A gestational diabetes meal plan for woman is perfect during gestational diabetes, which mostly occurs between week 23 and 28 of pregnancy. The common symptoms of gestational diabetes are extreme fatigue, hunger, and thirst, but most women are unable to notice such symptoms.
In most of the cases, gestational diabetes go away after delivery.
Gestational diabetes meal plan – Common dietary mistakes that should be avoided
• Skipping meals or not taking a proper diet-Some women think that by limiting their food intake they can keep their blood sugar under control. In most of the cases they avoid nutritious food that is perfect to consume if taken in correct amount. So the correct approach would be to have a gestational diabetes meal plan for the entire day that shows the exact amount of carbohydrates and calories that you need. You need to eat snacks and smaller meals for the proper growth of your baby.
• A well laid out eating plan- Without any eating plan, you may end up consuming too little calories or too much of carbohydrates. This may affect your blood sugar and baby. Instead, you should use a meal planner for the day, like the one provided as a part of gestational diabetes meal plan.
Some dietary precautions for pregnant women
Doctors often treat their patients with a carefully developed gestational diabetes meal plan, as it helps in maintaining the pregnant woman’s blood sugar level within the normal range. It is not difficult to achieve as your diabetes educator or dietitian will guide you in healthy eating habits and the appropriate foods that you should take.
Your gestational diabetes meal plan will suggest you the following:
• Limited consumption of high cholesterol foods such as egg yolk. In most of the cases, the daily consumption of cholesterol should not exceed 350 mg.
• You should start your day with protein rich meal as your blood glucose level is generally low in the morning. This can include meat or a meal full of carbohydrates. A whole grain slice of bread is also good.
• At least ten servings of vegetables and fruits should be taken every day. Whole vegetables and fruits are more nutritious and less in calories than dried fruits and juices.
• You should avoid fatty foods and no more than 12 percent of daily calorie intake should come from saturated fat.
• Increase fiber intake by consuming more dried beans, vegetables, whole grains and fruits.
• Avoid too much of salt in your diet and only purchase food items with reduced sodium content. The prepared foods should have less than 150 mgs of sodium per serving or about five percent of “daily value” on the food label.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages, fruit drinks and soda as they contain high amounts of sugar.
The ultimate goal of a perfect meal plan for gestational diabetes is to keep the blood sugar levels as low as is possible after and in-between the meals. It is not difficult thing to do, provided you learn on the amount, type and timing of your meals throughout the day by following a good gestational diabetes meal plan.
Meal Plan For Gestational Diabetes
A gestational diabetes meal plan is a specially made diet to help control the levels of glucose (sugar) in blood during pregnancy. About 1 in 25 pregnant women are affected by the disease which generally heals after pregnancy. However, it needs to be treated as it poses a danger to both the mother and baby.
Importance of Gestational Diabetes Meal Plan
This condition is treated in two ways: diet only or diet with insulin. Clearly in both cases diet is vital. Too much carbohydrate increases glucose in your system that may lead to still birth.
In addition, the baby may grow too big thus complications during birth. On the flipside, reduced carbohydrate means less energy for work and baby growth. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy to the body.
General Guidelines for Gestational Diabetes Meal Plan
When you eat foods rich in carbohydrate, they are digested and converted into sugar for use by the body. In Gestational diabetes, the body’s ability to control sugar is compromised. As a result, you need to ‘manually’ control sugar through diet. The basic rule here is to eat less food more often. This way, at no time is the body is hyperglycaemic (too much glucose) or hypoglycaemic.
For breakfast, carbohydrate may quickly increase glucose in blood. Consequently, other forms of energy may be useful. Foods rich in protein such as eggs, beef, chicken, ham should be on the higher side at breakfast.
Candies, cakes, soft drinks, refined sugar and other such food are to be avoided completely. These foods contain sugars that are already refined and thus needs very little if any digestion to enter the blood stream. This direct entry into the blood stream will spike blood glucose leading to complications. Foods with none refined carbohydrates on the other hand are digested; glucose is released slowly in blood.
Gestational diabetes meal plan should avoid too many energetic foods being taken at a single sitting. Carbohydrate should be served in form of 3 small meals and snacks throughout the day. To avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) at night a snack should be taken before bed.
Some of the carbohydrates that are best in gestational diabetes meal plan include: whole bread, whole grains and cereals, all types of potatoes, beans, nuts, peas and lentils. Others include fruits, milk and yoghurt. Foods rich in fibers are also good carbohydrates too.
Hopefully this article has not painted carbohydrate in bad light. This group of food is very important in the diet and at no time should they be completely avoided to keep blood glucose low. In gestational diabetes low blood sugar is very dangerous too. A balanced diet should be maintained in gestational diabetes meal plan.
Meal plans in gestational diabetes are created to suit different persons and their lifestyle. Other factors considered include weight before and after pregnancy, glucose level in gestational diabetes and also level of daily activities. Consequently, it is wise to see a dietician for specific advice. For the diet plan tips suggested above, you can see that they are easy to follow. In any case the gestational diabetes meal plan is to be followed for a few months as the disease usually cures after delivery.
