If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and you are not certain about what you can and can’t eat, here is what you need to know about gestational diabetes diet.
Carbohydrates
All food contains some quantity of protein, fat and carbohydrates. Proteins and fat affect your blood sugar over many hours, but carbohydrates affect it much faster. It’s therefore important to regulate the amount of foods that contain high quantity of carbohydrates.
It’s wise to spread your carbohydrate foods over …show more content…
Try to reduce the amount of fat that you take, particularly saturated fat. It’s advisable to use healthy fats like olive and polyunsaturated oils, canola, avocados, unsalted nuts and margarines. If you are not sure about how you can reduce the amount of fat that you eat, you can start by choosing skinless chicken, low fat dairy foods, and lean meats. Stay clear from processed and takeaway foods. It’s a fact that fat does not have any direct effect on your blood sugar levels, but if consumed in large quantities, they can make you to add some unwanted weight which can make it very difficult to control your blood glucose …show more content…
Fruits such as lemons, passion fruit, lime, strawberries and low carb vegetables such as green vegetables, salad or stir fry are welcomed. It’s very important to include at least five serves of low carb vegetables on your diet each day.
Drinks
When you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes it is wise to stick to just water, plain mineral water and soda water. If you need something extra, you can always try fresh lemon or lime. Do not try to drink anything that contains alcohol in it. Alcohol can increase the risk of miscarriage.
Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan Sample
The meal plan below is a simple guide to the type of foods that are suitable for gestational diabetes patients, but it’s always important to seek professional, individualized help on your diet. Your diet needs to be designed in such a way that it can help you with your blood glucose levels and meet the nutrient needs of your pregnancy. It’s always important to adjust the timing and amount of carbohydrates foods to achieve blood sugar control.
Breakfast
Take 1 cup of oat porridge or ½ cup natural muesli/rolled oats (raw) or 2/3 cup of steamed long grain rice or 2 slices of whole grain toast.
1/2 to 1 cup trim milk, low fat yoghurt or soy