Gestational diabetes– pathology associated with impaired carbohydrate metabolism. The disease occurs in women while pregnant. The disease is a type of diabetes. Pathology appears after the 20th week of pregnancy.
They are classified as dangerous diseases. Due to the development of the disease, the baby may develop congenital pathologies of the heart and brain. The disease is asymptomatic. This is the main danger of this type of diabetes. Pathology can only be detected through a blood test.
Detection of the disease at an early stage guarantees the effectiveness of the therapy. For this reason, it is recommended to visit your doctor regularly and undergo appropriate tests.
If gestational diabetes is diagnosed, therapy is carried out at home. The main thing that should be done first is to change your diet. Diet is the basis for successful treatment of the disease.
The main thing is not to overwork, do not perform sudden movements and exercises that create stress on the abdominal muscles.
If a woman is diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy, her blood glucose levels must be constantly measured. The manipulation is carried out daily before and after meals.
Another method of treating pathology is insulin injections. The procedure is prescribed when diet and exercise are not effective. The dosage and period of therapy are determined by the doctor.
Diet
is based on reducing the consumption of low-carbohydrate foods. The menu should include fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits.It is necessary to switch to fractional meals. It is recommended to eat food several times a day (5-7), portions should be small.
Another nutritional rule for such a pathology is to consume proteins separately from permitted carbohydrates. However, fruits can only be eaten with carbohydrates. This restriction does not apply to vegetables; they can be eaten at any time.
It is important to consider the ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. There is a norm for each of these nutrients. Per day you are allowed to consume 120 g proteins. Regarding carbohydrates, then their daily norm is 300 gr, but you can only consume so-called healthy carbohydrates. The daily fat limit is 180 grams. Only unsaturated fats are allowed to be consumed.
Many pregnant women wonder: is it possible to eat pomegranate and walnuts during HD? Consider their beneficial properties:
Prohibited Products
- honey, jam, preserves;
- rice and semolina porridge;
- sugar and any sweets;
- ice cream;
- sweet flour products;
- sweet apples, bananas, melons, figs, dates, persimmons and grapes;
- sweet carbonated drinks and store-bought and pharmacy juices.
Should be limited
Some foods can be consumed for gestational diabetes, but in strictly limited quantities. So what can you eat, but in limited quantities (table):
Authorized Products
What can you eat if you have gestational diabetes:
With HD, it is important to be able to correctly plan your daily diet. This will ensure stable blood glucose levels.
Why is a low-carb diet prohibited during HD?
For gestational diabetes, doctors recommend adhering to the principles of a balanced diet. The menu should include foods rich in proteins, fats and “healthy” carbohydrates. Only such nutrition prevents surges in blood glucose. For this reason, a low-carbohydrate diet is prohibited during pregnancy.
In addition, women during pregnancy require a large amount of energy. It is provided by carbohydrates.
Important!
A low-carbohydrate diet can be followed only after the end of the lactation period if a woman wants to regain her previous weight.
Drinking regime
If you have gestational diabetes, you should follow a drinking regime. It is recommended to drink at least 1.5 liters of liquid per day. This applies to plain water, green tea, tomato juice, fruit drinks, milk and fermented milk products.
The following types of drinks are prohibited:
- sweet soda;
- packaged and pharmacy juices;
- carbonated mineral water;
- syrups;
- kvass;
- fermented milk products with a high mass fraction of fat content and artificial additives in the composition;
- any alcoholic drinks, including non-alcoholic beer.
Sample menu
List of dishes 1
Breakfast: a small portion of boiled buckwheat, seasoned with butter, tea.
Snack: pear, small sandwich with cheese.
Dinner: light chicken soup, a small piece of boiled veal, beet salad dressed with vegetable oil.
Afternoon snack: 2 pcs. biscuits and a small portion of unsweetened cottage cheese with sour cream.
Dinner: mashed potatoes with green peas, a small piece of bread, a glass of tomato juice.
Snack: a cup of kefir, a small sandwich with cheese.
List of dishes 2
Breakfast: oatmeal with butter, tea.
Snack: cottage cheese casserole with sour cream.
Dinner: lean borscht, a piece of baked or steamed skinless chicken breast, a small piece of bread.
Afternoon snack: any allowed fresh fruit.
Dinner: buckwheat, vegetable salad dressed with vegetable oil, a small piece of lean fish, a slice of bread.
