Gestational diabetes is a problem for many mothers-to-be. In order to avoid complications that may be dangerous to the health of the woman and the child, it is important that she is diagnosed as early as possible. Once gestational diabetes is diagnosed, diet becomes the basis of successful treatment. No wonder then that questions about the menu for a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes can be found on almost every forum for future and current mothers. If you need clear tips on what to eat in gestational diabetes and what to avoid, our guide is for you. Below we suggest what a healthy diet should look like for pregnant women with diabetes.
What diet for a pregnant woman with diabetes?
Diet for gestational diabetes it should be well-balanced and composed in such a way that the blood sugar level is kept as stable as possible. The best solution in this case is a diet with a low and medium glycemic index (GI), rich in - essential macro- and micronutrients. The selection of appropriate food products allows you to modulate the glycemic response, i.e. it allows you to maintain a constant concentration of glucose in the blood for longer, eliminating large and rapid fluctuations in glucose and insulin levels.
A diet for pregnant women with diabetes should be wholesome, rich in all macro- and micronutrients. It is worth noting that the GDM diet is not aimed at reducing the energy value of meals, but at changing the glycemic response through qualitative changes in the diet, i.e. in short, replacing products with a high glycemic index with those with a low or medium GI.
The glycemic index, or what?
Food products can be divided into three groups:
- products with low GI <55
- products with an average IG 55-75
- products with a high GI> 75.
The reference product is glucose with a value of 100. It has the highest GI and other food products are compared to it. The graph below illustrates how blood glucose increases after consuming products with various GIs.
Diabetic diet in pregnancy - what to avoid?
The higher the glycemic index of a given product, the faster the blood glucose concentration rises after its consumption, and thus the glucose value on the glucose meter indicates a higher value. For this reason, products with a high glycemic index should be eliminated from the diet and replaced with those with medium and low.
How much protein, fats and carbohydrates?
At diet for pregnant women with diabetes, the share of individual macronutrients should be as follows:
- 40-55% of the total energy value - complex carbohydrates,
- 20% of the total energy value - protein,
- 30% of the total energy value - fats.
The mutual proportions between macronutrients are important, but above all, the quality of the diet is important. Qualitative, not quantitative, change is a key element in treating the disorder as it is gestational diabetes. Diet must take into account the need to stabilize blood glucose levels. The qualitative change in this case consists in following a diet with a low and medium glycemic index.
Carbohydrates a diet for gestational diabetesj
The above division according to the glycemic index applies only to carbohydrate products. We include among them:
- grain products,
- fruits, vegetables, fruit juices and nectars,
- jams, honey and
- products to which sugar is added - yoghurts, kefirs, fruit buttermilk, homogenized cheese, milk desserts (in natural milk products there is natural milk sugar, i.e. lactose, which also affects postprandial sugar).
These products are responsible for what the blood glucose value will be displayed on the meter after 1 hour. from the start of the meal (in which case you should measure the sugar level after the meal). They have the greatest impact on glycemia, but it is not about eliminating them either.
Glucose is the primary energy component for both mother and baby. Hence, these products should be consumed at every meal, in small portions. In this way, we ensure a constant supply of glucose for our body and for the child's body, and in addition, we reduce the risk of large fluctuations in glycemia (after large portions, sugar builds up more strongly, so if we divide carbohydrate products into portions, we will not observe large fluctuations in glycemia).
Moreover, by consuming carbohydrate products with every meal, we reduce the risk of the appearance of ketone bodies in the urine. Ketone bodies are a by-product of glucose production (the main energy component) from adipose tissue. The presence of ketone bodies is not beneficial because it acidifies the body of the mother and child, and is also a symptom of starvation of the body. There is no drug to eliminate ketone bodies, so you should take care of adequate carbohydrate intake.
What kind of bread for gestational diabetes?
Patients of diabetes clinics often ask what kind of bread they should eat in gestational diabetes. When products such as rice cakes, crispbread, low-carbohydrate bread or flour-free bread appear in the diet, the amount of consumed and absorbed carbohydrates decreases, and the risk of the appearance of ketone bodies in the urine increases significantly. However, in case of gestational diabetes, it is not worth eating white wheat rolls - whole grain bread is much better, after consumption of which the glucose concentration is lower and slowly decreases, and the feeling of satiety lasts longer. Protein and fat and the diet in gestational diabetes
After consuming protein and fat products, sugar does not increase within an hour of starting the meal (then we measure it). These product groups include meat, fish, eggs, cheese, butter, olive oil, vegetable oils, cream, mayonnaise, nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. The addition of protein and fat products lowers the glycemic index of the meal. Therefore, it is worthwhile to make each meal a mixed meal containing carbohydrates, proteins and fats. In this case, we stabilize the postprandial glycemia.
Meals in diet for pregnant women with diabetes
It is important not only what to eat for gestational diabetes, because you need to pay as much attention to the proper planning and composing of meals.
Important tips:
- The later the breakfast is eaten, the higher the sugar values.
- The level of sugar after breakfast is often too high - then you should eat a small 1st breakfast (e.g. XNUMX sandwich), and only after the measurement, eat the second part of the XNUMXst breakfast.
- Meals should be eaten every 3 hours (no longer break is recommended), but you can eat more often - it depends on the feeling of hunger, so there can be even 8 meals during the day.
- It is worth eating meals prepared on the basis of carbohydrates composed of low GI, protein and fat - then the GI of the meal is lowered and the absorption of carbohydrates is slowed down thanks to the addition of protein and fat.
- It is very important to eat the second supper just before going to bed (around 22.00 - 23.00), containing cereal products that will prevent the occurrence of ketone bodies. The presence of ketone bodies is checked in the urine in the morning with special strips.
By following the above tips, it is easier to face the challenge it undoubtedly presents diabetic diet in pregnancy. Culinary recipes it is easy to adapt if we know what rules to follow and what effect we want to achieve.
Author: Milena Kuzaka – Trainer of personal insulin pumps, Diabetes educator, Dietician at the Diabetes Clinic, Institute of Mother and Child
