Gestational Diabetes
Diet
Gestational diabetes mellitus refers to diabetes that is
first recognized or diagnosed at any stage during pregnancy.
Three to twelve percent of all pregnant women will develop
gestational diabetes between week 24 and 28 of their
pregnancies. The usual symptoms of gestational diabetes are
extreme thirst, hunger, fatigue, but many pregnant women are
not able to notice these symptoms. However, gestational
diabetes usually goes away on its own after delivery, in most
cases.
Doctors are known to treat their patients with a carefully
controlled gestational diabetes diet, in order to maintain the
pregnant woman's blood sugar level within the normal range for
pregnancy. To achieve this, your dietitian or diabetes educator
will teach you about healthy eating and the appropriate food
that your should consume. Your gestational diabetes diet plan
will probably include the following:
- Limit your intake of foods that are high in
cholesterol, such as egg yolks. Consume no more than
300 mg of cholesterol a day.
- Consume no less than 10 servings of fruits and
vegetables each day; whole fruits and vegetables are
more nutritious and less calorie-dense than juices and
dried fruit.
- Avoid foods that are high in fats; no more than 10
percent of your total daily calorie intake should come
from saturated fat. Try to buy prepared foods with less
than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving.
- Boost your fiber intake by eating whole grains,
dried beans, fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid taking too much salt and try to buy
reduced-sodium items when possible. Look out for
prepared foods with less than 140 mg of sodium per
serving or 5 percent of the "daily value" for sodium on
the food label.
- Reduce the intake of alcoholic beverages to a
minimum. Soda and fruit drinks, which usually contain
high content of sugar, should be avoided as well.
The goal of your gestational diabetes meal plan is to keep
your blood sugar level as close as possible after and between
meals. To keep control of your blood sugar levels, you will
have to learn how to be consistent in the type, amount and
timing of the meals you eat throughout the day. You will
definitely to practice due diligence by closely following your
diabetes pregnancy diet plan!
If you are interested in more
information related to easy diabetic meal
planning, free diabetes testing
supplies or effective diabetic
treatments you can read about
them here: Living With Diabetes
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