Pregnancy is a busy time with lots of preparing and planning. Among the nursery decorating and diaper buying, take time for a healthy lifestyle. What you eat directly affects not just you, but your baby. DishQuo meal planning app works alongside pregnant women, offering 1300+ recipes to manage blood sugar levels and nourish their baby within.
During pregnancy, your doctor monitors your blood sugar levels, checking for gestational diabetes. Anyone can develop it while pregnant, but some women have an increased risk. Women over 25, have a personal or family history of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, are obese or inactive are more vulnerable.
What is gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that only occurs in pregnant women. During pregnancy, the placenta can alter hormone production, including the production of insulin. Insulin helps keep our blood sugar levels in check. When blood sugar levels stay at an unhealthy high level, diabetes can develop. Gestational diabetes typically surfaces between 24-32 weeks into the pregnancy, however it can develop before or after as well.
Who does gestational diabetes affect?
Mom and baby are both affected by gestational diabetes. While it goes away once pregnancy ends, women who develop it during pregnancy increase their risk of type 2 diabetes later in life. Mothers have an increased risk of high blood pressure (preeclampsia) and hypoglycemia. It can also cause complications during birth, c-sections, respiratory problems for the baby and increased preterm birth or stillbirth.
There is good news for mothers with gestational diabetes. You can manage it with diet, blood sugar monitoring, regular exercise and attending your usual doctor appointments.
6 Eating Tips for Gestational Diabetes
1. What To Eat
Eating for balanced blood sugar levels is important. Include lean protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates in all meals and snacks. Lean protein choices include chicken, eggs, fish and turkey. Enjoy healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds and nut butters.
Small amounts of complex carbs throughout the day help manage insulin levels. Complex carbohydrates including fiber are oatmeal, sweet potatoes, fruit, beans and non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, greens, cucumbers and green peppers.
2. What Not To Eat
Pregnancy cravings are real, we get it. But eating a healthy diet while pregnant is important for both your and your baby, with or without gestational diabetes. Avoid fried and processed foods. If you’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you’ll want to refine your meal plan further.
Avoid high sugar foods like juice, soda, pie, cake and candy. These foods spike blood sugar levels, further complicating pregnancy for women with gestational diabetes. Eating carbohydrates is important for energy, digestion and growth of the baby. However, focus on eating complex, non-starchy carbs. Avoid starchy carbohydrates like white rice, white bread, potatoes and boxed cereals low in fiber.
3. When To Eat
Eat small meals, a few hours apart to avoid drastic drops and spikes in blood sugar levels. Eat breakfast and enjoy an evening snack before bed. This reduces the fasting time while sleeping that may cause blood sugar to drop drastically.
4. Spread Out Carb Intake
When you eat carbs is just as important as what kind you eat. Space your complex carbohydrate intake throughout the day. Track your carbohydrate intake by learning how to read food and recipe labels.
Yale Health recommends women with gestational diabetes limit carb intake to 30-45 grams a meal and 15-30 grams for snacks. Be sure to pair your carbs with lean protein and healthy fats.
5. Manage Blood Sugar Levels
If you’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, your doctor may request you to check your blood sugar levels throughout the day. Check your levels first thing in the morning after your body’s been fasting, as well as 1-2 hours after a meal. Keep a food journal to notice which foods spike your blood sugar to avoid those in future meals.
6. Plan and Prep
Plan ahead and prep healthy food to ease the challenge of changing your diet. Meal planning app DishQuo, is a great tool for women who are managing gestational diabetes. DishQuo is a science-backed meal planning app that focuses on managing insulin levels with diet and nutrition.
Your daily choices have a huge impact on you and your baby’s health. Eating a healthy, balanced diet while pregnant is possible. Try DishQuo free for 2 weeks. Download the app on Apple and Google Play.
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