Dietary Recommendations For Gestational Diabetes
Diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs in about 7 percent of all pregnancies. It usually arises in the second half of pregnancy and goes away as soon as the baby is born. However, if gestational diabetes is not treated, you may experience complications. The first step in treating gestational diabetes is to modify your diet to help keep your blood sugar level in the normal range, while still eating a healthy diet. Most women with well-controlled blood sugar deliver healthy babies without any complications. One way of keeping your blood sugar levels in normal range is by monitoring the amount of carbohydrates in your diet. Carbohydrate foods digest and turn into blood glucose (a type of sugar). Glucose in the blood is necessary because it is the fuel for your body and nourishment your baby receives from you. However, it's important that glucose levels stay within target. Carbohydrates in Food Carbohydrates are found in the following foods: Milk and yogurt Fruits and juices Rice, grains, cereals and pasta Breads, tortillas, crackers, bagels and rolls Dried beans, split peas and lentils Potatoes, corn, yams, peas and winter squash Sweets and desserts, such as sugar, honey, syrups, pastries, cookies, soda and candy also typically have large amounts of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates in foods are measured in units called grams. You can count how many carbohydrates are in foods by reading food labels and learning the exchange lists. The two most important pieces of information on food labels for a carbohydrate-controlled diet is the serving size and grams of total carbohydrate in each serving. Dietary Recommendations It is important to be meet with a registered dietitian to have your diet assessed. The dietitian will calcula Continue reading >>
Eating With Diabetes: Desserts And Sweets
Eating with Diabetes: Desserts and Sweets By Amy Poetker, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator 11/22/2010 Id be willing to bet that most everyone has been toldand therefore believesthat people with diabetes cannot have any sugar and are resigned to living without dessert for the rest of their lives. Well, as a Certified Diabetes Educator, I'm here to tell you that this is a myth. People with diabetes can eat sugar, desserts, and almost any food that contains caloric sweeteners (molasses, honey, maple syrup, and more). Why? Because people with diabetes can eat foods that contain carbohydrates, whether those carbohydrates come from starchy foods like potatoes or sugary foods such as candy. Its best to save sweets and desserts for special occasions so you dont miss out on the more nutritious foods your body needs. However, when you do decide to include a sweet treat, make sure you keep portions small and use your carbohydrate counting plan . The idea that people with diabetes should avoid sugar is decades old. Logically, it makes sense. Diabetes is a condition that causes high blood sugar. Sugary foods cause blood sugar levels to increase. Therefore people with diabetes should avoid sugary foods in order to prevent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and keep their diabetes under control. However, simply avoiding sugary foods does not go very far in terms of controlling blood sugar. Here's why. After you eat, your blood sugar level (aka postprandial blood glucose level) is largely determined by the total amount of carbohydrate you ate, not the source of the carbohydrates eaten. There are two types of carbohydrates that elevate your blood sugar levels: sugar and starch. Both will elevate your blood glucose to roughly the same level (assuming you ate the same a Continue reading >>
Dessert Archives Gestational Diabetes Uk
Gestational diabetes risk factors and future diagnosis of diabetes Gestational diabetes risk factors and future diagnosis of diabetes in both the mother and child We felt it Read More Happy Chinese New Year! Kung Hei Fat Choi! For 2018 Chinese New Year we are celebrating the year Read More Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day is almost upon us (Tuesday 13th February 2018) and many ladies Read More Gestational diabetes Party food Gestational diabetes party food can be hard to try to figure out and Read More Gestational diabetes Christmas Survival Guide! Here's your ultimate survival guide to a gestational diabetes Christmas. Dedicated to all Read More Dreading Halloween with GD? Is the thought of Trick or Treating filling you with dread and turning into Read More Happy 3rd Birthday Gestational Diabetes UK Mums Facebook group! To celebrate 3 years since the launch of the Read More Gestational Diabetes Easter Happy Easter ladies, time to start planning your Gestational Diabetes Easter! To help you with Read More Happy Mother's Day! With Mother's Day coming up soon in the UK (Sunday 26th March), I thought it Read More Soup It's cold outside and you want something warm and filling. You know a salad just isn't going Read More Continue reading >>
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I've Just Been Diagnosed With Gestational Diabetes – What Can I Eat?
