Diabetes during Pregnancy or gestational diabetes only occurs in pregnant people. You can’t get gestational diabetes unless you’re pregnant.
Gestational diabetes means high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy or is first recognized when you are pregnant.
What causes diabetes during pregnancy?
Due to hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy, the way that your body uses insulin changes. Insulin is a hormone that allows your cells to absorb and use glucose, or sugar, to refill energy reserves.
A mother’s body becomes more resistant to glucose when she is pregnant, so that the baby gets it instead. Sometimes, your body stops responding to insulin altogether or doesn’t make enough of it to sustain your body. This can lead to an excess of sugar in your blood causing gestational diabetes.
It is very important to maintain nutrition if you have developed gestational diabetes and keep things under control. If not, it can lead to serious long term damages for both the baby and the mother.
Want to know what not to eat with pregnancy diabetes? Here’s some recommendations on food choices and diabetic pregnant diet plan from us:
1. Eat 3 meals and 2–3 snacks per day
Avoid eating huge meals if you’re feeling hungry all at once. It can cause your blood sugar levels to go too high. Eat smaller meals instead and have snacks in between meals. It is completely normal for your portion sizes to go up more than usual during pregnancy, because you are sustaining not just yourself but another life inside of you.
2. Measure your servings of starchy foods
Having some form of starchy food at every meal is a good idea. But, avoid foods that are high in glycemic index (GI)., as these can shoot up your blood sugar too quickly for you to manage. Sweet potatoes, wholegrain bread, whole-wheat pasta and basmati, brown or wild rice are good options. They are full of fibre and keep you full for longer amounts of time.
3. Milk in moderation
Sugar from milk is absorbed quickly because it is a liquid. Milk is an excellent source of calcium. However, take care to drink it in moderation, not more than a glass at a time. Having too much milk at one time can lead to high blood sugar. It is best to limit milk to one cup at a time.
4. Include more fibre foods
Try to include more of beans, lentils, whole grain bread and pasta, oats and millet in your diet for diabetes during pregnancy. These foods are high in fiber and help to keep you full for longer and your blood sugar levels lower than when you eat refined grains such as white bread and white rice.
5. Start your day right
Pregnancy hormones are very strong, especially in the morning. They can make your blood sugar levels shoot to dangerous highs even before you eat breakfast.
Cereals, fruits and milk are terrible breakfast choices because they can make your blood sugar levels rise rapidly during mornings.
Have a nutritious breakfast of whole grains along with a protein food. Your diabetes in pregnancy diet menu during mornings can include idli sambhar, upma, vegetable dalia, masala oats, sprouts salad, poha, besan chilla, etc.
6. Avoid artificial fruit juice and sugary drinks
Fruit juice is extremely high in natural sugar. Your blood sugar levels climb peaks quickly because it is a liquid and doesn’t take long to digest. Avoid regular sodas and sugary soft drinks for the same reason. Make do with plain water for the duration of your pregnancy.
7. Strictly limit sweets and desserts
Desserts and sweets are very high in sugar and fat content but provide little to no actual nutrition. So, stay miles away from cakes, cookies, candies, pastries and other desserts.
8. Stay away from artificial sugars foods
Your sugar levels are already on the rise. Avoid having foods with artificial sugar to make matters worse. You are ok to use tese sweeteners in very limited quantity:
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Acesulfame K
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Sucralose
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Stevia
Get more specific diabetes during pregnancy diet plan recommendations as per your nutritional requirements from your doctor.