Snack: pea puree, a small piece of cheese, a glass of tomato juice.
List of dishes 3
Breakfast: barley with butter, tea.
Snack: a small portion of cottage cheese with sour cream, a green apple.
Dinner: turkey fillet soup, a portion of wheat porridge with a piece of baked lean fish, a small piece of bread.
Afternoon snack: vegetable salad dressed with vegetable oil.
Dinner: stewed cabbage, a small piece of lean fish, a slice of bread.
Snack: natural white yogurt, a small slice of bread.
List of dishes 4
Breakfast: millet with a small piece of butter, tea.
Snack: any fresh fruit from the permitted list, a small sandwich with cheese.
Dinner: bean soup, vegetable salad, boiled skinless chicken fillet, a small piece of bread.
Afternoon snack: cottage cheese with sour cream.
Dinner: mashed potatoes, a small piece of boiled or baked low-fat fish, a slice of bread.
Snack: Ryazhenka, a small piece of bread with cheese.
Useful video
We have found for you an interesting video diary of a girl from Canada who was diagnosed with this disease. The video describes in detail what kind of nutrition is necessary for an expectant mother during this difficult period for her.
Diet for gestational diabetes is the key to successful treatment of the pathology. If you follow the advice on nutrition, the disease will not harm the baby.
The role of proper nutrition in gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women
Proper nutrition is especially important during pregnancy. The body must receive more nutrients and beneficial substances from food. If a girl has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus, then she needs to pay special attention to her diet. In this case, the doctor prescribes a special therapeutic diet. Therapeutic nutrition for diabetes in pregnant women helps normalize sugar, which will have a positive effect on the general condition of the pregnant woman and her fetus. If you neglect the recommendations of your doctor, gestational diabetes can provoke the development of a number of complications that are dangerous for the mother and baby.
The main goal of the doctor and patient with GDM is to lower blood sugar. There are some rules that a woman with gestational diabetes mellitus should follow:
- Drink more than a liter of water per day. Avoid soda, alcohol, syrups, beer and kvass, packaged juices from stores, and yoghurts with additives.
- Stick to a certain diet. Don't skip meals and don't let yourself feel hungry. Eat 5-6 times a day at regular intervals (3 full meals and 2-3 snacks).
- It is advisable to give preference to fractional meals. Consume carbohydrates and proteins separately. In the morning, at lunch and in the evening you can eat food rich in carbohydrates, and in between - proteins. For example, in the morning you can cook spaghetti with vegetable sauce, and for lunch eat chicken fillet and vegetable salad.
- Fresh vegetables can be combined with any food and eaten at any time.
- It is advisable to consume fruits with carbohydrate foods.
- The amount of carbohydrates per day should be 200-300 g. But it is advisable to consume foods with a low glycemic index (GI), which take a long time to be absorbed by the body and contain a lot of fiber (cereals, wholemeal products, vegetables, herbs, legumes, unsweetened fruits, etc. .d.)
- The amount of protein in the daily diet should be approximately 100-120 g (lean meat and fish, quality sausage, eggs, especially quail, milk and fermented milk products).
- Dairy products should not be consumed in the morning.
- Avoid fried, salty and spicy foods.
- Polyunsaturated proteins should be approximately 180 g per day (nuts, beans, etc.)
- Avoid sweets. It is allowed to replace sugar with diabetic sweeteners.
- Eating foods rich in folic acid and vitamin A (spinach, broccoli, legumes, asparagus, carrots, parsley, lean meat liver, etc.)
- Consume 40 kcal per day per 1 kilogram of weight.
Considering these simple rules and knowing the list of recommended products for diabetes, a pregnant woman can easily create a complete and rational menu.
List of approved products
Every woman carrying a child wonders what she can eat during this period. Carbohydrates are necessary for proper fetal development. Therefore, during pregnancy it is forbidden to follow a low-carbohydrate diet. The diet should consist of foods rich in healthy carbohydrates.
A diet for diabetes involves consuming the following foods:
- all cereals, except semolina and rice;
- legumes;
- mushrooms;
- unsweetened fruits (citruses, apples, plums, etc.);
- low-fat milk, cottage cheese, butter, cheese, sour cream;
- eggs;
- chicken breast, veal, turkey;
- vegetables;
- potatoes (except fried);
- products made from rye flour or coarse flour;
- vegetable oil, etc.
