacks throughout the day should each account for 5-10 %
