Very simply put gestational diabetes is a medical condition that makes your blood sugar go too high when you are pregnant. This condition begins between 24 and 28 weeks of the pregnancy and appears to be quite a bit like type 2 diabetes or what was once called adult-onset diabetes.
Often gestational diabetes goes away after the baby is born but it does increase the likelihood that you’ll experience type 2 diabetes later in life. Sample diets for gestational diabetes will be very similar to those used for people with type 2 diabetes. Counting or keeping track of the amount of carbohydrates that you eat will become an important part of your nutritional habits.
When we eat our food is metabolized into simple molecules that our body can use. Carbohydrates are metabolized into simple sugars (glucose). These simple sugars are transported into the cells to be used as energy with the help of insulin. During gestational diabetes your body becomes resistant to the effects of the insulin because of the other hormones that are floating around in your system with your advancing pregnancy.
Sample diets for gestational diabetes doesn’t ignore your body’s need for carbohydrates but instead encourages a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats to give your body the energy and calories it needs to nourish your developing baby and keep yourself healthy and strong.
You’ll be carbohydrate counting which means keeping track of the number of carbohydrates you eat each day. Its important that you eat the same number of carbs during the same time of the day, every day. This helps to regulate your blood sugar and keep it within a normal range.
A serving size of carbohydrates maybe smaller than you would anticipate. One serving contains 12 to 15 grams of carbs and is one serving size. So, for instance a serving of carbohydrates would be 1 slice of bread or cup of cereal. Have you measured your cereal in the morning? Its a safe bet we all eat more than a cup. It takes more than one slice of bread to eat a full sandwich. You get the concept here serving sizes are smaller than anticipated.
Sample serving sizes:
- 1 serving of carbohydrates: cup mashed potatoes, pasta, corn, peas; 1/3 cup of rice or beans; bun hamburger, hotdog, English muffin or frozen bagel; 6 saltines
- 1 serving of protein: 3 oz of meat size of a deck of cards; cup cottage cheese; 1 egg; 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 serving of fruit: 2 inch apple; cup applesauce; 1 kiwi
Following a sample diet for gestational diabetes must take into account the additional calories per day (approximately 300) that youll need to grow your baby and put on the appropriate amount of weight to give your baby all of the nutrition he needs.
A carbohydrate isn’t a carbohydrate isn’t a carbohydrate. Carbs that come from processed foods arent as well used and are more calorie dense than those from fruits and vegetables. So, for example the same size vegetable serving (by size) would have less calories and less carbohydrates than a serving of macaroni and cheese. Vegetables have only 5 grams of carbs per serving.
You dietitian will give you a sample diet for gestational diabetes that meets the needs of you and your baby and in accord with your physicians recommendations based on your blood work, weight and goals.
One of the risk factors for developing gestational diabetes is obesity prior to conception. Many of today’s obstetricians recommend that women who are obese (not just over weight) try to gain only 10 pounds during the pregnancy to help decrease the complications at delivery.
Unfortunately one of the side effects of eating less and burning more, thus gaining only 10 pounds in the 9 month pregnancy, is that the body often turns to burning fat and releasing ketones. These ketones can have a negative neurological effect on the developing baby. They can be produced in women who are obese and following a strict diet or who have gestational diabetes that is uncontrolled.
It is important to follow the recommendations of your doctor when you are designing your nutrition during your pregnancy and the sample diet for gestational diabetes that your dietician and physician work out for you.
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