How to Plan a Diet for Gestational Diabetes

A healthy diet plan is not only needed for the treatment of gestational diabetes only but also for various other diseases also so that people could keep fit and healthy. When the pregnant women have high level of blood sugar it is known as gestational diabetes. There are certain tests to be performed for checking the blood sugar level and through these tests only identification of gestational diabetes is possible. Once a pregnant woman is identified with gestational diabetes it is needed to start the treatment fast.  A proper diet for gestational diabetes, exercises and medicines are needed for treating the gestational diabetes. As such it is very difficult to identify the gestational diabetes because there are no such symptoms and the blood test is the only way to identify the high blood sugar level. Pregnancy is a very critical stage in every woman’s life so diet holds a very important role in curing gestational diabetes.

Diet for gestational diabetes is given where there is limited intake of sugar and carbohydrate rich food items.

1. The intake of food items rich in carbohydrates should be limited and it is better to eat whole-grain bread, pasta etc.
2. It is advisable to avoid the foods rich in sugar such as candies, cakes, pastries and better to switch over to fruits which has natural sugar.
3. The snacks in between can be taken in the form of salads, fruits.
4. Raisins, carrot sticks can be taken as snacks
5. Include more of foods which are rich in proteins instead of carbohydrates
6. Fiber is very important for the diet plan for diabetic patients so such foods which have more of fiber should be included in the diet. Legumes, seeds, fruits, vegetables etc. are very good in fiber content.

Though diet for gestational diabetes has to be followed strictly, it is also required to do exercise and keep a watch on the weight gain. Excessive weight gain should be avoided and it is better to consult the doctor regarding this and maintain a regular diet plan of the weight change. Many exercises could not be done by the pregnant women but walking can help in keeping a check on the weight and on the blood sugar level. The pregnant women must walk for some time every day. Usually the gestational diabetes goes off after the child is born but one should not keep it untreated otherwise the gestational diabetes might cause serious health problems in the child and mother both.