From the moment you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes you are likely to be faced with what seems like an endless list of new tasks: more clinic appointments, more blood tests, taking medications, being more active and eating a healthy, balanced diet. No wonder it can all seem so daunting and overwhelming. One of your first questions is likely to be, “what can I eat?” But, with so much to take in, you could still come away from appointments feeling unsure about the answer. And then, there are lots of myths about diabetes and food that you will need to navigate, too. If you’ve just been diagnosed and aren’t sure about what you can and can’t eat, here’s what you need to know. This may come as a surprise, but you don’t have to go on a special diet when have gestational diabetes. Depending on your current diet, you may have to eat less of some foods and more of others. In the past, people were sent away after their diagnosis with a list of foods they weren't allowed to eat, or often told to simply cut out sugar. Nowadays, you may need to make some changes to your diet, but it’s not a case of cutting things out. Rather, you’ll need to follow the same healthy, balanced diet that’s recommended to everyone. The main aim for managing gestational diabetes is ensuring that your blood glucose levels are under control, so your healthcare team will discuss targets that are right for you. Achieving the targets will increase your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and your food choices play a vital role in this. It is important to enjoy your meals while making changes to your food choices that are realistic and achievable. This will help control your blood glucose levels, and help prevent excessive weight gain during your pregnancy. All carbohydrates will ha Continue reading >>
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What I Ate When I Couldn't Eat Anything: Facing Gestational Diabetes As A Food Lover
What I Ate When I Couldn't Eat Anything: Facing Gestational Diabetes as a Food Lover Whether food is your comfort, your hobby, or your profession, gestational diabetes is tough. Here's what you can eat. [Photograph: Shutterstock ] In the first few months of my pregnancy, friends often asked me how I was dealing with life without wine, beer, and cocktails; without buttery pieces of toro at my beloved neighborhood sushi bar; without the various other foods most people avoid when they're carrying a baby. Early on, none of those things mattered much to me; I was too sick to crave much more than mac and cheese. Coffee and wine started to taste oddly bitter and flat to me, but it didn't seem that awful to wait 40 weeks to get back to enjoying them. My local bar always managed to serve me some creative alcohol-free concoction. (Pineapple juice and savory Cel-ray? Highly recommended.) I took advantage of California's citrus season, buying pounds of floral Oro Blanco grapefruits and tangerines for making fresh juice. Fruit never tasted better: I sent my husband on wild goose chases for out-of-season mangoes, and celebrated the early arrival of local strawberries by eating a pint every day. And I had ice cream: pints of salted caramel at home, cones of Bi-Rite's insanely rich buffalo-milk soft serve during walks around the park. In challenging moments in those first few months, Max reminded me that "at least it's an excuse to eat all the ice cream you could desire." (I never did convince him to ship me some homemade pints of this crazy chocolate number from New York.) But in mid-March I found myself undergoing a hazing ritual pretty much all pregnant women experience: you show up at the hospital with an empty stomach, get your blood drawn, and then chug a bottle of extra-strong Continue reading >>
Desserts And Sweets For Diabetics
Get our comprehensive list of the best desserts and sweets for people with diabetes. Having diabetes doesn't mean you can never have dessert again. With some simple swaps and diabetic-friendly dessert recipes, you can satisfy your sweet tooth without sending your blood sugar soaring. Desserts may seem off-limits since many are high in sugar, but remember that for people with diabetes the total number of carbohydrates of a meal or snack matters more than the total sugar. That means dessert can still fit into your diet—with a few adjustments. Before you head to the kitchen, here are a few dessert guidelines and some of our favorite sweets that fit into a diabetic diet. If you opt for something sweet after dinner, you might want to skip the starch at your meal to keep your total carbs in check. But remember that, while exchanging your sweet potato for cheesecake can keep your carb intake steady, you'll lose the fiber, vitamins and other good-for-you nutrients that the sweet potato would provide. It's not a good idea to indulge in dessert every night; instead, enjoy desserts in moderation. The American Diabetes Association recommends that most people with diabetes aim for 45-60 grams of carbohydrates per meal. Unfortunately, a bakery-sized cookie can contain 60 grams of carbs alone. Choose a smaller portion, and you can still enjoy something sweet without using up your allotted carbohydrates for the meal. One of these Almond Cookies has only 9 grams of carbohydrates. While making desserts with artificial sweeteners can help you cut down on calories and carbs, it's a better idea to try to reduce your total sweetener consumption (from both sugar and noncaloric sources). Because artificial sweeteners are much sweeter than sugar, they may enhance your craving for sweets. They Continue reading >>
