Pregnancy: Managing Gestational Diabetes with a Healthy Diet

You Can Do it Yourself!

Gestational Diabetes affects between two and five percent of all pregnancies. Sometimes, a pregnant woman's body stops producing enough insulin, which converts glucose into energy. This creates glucose and carbohydrate intolerance, as carbohydrates convert to glucose in the bloodstream. The best treatment for Gestational Diabetes is a diet plan. Some women will require insulin shots to remain healthy, but most of the time, GD can be managed with dietary changes.

A diet for Gestational Diabetes should be low in simple carbohydrates and sugars. You do need sugar and carbohydrates for a healthy pregnancy, but it is recommended that your intake of them be spread throughout the day. Do not eat too much sugar or carbohydrates at one time. Instead, have a little at every meal and snack.

It is recommended that you have three meals a day with a snack between each one, especially before bedtime. Additionally, you should get plenty of rest and try to exercise a little bit everyday. Eating frequent, small meals will help keep your blood sugar stable, and so will periods of activity and rest spaced apart. Some say that, if they do eat something 'questionable,' exercising will help keep their blood sugar in check.

You should keep your meals under 60g of carbs, and snacks should be 15-30g of carbs each. You need 7-11 servings of carbohydrates a day during pregnancy. Fifteen carbs is one serving. As long as you have two servings at each meal and one at every snack time, you should be getting all of the carbohydrates you need. As long as you don't exceed that by much and space your meals and snacks out, you should be able to maintain balance.

Increase your fat and protein intake, as they counteract sugar. Having some at every meal will help you control our blood sugar. Keep eating the same amounts of other foods and taking your prenatal vitamins. The most important thing is to keep your blood sugar level stable, not too high and not too low.