Best pregnancy diabetes diet

You need to have a pregnancy gestational diabetes diet plan in place if you are a diabetic mother. Diabetes affects a significant percentage of the population in developed nations. For most people, it is a lifestyle disease caused by stress, lack of exercise and starchy food. Many are born with diabetes, and hand the genes to their children as well. Whichever kind of diabetes you have, you need proper pregnancy gestational diabetes diet to ensure that your pregnancy does not suffer from any complications.

 

The aim of a good pregnancy gestational diabetes diet is to ensure that you do not have to resort to insulin injections till it becomes absolutely necessary. Many women develop diabetes during pregnancy. They need to cut down on sugar and starchy food in their diet. A pregnancy gestational diabetes diet is different from the best pregnancy diet for women without diabetes. Take care of your calorie levels, and how much you are consuming daily as fats, sugar etc.

Eating Right

Your doctor might direct you to a nutritionist who specializes in diabetic nutrition. You need to watch what you eat, since excess sugar can send your blood sugar levels rocketing. The pregnancy gestational diabetes diet has to be fine-tuned to your specific needs, so it is important to keep in constant touch with your doctor, and inform him about any changes in your diet plan.

Eating for two does not mean doubling your food intake. It means ensuring that you get the right amount of calories to build tissues for yourself and your baby. Pregnancy is a time when your body changes rapidly; proper diet ensures that your body can cope with those changes.

What To Eat

 

A proper pregnancy gestational diabetes diet supplies around 300 calories to the mother per day. This is the minimum she needs to build new tissues and help the baby grow. The calories need to come from proteins and carbohydrates, but not sugar. After the first trimester, you need 300 calories more per day since your baby is growing bigger. More than that, you need to keep in mind the specific mineral and other dietary needs.

 

Have plenty of whole grain products, dairy, fruits and vegetables. Cut down on red meat and instead eat fish and white meat products. Avoid fatty and starchy food, as these can make your diabetes worsen.

Women looking for a weight loss diabetic diet still need to eat cereals and fruits to gain weight in order to build new tissues. It is not advisable to lose weight when you are pregnant, since the loss of fat from the body might cause toxic substances to be released that can harm the fetus.

What Not To Eat

As a diabetic woman, you need to take special care of your diet. Pregnancy diabetic diet should not be high on sugar. Sugar can make diabetes worse or give rise to pregnancy related diabetes. Avoid cakes, desserts, jam, pies etc. and cereals containing too much sugar.

A good pregnancy gestational diabetes diet supplies you with essential nutrients without overloading your system with too much sugar.