Sweet Snacks/dessert
Is anyone allowing themselves to indulge in a sweet snack or dessert? Does anyone have any good recommendations that don't cause a spike in BG? I have been craving dessert for the last few weeks after sticking to a very strict diet. Any tips welcome! I had a salad for lunch Friday and a small slice of pumpkin cheesecake and walked 1 mile in the morning before lunch and my #s were 113 2 hours after. I just make sure whoever desserts I eat I have that much protein to balance. So a cookie that's 12 grams of carbs I have at least 12 grams of protein (nuts, peanut butter, etc). I've been having pretty good luck. I'm diet controlled for all #'s except fasting I'm on meds for (but still struggling with it). One sweet snack I've been making myself is just blending together 12 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/2 a banana, and 3 Tbs no sugar added peanut butter. It tastes like a sweet smoothie but has no added sugar and counts for 1 carb! I usually pair it with a couple cheese sticks for additional protein, even though the peanut butter alone is probably enough. :) Cheesecake is one of the better desserts to have because of the protein it has. Try sugar free jello or pudding as well. And weight watchers ice Creams. I opt for bites of things a little more often as opposed to doing a full dessert on rare occasions. As long as it's with dinner, doesn't seem to matter if it's 2 bites of cheesecake or half a See's candy truffle or a generous spoonful of ice cream. My numbers stay low and I've been surprised that it's enough to satisfy the sweet tooth. I had some chocolate carmel ice cream this afternoon after eating a big spoonful of peanut butter. I tested after an hour and my number was only a 92. You never know until you try! I toast raisin cinnamon English muffins and put but Continue reading >>
Gestational Diabetes And A Horrible Sweet Tooth!
I don't have GD but I'm trying to eat by the rules of 100 Days of Real Food as much as possible and one of the core concepts is eliminating refined sugars and artificial sweeteners (which are NOT good for you) from the diet. It takes a bit of changing the way you view food, but I realized that buying whole foods (as in, foods that exist naturally) and shopping at places like Trader Joe's makes it a lot easier. You just start by stocking up on whole foods, and/or foods for which the ingredients list does not include sugar, and then augment with different naturally-occurring sweeteners like honey and pure maple syrup. For instance, instead of buying Frosted Mini Wheats I bought a box of organic wheat squares (ingredients: 100% whole wheat) and started mixing pure honey into it. Pretty freaking tasty, actually. The recipe index for the site is here . It includes a lot of desserts and other snack-type noms. You should check it out, it could be a great source of alternative foods while you cope with GD. You "plan" them into your meals/snacks. A few nights ago, I had 1/2 serving of a chocolate candy bar broken into chunks and mixed with pb so I could have a carb and a protein together. Another thing I have done is cut back on potatoes so that I could have some apple with my supper. In the 2-2.5 weeks since I got the GD diagnosis, I have also noticed that cutting down on the candy/cooky type junk sweets is causing fruits and less sweeter items (i.e. plain greek yogurt with 1/2 sugar jelly) to be satisfying to my sweet tooth. I use sugar-free popsicles and jello for "free snacks". When I get a carb choice snack, I am allowed 15 carbs so 100 calorie packs are good choices or the 100 calorie Choboni Greek Yogurts have been pretty tasty. I was told no honey or pure maple sugar, o Continue reading >>
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9 Chocolate Recipes For People With Gestational Diabetes Because Youve Still Got A Sweet Tooth