What products are contraindicated
To ensure that blood sugar does not exceed the norm in a pregnant woman’s blood, it is important to plan the menu correctly. Perhaps some girls will have a question - is it possible to break the diet? It is not advisable to do this. Harmful foods can negatively affect blood counts, leading to various complications and causing harm to the mother and baby. Therefore, you need to take your food choices seriously.
Products whose consumption is undesirable:
- semolina, rice;
- semi-finished products;
- fast food;
- smoked meats;
- fatty meat and fish, lard;
- sweets (jam, ice cream, sugar, cakes, chocolate, candies);
- baked goods;
- juices and nectars from stores;
- sweet fruits and dried fruits (dates, persimmons, melon, banana, grapes, figs);
- sweet carbonated drinks.
Knowing the foods that you should not eat if you have gestational diabetes, you can easily choose tasty and healthy meals for every day. A diet for gestational diabetes in pregnant women can lower blood sugar and help the child develop without pathologies, and give the mother more strength.
The probability of developing diabetes mellitus during pregnancy can be 4 cases out of 100. This type of disease will be called gestational diabetes. If it is detected, additional monitoring of the health status of the woman and her child, as well as appropriate medical treatment, must be carried out.
During pregnancy, along with this diagnosis, fetoplacental insufficiency, an increased likelihood of thrombosis, as well as insulin deficiency in the body may be detected. In addition, the risk of fetal development complications increases:
- birth defects;
- delayed development of the skeletal system;
- nervous system failure;
- increase in body size.
All this can cause complications during labor, as well as injuries.
Along with drug treatment, a diet for gestational diabetes will also be necessary.
How to prevent gestational diabetes?
To protect yourself from this disease during pregnancy, you must:
- limit the consumption of table salt, sugar, sweets, and natural honey;
- consume carbohydrates and fat separately;
- if you are overweight, lose extra pounds;
- Do morning exercises every day, which can help maintain your weight at a normal level;
- at the slightest suspicion of diabetes, consult an endocrinologist;
- Do physical exercises outside (yoga, walking, cycling), which will help reduce the likelihood of heart and vascular diseases.
If at least one family member has problems with insulin, then the pregnant woman should start monitoring her blood sugar every time 2 hours after eating. Such a test will be useful during the entire period of pregnancy.
Main features
The main causes of diabetes in pregnant women have not yet been studied, however, there is a possibility that the disease may be caused by:
- heredity;
- viral infections;
- irrational diet;
- autoimmune diseases.
This pathology occurs at the 20th week of pregnancy in those who have not previously suffered from diabetes.
During the 40 weeks of pregnancy, the placenta produces special hormones necessary for the full development of the child. If they begin to stop the action of insulin, then this contributes to the onset of diabetes mellitus.
At the same time, insulin resistance develops (a woman’s cells cease to be sensitive to it, which provokes an increase in blood sugar).
Symptoms of diabetes mellitus in pregnant women:
- high glucose level in the woman’s tests;
- heavy weight;
- decreased activity and appetite;
- a constant feeling of thirst;
- increased amount of urine excreted;
- classic signs of diabetes.
The risk that it will begin to develop during subsequent positions can reach 2/3. Cases of skin itching are common.
All pregnant women over the age of 40 are at risk, because they are diagnosed with diabetes twice as often.
Nutrition for diabetes mellitus in pregnant women
It is very important to constantly monitor your diet during pregnancy diabetes. To do this, you need to adhere to a special diet, which is as follows:
- meals must be divided into 6 times, 3 of which should be solid meals, and the rest - snacks;
- it is important to limit simple carbohydrates (sweets, potatoes);
- completely eliminate fast food and instant products;
- the diet should contain 40 percent complex carbohydrates, 30 percent healthy fats and about 30 percent protein;
- it is important to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, but choose not very starchy varieties;
- after each meal (after 1 hour) it is necessary to monitor the sugar level using a glucometer;
- keep a daily count of calories (for every 1 kg of weight there should be a maximum of 30-35 kcal).
It should be borne in mind that during the entire pregnancy a woman can gain from 10 to 15 kg. That is why it is necessary to monitor caloric intake taking into account current body weight indicators.
Important! It would be ideal to consume a large amount of whole grain foods, as well as those enriched with fiber.
Approximate daily diet
Breakfast. Oatmeal cooked in water, 1 fruit, tea with milk, a slice of toasted rye bread with butter (10 g).
1 snack. A glass of kefir and fresh cottage cheese.
