Gestational Diabetes Diet
|
Gestational diabetes pregnancies are quite a common occurrence. If this should happen to you, your doctor will most likely have you meet with a nutritionist to set up a gestational diabetes diet for you to follow through the rest of your pregnancy. It could be that just by following the eating plan faithfully, you will be able to avoid such treatments as daily insulin injections. There are some basic guidelines to follow. One word to remember is Balance. |
You will need to balance your meals as well as your caloric and carbohydrate intake everyday. Work any snacks in around your meals so that they are evenly distributed and not right on top of a meal.
You should not skip meals when you are on a gestational diabetes diet. This only makes you hungry and tempts you to overeat at your next meal, or snack too heavily. Eating close to the same times each day will help manage your blood sugar.
Start your day with a good breakfast. In the morning is when your blood sugar is most apt to be unstable. You might try a breakfast of a small bowl of cereal, with milk, and something high in protein. This will stabilize your blood sugar and get you off to a good start for the rest of the day.
Foods high in fiber, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain cereals and bread, and dried beans are very good for you. Work these into your daily meal plan for your gestational diabetes diet. These are foods that take longer to break down once eaten and could keep your blood sugar down immediately following your meal.
Limit your intake of soda, fruit juice, sweet tea, or desserts. These contain a high sugar content which will send your blood sugar sky rocketing. There are alternative sweeteners for people who cannot have sugar. You will need to speak to your doctor or nutritionist regarding your options.
Since regular milk contains sugar, you will need to switch to low fat or even skim milk for the duration of your gestational diabetes diet. If this does not work for you, check into some other alternatives for the calcium that you will need during your pregnancy. Your doctor or nutritionist will be able to help you with this.
Following the above suggestions will help both you and your baby remain healthy through your pregnancy and delivery. It may be a nuisance to have to limit what you eat for now, but the end result will be worth every annoying moment.