9 Chocolate Recipes for People With Gestational Diabetes Because Youve Still Got a Sweet Tooth The one thing I dreaded more than anything while I was pregnant was the test for gestational diabetes . Since my chocolate craving was strong, I prayed I could continue plowing through bags of M&Ms. Luckily, I passed, but I knew several women who werent so lucky. According to the UCSF Medical Center, seven percent of pregnant women suffer from gestational diabetes , which usually goes away once your baby is born. But until then, you have to come up with clever way to satisfy your sweet tooth, which means finding chocolate recipes for people with gestational diabetes . I know what youre probably thinking. How can a sugar-free chocolate recipe have any sort of flavor? But it is 100 percent possible. After all, the 29.9 million Americans suffering from diabetes do it every day. By changing a few key ingredients, like almond flour instead of white flour and using superfoods, like avocados, to create desserts, you can find some new favorites to enjoy. Sure they may be a little healthier than the traditional chocolate cake youre used to. But isnt that just better for you and your growing baby. Even if youre in the clear to eat chocolate, you should try whipping up one of these nine gestational diabetes-friendly chocolate recipes. Theyre sure to satisfy anyones craving pregnant, diabetic, or none of the above. 1. Healthy Vegan Chocolate Avocado Mousse Made with the superfood avocado, this vegan chocolate avocado mousse from Hello Natural is full of antioxidants and only two tablespoons of cocoa. Youll be able to enjoy a creamy, healthy pudding without sacrificing flavor. 2. Low Sugar Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies This low sugar treat from Oatmeal With a Fork is made with quinoa, a g Continue reading >>
Have Gestational Diabetes? Here’s How You Should Eat
While most women need to be careful about their diets, others have to be especially careful not to develop gestational diabetes. I’m on the crusade to fight diabetes in all of us, but I’m especially concerned about women with gestational diabetes because their babies are automatically at risk for developing diabetes related issues down the line. And we don’t want that! So let’s discuss a plan to keep moms as healthy as possible during this magical time known as pregnancy. How Did I Get Gestational Diabetes? Insulin is the hormone responsible for getting sugar out of the blood and inside the cells. Our bodies can typically regulate the amount of insulin it needs to produce to get sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells. But during gestational diabetes, the hormones in the placenta that help the baby develop properly also block insulin from working in mommy’s body – causing insulin resistance. So instead of getting moved into the cells, all this sugar becomes stuck outside the cells, creating high blood sugar levels, or hyperglycemia. How Does Gestational Diabetes Affect Babies? Diabetic women who become pregnant are at higher risk of developing birth defects. But since gestational diabetes only affects the baby after it’s been formed, but is still growing, the risk becomes macrosomia, or “fat” baby. During gestational diabetes, mom’s pancreas has to work harder to produce more insulin to get rid of all the sugar in the blood that the cells are not absorbing. The placenta doesn’t absorb insulin, but it does let sugar pass through. This extra sugar goes right to the baby. When the baby develops high blood sugar levels, the baby’s pancreas starts to produce additional insulin to eliminate all the extra sugar in the blood, just like mom’s do Continue reading >>
Can You Eat Chocolate With Gestational Diabetes?
Chocolate is a sweet treat that has added refined sugar and so many ladies may prefer not to push the boundaries and choose not to eat chocolate with gestational diabetes. Too much, or the wrong kind of chocolate can easily spike blood sugar levels too high. However, for many it is an extremely hard thing to avoid and a small amount of the right kind of chocolate, paired well can be a safer small sweet treat that keeps blood sugar levels at safe levels. Due to the fat in chocolate it means the glucose from it releases slower than some other sweets and sugary treats and it is for this reason that chocolate is no longer recommended to be used to raise blood sugar levels when insulin dependant diabetics are having hypos. If you are a chocoholic who feels they will not be able to control the amounts eaten, then you may want to make the choice to abstain completely, or only buy chocolate in treat size amounts to prevent overindulging. Chocolate can be eaten as a treat with gestational diabetes but here are a few tips to make it more tolerable: Control of levels - Only have chocolate treats if you have control of your blood sugar levels. If you are seeing erratic levels (high and/or low), then leave treats until you have gained better control first. Snack - Eat it as a 'snack', rather than straight after a meal so that you don't over eat too many carbohydrates at one time OR if eating straight after a meal bear this additional carb amount in mind! Quantity - Eat only small amounts of chocolate. If you struggle to be restrained with eating chocolate then purchase treat size individual bars so that you don't overindulge e.g. a Cadbury's Freddo which is 18g in weight and 10g total carbs, or the Green & Black's 35g 70% dark chocolate minature bars, or treat size chocolate buttons Continue reading >>
Are Too Many Sweets Bad For Pregnant Moms?