Dinner. Vegetable broth soup, buckwheat with boiled meat, 1 apple, a glass of rosehip infusion.
2 snack. Tea with added milk.
Dinner. Boiled or stewed fish, cabbage, steamed carrot cutlets, tea.
3 snack. Kefir.
What can you cook?
Steamed fish cutlets
They will need:
- 100 g fillet of lean or moderately fatty fish;
- 20 g crackers;
- 25 g milk;
- 5 g butter.
To begin with, you need to soak the crackers in milk, and then pass them together with the fish through a meat grinder or grind them using a blender. Next, melt the butter in a water bath and then pour it into the minced meat. The resulting mass is thoroughly mixed and cutlets are formed.
You can prepare this dish in a double boiler or slow cooker. Cooking time – 20-30 minutes.
Stewed eggplant
You need to take:
- 200 g eggplant;
- 10 g sunflower oil (preferably olive);
- 50 g sour cream with minimal fat content;
- salt to taste.
Labor during pregnancy in diabetes
As a rule, gestational diabetes mellitus disappears safely after childbirth. In some cases this does not happen and it progresses to type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
If the baby is large enough, this can be fraught with problems during contractions. In such a situation, a caesarean section may be indicated, which will make it possible to prevent injury to the child.
A large percentage of children may be born with low blood sugar levels. This problem can be solved even without medical intervention simply through the process of breastfeeding. If the mother's lactation is insufficient, then this is an indication for the introduction of supplementary feeding in the form of special mixtures that replace breast milk. The doctor should monitor the child's glucose level by measuring it before and after feeding (after 2 hours). In any case, these are not the only ones, so you don’t have to worry about food diversity.
Some time after giving birth, a woman needs to carefully monitor her diet and also keep track of glucose in her blood. Usually there are no prerequisites for starting special measures that will help bring sugar back to normal.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a disease that occurs in women during pregnancy. In most cases, it disappears on its own. However, sometimes GDM causes serious complications. You can avoid them if you follow a certain diet. What is special about the diet for gestational diabetes?
Why is uncontrolled eating dangerous?
Diet without any restrictions for gestational diabetes can lead to many dangerous consequences. Among them:
- impaired blood circulation between the fetus and mother;
- early aging of the placenta;
- delay in fetal development;
- thickening of blood and blockage of blood vessels;
- increase in fetal weight;
- injuries and other complications during childbirth.
Principles of dietary nutrition
The daily menu for GDM is recommended to be divided into 6 meals. Small meals prevent a sharp increase in blood glucose levels. With this regimen, the pregnant woman does not suffer from severe hunger. It is important that the total caloric content of the diet does not exceed 2000–2500 kcal per day.
A diet for GDM should not deplete the body and at the same time prevent the gain of extra pounds. In the first trimester, weight gain of more than 1 kg per month is considered abnormal. In the second and third trimester - more than 2 kg per month. Excess weight puts a strain on the body, increases the risk of edema, increased blood pressure and fetal complications. Try not to overeat or skip meals. The optimal interval between them is no more than 2–3 hours.
The diet for gestational diabetes should consist of protein foods (30–60%), healthy fats (up to 30%) and carbohydrates (40%). Give preference to complex carbohydrates. They are consumed for a long time and do not cause sudden changes in blood glucose levels. Vegetables and fruits with a minimum glycemic index are also required in the diet. Make sure they are fresh, not frozen, with no added sugar, salt, sauce or fat. Be sure to read the label on the package: product composition, beneficial properties and expiration date.
An hour after each meal, measure your blood glucose meter. Enter the results in your self-monitoring diary.
Calorie content of the daily menu
You can prevent the development of gestational diabetes by calculating the calorie content of your daily menu. For this, the ratio of no more than 35 kcal per 1 kg from the norm of weekly weight gain during pregnancy (BMI) and ideal body weight (BMI) is used: BMI = (BMI + BMI) × 35 kcal.
