Snacks For Gestational Diabetes Diet – Content Submitted by Dr. Nikita Toshi BDS, Deputy Director (Medical Review), Dr. Ritu Budania MBBS, MD (Pharmacology) Director, Medical Affairs & Dt. Ami Shah PG Clinical Nutrition (Heart and Diabetes), Registered Nutritionist and Diabetes Educator
Pregnancy is a period of great joy in a woman’s life. However, as the body adapts to help the baby grow and develop, it is important to monitor the health of the mother as well as the fetus to avoid complications during pregnancy. And if the mother has diabetes, it can potentially affect the baby’s health. There is a lot of unnecessary advice from friends and family, which only makes expectant mothers nervous. So, without further ado, let’s learn more about gestational diabetes.
Snacks For Gestational Diabetes Diet
Gestational diabetes is a condition associated with pregnancy. Gestational diabetes can have negative effects on both the mother and the fetus, but studies show that following a healthy diet for gestational diabetes can help the mother manage the condition.
Indian Diet For Gestational Diabetes
But before we dive into the detailed diet for gestational diabetes, let’s dig deeper into some questions related to it. Questions like what is gestational diabetes, some symptoms of gestational diabetes, risk factors and causes of gestational diabetes, and how to treat gestational diabetes with a healthy diet.
Gestational diabetes, also known as gestational diabetes, is a condition in which women develop diabetes or high blood sugar levels during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes, one of the three main types of diabetes, can occur whether the mother had diabetes before pregnancy or not.
However, it usually occurs in people who have never had diabetes before. Having gestational diabetes doesn’t mean your blood sugar levels will still be high after you give birth. For most women, it disappears soon after giving birth. Unfortunately, being diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
Gestational diabetes usually develops at the end of the second trimester, especially between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. It is common to be tested for diabetes during pregnancy as a preventive measure by a diabetes specialist, usually at the end of the second trimester. If gestational diabetes is untreated or undiagnosed, it can increase your child’s risk of developing diabetes in the future. Therefore, it is recommended to treat it in time to minimize the risk and complications of diabetes during pregnancy and childbirth. In this case, a dietitian prescribed by a nutritionist for gestational diabetes can help in controlling the mother’s blood sugar level and keeping her baby safe.
Gestational Diabetes Meal Planning
In this chapter, we will look at some of the complications of diabetes during pregnancy and how they affect your baby. Complications can harm the growing baby, so timely diagnosis is important to help control the impact on the pregnancy process. Both pregnant women and their babies can experience complications from diabetes during pregnancy. Here are some ways diabetes during pregnancy can affect your baby:
Higher than normal birth weight – High blood sugar levels during pregnancy can cause the baby to grow larger than normal. This is one of the complications of diabetes during pregnancy that can result in birth injuries or emergency caesarean section because there is little or no chance for the baby to pass through the birth canal.
Premature birth – This is closely related to higher birth weight, which requires the mother to give birth earlier than expected due to the large size of the baby.
Shortness of breath – a serious complication of gestational diabetes in which the baby may develop respiratory distress syndrome shortly after birth – a serious condition that interferes with breathing.
Healthy Diabetes Snacks On The Go For Your Road Trip
Low blood sugar – Gestational diabetes is associated with high blood sugar, but some babies may experience the opposite soon after birth. Very low blood sugar levels can cause your baby to have frequent seizures. However, monitored feeding sessions and occasional intravenous glucose solutions can be used to treat low sugar levels during labour.
Obesity in the future – Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are more likely to develop obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life.
Stillbirth – Gestational diabetes that is not treated and monitored during pregnancy can eventually result in the death of the baby before or shortly after birth.
We have seen the risk of gestational diabetes to the baby in pregnant women, but it can also affect pregnant women. Let’s look at some of the complications of diabetes during pregnancy that can harm the mother.
Gestational Diabetes Diet Menu Ideas
High blood pressure – mothers with diabetes during pregnancy are at risk of high blood pressure and preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication that usually occurs at the 20 week mark or after delivery. If left untreated, it can cause high blood pressure, headaches, blurred vision, protein in the urine, fluid retention and organ damage, which can be life-threatening for both mother and baby. This can cause growth problems as the child grows up. The cause of preeclampsia is not conclusive, but it is usually related to problems with the placenta.
Cesarean delivery – Although not actually a complication of gestational diabetes, due to the increased weight and size of the baby at birth, mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes are more likely to have a cesarean delivery than a normal delivery.
Diabetes later in life – A history of diabetes during pregnancy can worsen the mother’s condition during other pregnancies. There is also a risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
Unfortunately, the exact cause of gestational diabetes is still unknown. However, the female endocrine system is thought to play a role in the cause. However, as far as we know, the cause of diabetes during pregnancy is not a lack of insulin, but rather the production of several other hormones during pregnancy that reduce the effectiveness of insulin in the body. During pregnancy, at the beginning of pregnancy, your body begins to produce large amounts of certain pregnancy hormones that help your baby develop.
The Gestational Diabetes Cookbook & Meal Plan: A Balanced Eating Guide For You And Your Baby
So what is the role of insulin in our body? Its job is to direct blood sugar to the cells where it is converted into energy. During pregnancy, it is normal to develop some insulin resistance because the glucose in the blood is also passed on to the baby. Conversely, increased insulin resistance can cause abnormally high blood sugar levels, leading to gestational diabetes.
Many pregnant women do not experience any symptoms or signs of diabetes during pregnancy. This is why we often let gestational diabetes go undetected. Obstetricians and gynecologists usually perform tests for gestational diabetes at the end of the second trimester to provide information about the presence or absence of the condition.
On the other hand, some pregnant women may complain of mild symptoms that are very similar to other forms of diabetes. Common signs of gestational diabetes include:
All pregnant women are usually tested for diabetes during pregnancy, with or without symptoms, but as soon as you notice any of the above symptoms during or before 12-16 weeks of pregnancy, it is important to consult a diabetes specialist for an accurate diagnosis. Yes, every pregnant woman feels tired. After all, giving birth is not a man’s job! However, to be safe, we recommend that you see a doctor for a checkup.
What To Eat When Pregnant: Foods To Avoid And Prioritize
If gestational diabetes is diagnosed, your obstetrician will likely recommend medications to help lower your blood sugar levels, diabetes management supplements, light exercise and/or a strict diet, in addition to regular checkups.
Everyone has certain foods to eat during pregnancy. So don’t worry and do what’s best for you. Visit a nutritionist to learn about your nutritional needs. And if you’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, a nutritionist can help you control your blood sugar.
The best diet for gestational diabetes is a balanced diet that includes sufficient carbohydrates, proteins and fats recommended to maintain optimal blood sugar levels. Eating too much processed sugar or not spacing carbohydrate-rich foods properly throughout the day tends to raise blood sugar levels. A dietitian or nutritionist will help you understand the diet you need for gestational diabetes based on your blood sugar levels. It can tell you exactly how many carbohydrates you should eat each day.
Whole Grains – Include foods rich in whole grains such as oats, millet, barley, quinoa and sorghum in your diet plan for gestational diabetes. They are high in fiber and have a low glycemic index. They support healthy bowel movements and help reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the long term.
Gestational Diabetes Bedtime Snack
Leafy greens and legumes – Including greens like beans, peas, lentils, corn, spinach and lettuce in your diet chart for gestational diabetes has been shown to control blood sugar levels while providing important nutrients to both mother and baby.