Are Too Many Sweets Bad for Pregnant Moms? Rose Welton is a journalism major and a freelance writer. Her education is focused on nutrition and early childhood studies, making her an expert when it comes to writing about health and children's growth and development. She has written numerous articles and blog posts on various topics for online publications and has also worked on an Internet news team. Too many sweets can lead to complications like gestational diabetes.Photo Credit: nensuria/iStock/Getty Images Sweets are one of the most craved foods during pregnancy, according to Pregnancy Today. Although eating sweet foods in moderation is fine, consuming too much can lead to unnecessary weight gain and interfere with your ability to eat a balanced diet. In order to provide you and your baby with the nutrition needed during pregnancy, limit yourself to one or two sweet items a day. Sweet foods like cookies, cakes, pastries, puddings and other dessert items are often high in calories and fat, which can lead to weight gain. Even sweets that are not considered dessert foods, like soft drinks and sweetened cereals, are high in calories. Although some weight gain is necessary for a healthy pregnancy, gaining too much can cause backaches and dental problems, and lead to complications like gestational diabetes and problems with blood pressure. Some sweets, like baked goods, pudding, frozen desserts, gelatin and soft drinks, contain artificial sweeteners that often bring the food's calorie count down. Although this reduces some of the risk of unnecessary weight gain, not all artificial sweeteners are safe. According to the American Pregnancy Association, the artificial sweetener saccharin can cross the placenta and is not safe during pregnancy. Others, like aspartame, are safe Continue reading >>
Gestational Diabetes: Sweets You Can Have
Having gestational diabetes during your pregnancy is not a fun thing! You already have all the worries of a pregnancy and stressing out about getting things ready for the baby, now you have to deal with this too? If you have gestional diabetes, I want to share my story with you as well as giving you some tips on how to sneak in some good sweets without breaking the rules! When I was pregnant with my second baby, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at about 28 weeks. I was not happy when this day came because it was the start of three months of watching your health very closely. Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy in a person who did not have diabetes before pregnancy. The pancreas does not produce enough insulin to combat the glucose in your body. You can ask your doctor about the science behind it, I just want to share what I had to go through and let you know what to look out for. For the next three months, everyday, I had to test myself on what my blood sugar levels were 7 times a day: before and after each meal and before bedtime snack. Yes, I had to prick my finger and draw blood 7 times a day. On top of that, I had to get checked every two weeks from the gestional diabetes clinic. I had to record all my blood sugar levels, what insulin I had taken, and record all the food I ate, six times a day. My days seem to be a drag and I was not enjoying myself! The only way I can feel any remote happiness in this process was finding out what sweets I can have. SWEET foods like ice cream, chocolate, and desserts! I was craving sweets like crazy, like with both pregnancies but this one was worse since I wasn’t allowed to have any sweets. During one of my clinic visits, I asked the dietitian what I can do about my cravings for chocol Continue reading >>
Gestational Diabetes Diet
Gestational diabetes, which causes higher-than-normal blood sugar levels to be present, occurs during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes testing usually occurs between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. If you have risk factors for diabetes, your doctor may recommend testing earlier in the pregnancy. If you receive a gestational diabetes diagnosis, you’ll need testing 6 to 12 weeks after giving birth to see whether the diabetes is still present. Gestational diabetes usually resolves after you deliver, although you’re at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, gestational diabetes affects 3 to 8 percent of pregnant women in the United States. Gestational diabetes increases the risk of having a large baby, which may cause problems with delivery. It also increases the risk of having a baby born with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Respiratory distress, jaundice, and low calcium and magnesium levels are also more common in babies whose mothers have gestational diabetes. There’s a higher risk of your baby developing diabetes later in life as well. Changing your diet is generally the first method of treatment for gestational diabetes. The amount of calories you should consume each day depends on a number of factors, such as your weight and activity level. Pregnant women should generally increase their calorie consumption by 300 calories per day from their prepregnancy diet. Doctors recommend three meals and two to three snacks per day. Eating smaller meals more frequently can help you keep your blood sugar levels stable. Your doctor will likely recommend that you monitor your blood sugar levels to help manage gestational diabetes. Testing your blood sugar after meals tells you how that meal affected your blood sugar. Your d Continue reading >>
Ten Things Gestational Diabetes Has Taught Me
Since being diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 29 weeks pregnant I have learnt so much! All of us can learn how to better manage our blood sugar levels giving us more energy, curbing cravings and reducing overeating. Here are some of the key things I’ve discovered, which I hope you will benefit from as well; Nutrition 1. Total carbohydrate is more important than sugar on a diabetic diet. Initially when I made changes I just thought I needed to cut out any sweet treats; no cake, chocolate, milo, ice cream or dessert. I didn't worry so much about the healthy complex carbohydrates I was having. What I learnt was that it is the total carbohydrate in something that is going to have the impact. While having brown rice, wholemeal pasta, grainy bread or quinoa are all good things in terms of their nourishment, fibre and the satiety factor that they bring. Having too much in one serving still means it is converted to glucose in the blood and will still spike your blood sugar levels as the body is so inefficient in processing it all. I have become much more aware of the "total carbohydrate per serving" part of the label which to be honest I never paid any attention to before. I now look at the total carbohydrates per serving and check how much a serving size really is and then mentally work out how much I can have at any given meal. The dieticians taught us to think in what they call 'exchanges' similar to servings. One piece of bread roughly equals one exchange. They recommend having; • 2 - 4 at breakfast, lunch and dinner and • 1 - 2 in snacks mid morning, mid afternoon and possibly evening. That's a total of 9-18 exchanges (piece of bread equivalents) per day. I find that I need to stick to about 2.5 - 3 per meal and about 1.5 per snack to keep me within a good range Continue reading >>
