If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes then you need to follow special dietary guidelines in order to control your blood glucose levels. These guidelines are similar to other forms of diabetes, but they will be customized by your doctor based on your activity level, body weight and the stage of your pregnancy.
Definition
Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that is diagnosed during pregnancy. According to the American Diabetes Association, it can lead to your baby developing diabetes later in life and can cause other health problems during the birth process. Gestational diabetes can occur even if you do not have diabetes before you become pregnant, and the exact cause of gestational diabetes is not understood. If you have gestational diabetes during your pregnancy, the condition will subside after pregnancy, but will put you at risk for developing diabetes later in life.
Diet Guidelines
The main problem with all forms of diabetes is that you have trouble regulating your blood glucose because your body is not able to produce or use the insulin hormone correctly. Insulin is responsible for controlling glucose when it spikes in the blood after meals. If you are not able to control your levels, the high glucose levels can lead to nerve damage and can cause other serious problems in your body like kidney problems. Therefore, the main guideline to follow if you have gestational diabetes is to eat a healthy diet that does not cause spikes in your blood glucose. This is accomplished by eating natural and healthy foods while avoiding processed foods and foods that are high in sugar.
What You Should Eat
Your diet will be customized by your doctor or dietitian and will focus on eating healthy forms of carbohydrate, protein, fat and foods that have ample amounts of vitamins and minerals. The best way to accomplish this is to eat a variety of foods with the main sources from fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables provide the essential nutrition that your body needs to function properly and include all the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that you need. They also provide fiber and are healthy forms of carbohydrates. Other forms of healthy carbohydrates include whole grains. For protein, your meals will include lean meats like poultry and fish. Fish are also a source of healthy unsaturated fat called omega-3 fatty acids, which provide essential nutrition and can decrease your risk for heart disease. Other forms of healthy fat come from vegetable oil like olive oil and from nuts and seeds. The most important part of your diet is what you do not eat. You should avoid refined carbohydrates like white bread and white rice as well as processed foods with trans fat. Your diet should also avoid large amounts of saturated fat from red meat and other animal products. Sugar drinks and any food with a large amount of sugar can cause spikes in your glucose and should also be avoided.
Considerations
If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy, your doctor will work with you to design a special diet that will help you regulate your blood glucose levels. The diet will follow the guidelines listed above and the portion size and timing of the meals will also be set to avoid sustained changes in glucose levels. In addition to diet, you will be asked to exercise and test your glucose and you may be given medication.