To calculate BMI, the formula is used: BMI = 49 + 1.7 × (0.394 × height in cm – 60).
| Weight gain | Obese body type | Average build | Slim build | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current week of pregnancy | 2 | 0,5 | 0,5 | 0,5 |
| 4 | 0,5 | 0,7 | 0,9 | |
| 6 | 0,6 | 1 | 1,4 | |
| 8 | 0,7 | 1,2 | 1,6 | |
| 10 | 0,8 | 1,3 | 1,8 | |
| 12 | 0,9 | 1,5 | 2 | |
| 14 | 1 | 1,9 | 2,7 | |
| 16 | 1,4 | 2,3 | 3,2 | |
| 18 | 2,3 | 3,6 | 4,5 | |
| 20 | 2,9 | 4,8 | 5,4 | |
| 22 | 3,4 | 5,7 | 6,8 | |
| 24 | 3,9 | 6,4 | 7,7 | |
| 26 | 5 | 7,7 | 8,6 | |
| 28 | 5,4 | 8,2 | 9,8 | |
| 30 | 5,9 | 9,1 | 10,2 | |
| 32 | 6,4 | 10 | 11,3 | |
| 34 | 7,3 | 10,9 | 12,5 | |
| 36 | 7,9 | 11,8 | 13,6 | |
| 38 | 8,6 | 12,7 | 14,5 | |
| 40 | 9,1 | 13,6 | 15,2 | |
Authorized Products
The list of permitted foods for gestational diabetes is quite long. A pregnant woman can eat hard cheeses, cottage cheese, butter and heavy cream. Natural yogurt is recommended to be used only for salad dressing.
From the meat range, chicken fillet, rabbit, dietary veal and turkey are acceptable. You are allowed to eat lean parts of pork no more than once a week. It is better to cook soups in vegetable or chicken broth. When cooking poultry, change the water twice. Sea kale, fish and seafood have proven themselves well. Eat no more than 3-4 eggs. per week (hard-boiled or in the form of an omelette).
If you have gestational diabetes, you can include soy, soy flour and milk in your diet. Legumes include peas and beans. Eat small quantities of hazelnuts and Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds (no more than 150 g at a time). Peanuts and cashews are strictly contraindicated.
Vegetables allowed are potatoes (not fried), all types of cabbage, green beans, avocado, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, spinach, hot peppers, green onions and spicy herbs. For lunch, it is allowed to eat a small amount of raw carrots, beets, pumpkin and onions. Mushrooms are also included in dishes for diabetics.
For GDM, almost everything is allowed except grapes and bananas. Replace juices with them to get more nutrients and fiber. Consume grapefruits with caution, having first checked the body's reaction.
Drink more purified water without carbon. Fruit drinks, cocktails, syrups, kvass, tea and tomato juice (no more than 50 ml per serving) are suitable.
Prohibited Products
An increase in blood sugar can be caused by sugar substitutes, sweeteners, jams, honey, ice cream and confectionery. Concentrated vegetable and fruit juices and sweet carbonated drinks are no less dangerous in a diet for GDM.
Muffins and baked goods (including whole grains) should be excluded from the diet. The same applies to dietary bread, muesli and cereals made from wheat flour and other cereals.
Condensed milk, soft dessert cheeses and whey are contraindicated for gestational diabetes. You should also not eat fried or fatty foods. Such food creates additional stress on the pancreas. Excessively salty, spicy and sour dishes will also not be beneficial. For the same reason, you should not get carried away with black bread (the acidity of the product is quite high).
Weekly menu for pregnant women
For people suffering from diabetes, including gestational diabetes, a special nutritional system has been developed: table 9.
| Day of the week | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Afternoon snack | Dinner | Before bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Coffee drink; low-fat cottage cheese with milk; buckwheat porridge | Milk | Boiled meat with milk sauce; fresh cabbage soup; fruit jelly | Apple | Kefir | |
| Tuesday | Cabbage salad; pearl barley porridge; boiled egg; coffee drink | Milk | Beef liver in sauce; mashed potatoes; pickle; dried fruit compote | Fruit jelly | Boiled chicken breast; stewed cabbage; tea | Kefir |
| Wednesday | Low-fat cottage cheese with milk; oatmeal; coffee drink | Kissel | Boiled meat; buckwheat porridge; vegetarian borsch; tea | Unsweetened pear | Vinaigrette; boiled egg; tea | Curdled milk |
| Thursday | Low-fat cottage cheese with milk; buckwheat porridge; coffee drink | Kefir | Boiled meat with milk sauce; vegetarian cabbage soup made from fresh cabbage; compote | Unsweetened pear varieties | Cabbage schnitzel; boiled fish baked in milk sauce; tea | Kefir |
| Friday | Vinaigrette without potatoes; butter; boiled egg; coffee drink | Apple | Fried meat; sauerkraut; pea soup; tea | Fresh fruit | Vegetable pudding; boiled chicken; tea | Curdled milk |
| Saturday | Doctor's sausage; millet porridge; coffee drink | Wheat bran decoction | Mashed potatoes; boiled meat; fish soup; tea | Kefir | Oatmeal; low-fat cottage cheese with milk; tea | Apple |
| Sunday | Boiled egg; buckwheat porridge; coffee drink | Apple | Pearl barley porridge; ground beef cutlet; vegetable soup; tea | Milk | Boiled potatoes; vegetable salad; boiled fish; tea | Kefir |
Diet recipes
There are many recipes that will fit into a diet for gestational diabetes. They are based exclusively on healthy products.
