The term "diabetes" refers to diseases that affect the way your body uses and responds to glucose, or blood sugar. Unlike type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which are chronic, gestational diabetes typically starts and ends with pregnancy. While gestational diabetes won't likely cause problems for you, it may harm the health of your unborn infant. Fortunately, gestational diabetes is manageable through healthy dietary changes, regular physical activity and, when necessary, medications.
Enriched Flour
Enriched flour results from a process in which a whole grain is stripped down and ground into a fine powder. As a result, foods made from enriched flour provide less fiber, protein and nutrient content than whole grain foods, and has a more severe impact on your blood sugar. For these reasons, choosing whole grains over enriched flour products is important when faced with gestational diabetes. Common sources of enriched flour include enriched breads, pasta and cold cereals, saltine crackers, pretzels and commercially prepared pizza crust, pie crust, cakes and cookies.
Fatty Meats
Fatty meats contain rich content of saturated fat -- a fat-form linked with obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Because diabetes increases your risk for heart disease, eating a heart-healthy diet, limited in saturated fat is important. Meats particularly high in saturated fat include organ meats, pork ribs, sausage, steak, ground beef, luncheon meats, pork and turkey-based bacon, hot dogs and lamb. When you consume red meat, choose leanest cuts, trim visible fat away and keep your portion-sizes modest. Since gestational diabetes also increases your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, limit fatty meats after pregnancy as well.
Added Sugars
Added sugars are ingredients that add sweet flavor and calories, but few nutrients, to assorted foods and beverages. Similar to enriched flour, added sugars can offset your blood sugar and make it more difficult to manage gestational diabetes symptoms and complications. Adding sugar to your tea, coffee or cereal or sugary jelly to your toast in the morning, for examples, can cause blood sugar spikes. In addition to table sugar, foods and beverages high in added sugars include candy, milk chocolate, regular soft drinks, jam/jelly, pie filling, frosting, pancake syrup and commercially prepared frozen and baked desserts.
Butter and Margarine
Butter and margarine are used in a broad range of prepared foods, and both are served in restaurants and purchased at the grocery store. Butter and margarine contribute saturated fat to your diet and may increase your risk for cholesterol problems and heart disease. People with diabetes should limit trans-fats -- a fat prevalent in margarine. For improved wellness, try replacing butter and margarine with modest amounts of healthy fat sources, such as canola oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Gestational Diabetes
- "Nutrition Through the Life Cycle"; Judith E. Brown, Janet S. Isaacs, U. Beate Krinke; 2007
- MayoClinic.com: Diabetes Diet: Create Your Healthy-Eating Plan