Fish cutlets. You will need: 100 g pike perch fillet, 5 g butter, 25 g low-fat milk, 20 g crackers. Soak the crackers in milk. Grind them with a meat grinder along with the fish. Add melted butter to the minced meat. Form cutlets and place them in a steamer. Cook for 20–30 minutes. Serve with vegetables, fresh herbs or stewed cabbage.
Milk soup. You will need: 0.5 liters of low-fat milk (1.5%), 0.5 liters of water, 2 medium-sized potatoes, 2 carrots, half a head of white cabbage, 1 tbsp. l. semolina, 1 tbsp. l. fresh green peas, salt to taste. Wash and peel the vegetables thoroughly. Grind them and put them in an enamel bowl. Add water and place the container on the fire. Salt the broth when it boils. Simmer the vegetables over low heat until they are softened. Drain the broth and rub everything through a sieve. Pour milk into a saucepan, add potatoes, peas, cabbage and carrots. When the soup boils, add semolina and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Stewed eggplants. You will need: 50 g sour cream sauce, 200 g eggplant, 10 g sunflower oil, a pinch of salt and fresh herbs. Wash and peel the vegetables. Then chop, salt and leave for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off excess salt, add a little vegetable oil and 2 tbsp. l. water. Cook the eggplants for 3 minutes. Pour in the sauce and simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Serve the dish with fresh herbs.
Bread casserole with carrots and cottage cheese. You will need: 1 tsp. raw pressed sunflower oil, 200 g low-fat cottage cheese, 1 tbsp. milk, 200 g rye bread, 4 carrots, 1 egg white, a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp. l. breadcrumbs. Boil the carrots and chop on a coarse grater. Add cottage cheese, bread soaked in milk and egg. Pour oil onto a baking sheet and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs. Place the mixture on top. Bake the dish in the oven for 25–35 minutes.
Expectant mothers should carefully choose their diet. This is especially true for pregnant women suffering from GDM. High blood glucose levels have a negative impact on a child's health. If the diet is balanced, gestational diabetes can be avoided.
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5 (1 ratings)Unfortunately, pregnancy is not only the joy of future motherhood, but also transient health-related troubles. One of them is gestational diabetes mellitus, or diabetes during pregnancy.
Diet for gestational diabetes in pregnant women: menu, basic nutritional principles
Gestational diabetes mellitus is a problem among pregnant women. The pathogenesis of this syndrome differs from the classical disease. As a rule, diabetes goes away with the end of pregnancy. And one more important fact: diabetes mellitus can be considered gestational only if everything was in order with blood glucose before conception. Why does blood sugar rise when a woman is pregnant? The fact is that two people require more insulin (a hormone that helps lower glucose levels). However, pancreatic cells may not be able to cope with the increased load. This is how diabetes mellitus in pregnant women appears.
The danger of the disease is that excess sugar has a negative effect on the entire metabolism, on the entire body as a whole. The expectant mother experiences unpleasant symptoms (thirst, dry mouth, frequent urination, etc.), and the fetus will suffer from this. If a woman is faced with such a problem, she should be monitored by an endocrinologist during pregnancy. He will talk about what needs to be done for gestational diabetes mellitus. And the main emphasis will be on diet.
Diet for gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women
Diet for gestational diabetes mellitus is practically the only measure. There is no point or indication to prescribe basic treatment used for normal diabetes. Moreover, medications may be completely contraindicated due to their negative effect on the fetus.
It is quite obvious that the diet for gestational diabetes in pregnant women involves a decrease in simple carbohydrates, which are essentially glucose, in the diet. But there are other equally important aspects:
- Try to eat a varied diet, because you are also “feeding” your unborn child;
- Try to maintain adequate water regime, drink more. Of course, if you do not have gestosis with edema and arterial hypertension;
- Forget about all foods and drinks high in sugar: packaged juices, soda, cocktails, sweets (all kinds of candies, cookies, chocolate, cakes), pure sugar. Do not use sweeteners or sweeteners under any circumstances;
- Fatty foods should also be reduced to a minimum;
- Eat about five to six times a day. This way you will avoid sudden changes in blood sugar levels;
- As for carbohydrate foods, you can eat rye bread, durum wheat pasta, cereals (barley, buckwheat, oatmeal);
- The diet should contain a sufficient amount of fiber (vegetables, fruits, cereals). It helps reduce blood glucose levels;
- Never overeat, but don't go on a strict diet either. In the second case, your unborn baby will not receive all the nutrients he needs;
- If possible, monitor your blood sugar levels with a glucometer. As a last resort, do control tests;
- If at some point your glucose level becomes normal, you should not immediately return to your normal diet. This may be a false result or a temporary decrease. There is a risk that sugar will rise again.
- Everything sweet (honey, sugar, ice cream, etc.);
- Semolina;
- White bread, pastries;
- Fruits with high calorie content: bananas, dates, melon, grapes, figs;
- Fast food, instant food;
- Semi-finished products;
- Smoked meats;
- Carbonated drinks, lemonades, juices in packages;
- Fatty meat and poultry, lard, jellied meat;
- Canned food (any: meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, mushrooms);
- Alcohol;
- Cocoa, jelly and similar “dry” drinks.
After all these products, the glucose level increases rapidly, and there is not enough insulin to utilize it.
You can eat, but in small quantities:
- Pasta made from second-grade or rye flour;
- Butter;
- Baked goods made from soft dough;
- Chicken egg;
- Potato.
What can you safely use?
- Porridge from the above cereals;
- Legumes (beans, peas);
- Mushrooms (but be careful, be sure to heat them and avoid those canned in oil);
- Fruits (apples, pears, watermelon);
- Lean meat, as well as fish;
- Dairy products (unsweetened!);
- Vegetables, as well as greens, lettuce;
- Vegetable oil (sunflower or olive);
- Rye bread, crispbread, whole grain bread.
Diet for gestational diabetes in pregnant women: menu
So, we offer you a sample menu if you have been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in pregnant women, or gestational diabetes.
- Option #1. We have breakfast with buckwheat porridge and a cup of green tea without sugar. Morning snack (or second breakfast) - an apple, preferably green, as well as a slice of rye bread with a slice of cheese. For lunch you can eat more: three tablespoons of boiled beets with butter, soup in low-fat broth (to your taste), two slices of whole grain bread, a little boiled meat. As an afternoon snack, you can eat one hundred grams of cottage cheese and a couple of dry cookies. We will have dinner with mashed potatoes, green peas (it is better to take frozen rather than canned), tomato juice and a slice of rye bread. Before going to bed, you are allowed to drink a glass of milk (or kefir, fermented baked milk) and eat a piece of cheese;
- Option #2. For breakfast we cook millet with milk, and for drinks - black tea without sugar. After a couple of hours, you can snack on cottage cheese casserole or cheesecakes (without sugar, you can add a spoonful of sour cream). We have lunch with borscht in a weak broth and a piece of rye bread. The afternoon snack will consist of assorted fruits (but only from the list of permitted ones). Buckwheat with boiled fish and cucumber and tomato salad is perfect for dinner;
- Option #3. For breakfast, we choose oatmeal with milk (you can add a little fresh apples). The second breakfast will be a pear and a slice of cheese. For lunch, as always, low-fat soup plus a piece of boiled chicken with mashed potatoes. You can have an afternoon snack with low-fat natural yogurt and cookies (dry). But for dinner we prepare a vegetable stew with the addition of meat;
- Option number 4. Have breakfast with an omelet of two eggs with milk and a cup of tea. For second breakfast, take a couple of kiwis. For lunch we cook chicken soup with cabbage, boil beans and fish. In the afternoon you can treat yourself to a small amount of sour cream with berries. And you can have dinner with low-fat cabbage rolls, fresh carrot and apple salad. Do not deny yourself some milk drink at night if you suddenly feel hungry.
As you can see, gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy is not necessarily a strict diet. You just need to give up simple carbohydrates (sugar, sweets). Of course, some will find it very difficult to do this, but eating right if you have diabetes is simply necessary. Think, first of all, about your future baby.
