The amount of carbohydrates, calories and other nutrients depends on a number of factors which include your weight prior to pregnancy, your current weight gain, your physical activity and your blood glucose level. A dietitian can tell you the proper amount of carbohydrates to eat each day. Eating the correct amount of carbohydrates is important in controlling blood sugar levels. There are some meal planning methods that requires carbohydrate counting and diabetes exchanges. Your doctor will be able to help you with planning a method that works for your gestational diabetic specific needs.
Eating Tips
Try spreading your carbohydrates through the day eating 3 small to medium meals and 2 to 4 snacks each day. To avoid low blood sugar at night, you may need to eat a small snack before bedtime and eat the same amount each day at each meal from day to day. This will help keep your blood sugars under control.
For some women eating carbohydrates in the morning for breakfast will cause a quick rise in blood sugar. It may be helpful to eat more protein at this meal such as eggs, chicken or turkey to satisfy your hunger.
You will need to lower your amount of sweet intake such as soft drinks, sweetened drinks, candy and desserts that are high in carbohydrates and low in nutrients.
Do not skip meals or avoid eating carbohydrates altogether to control your blood sugar as carbohydrates are quite important part of anyone’s diet.
Managing glucose levels during pregnancy can be quite difficult without the right plan of action and diet plan to follow.
Limit your carbohydrates by following simple plans:
Limit your carbs for:
Breakfast = 30 grams
Lunch = 45 grams
Dinner = 45 to 60 grams (depending on how your body tolerates glucose/sugar)
Snacks to 15 grams
Gestational Diabetes and Controlling Blood Sugar Level
Upon first waking up in the morning, your blood sugar will be at a normal low. It’s important to not eat a breakfast high in carbohydrates or starch (sample breakfast ideas). Avoid food items such as pancakes, syrub, sugarded cereal and high-glycemic fruits such as grapes for breakfast, otherwise your glucose levels with skyrocket. A small and high protein meal that protein plus a small carbohydrate, such as a slice of whole wheat toast can do the trick. Depending on your body, you may be able to add yogurt or a cup of low calorie yogurt.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake is waiting too long before eating your next meal. If your sugar level drops too low, it will tend to bounce higher when you finally do eat. A snack of vegetable sticks with hummus or another low calorie dip, cottage cheese with some fruit, whole wheat crackers with peanur butter or a handful of nuts can help you get through until your actual meal. If you are always on the go and have trouble finding something healthy to eat, prepare early and keep the snack items in the fridge.
Foods to Avoid
Even though they seem healthy, they may not be. Avoid foods like white processed bread, juice, or dried fruit (typically they are laced with sugar). Instead eat whole grain pasta, pita bread, water, unsweetened 100% fruit juice and fresh fruit high in fiber (like an apple!).
Snack Ideas
We gotta love our snacks. Finding a diabetic friendly snack is actually not too hard. Probably limiting the amount will be the hardest challenge, especially when pregnant!
For snacks, try eating:
- 3 graham crackers squares or 8 animal crackers
- 6 saltine crackers
- Three cups of popcorn (probably the most filling)
- Three-fourths of an ounce of pretzels
Dinnertime
It’s probably the trickest meal to plan for in the day. If you eat late you are inclined to crash into bed shortly afterward. You’ll need to choose carefully to minimize overeating. A whole grain wrap stuffed with chicken and salad trimmings is quick to make and good to eat. Check out some sample dinner ideas.
If you are up for later than 3 hours after dinnertime, you will need to get a light snack to keep from your sugar level from dipping to low. It can be as simple as an apple, small whole grain muffin, or peanut butter crackers.
Here are a list of sample carbohydrates that can be consumed, but consult your dietitian on specific meal plans:
Breads: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 grams (g) of carbohydrate .
- One-ounce slice of bread.
- One ounce of a bagel (equal to about one-fourth of a bagel from a bagel shop or bakery).
- One four-inch pancake (about one-fourth of an inch thick).
- One six-inch flour or corn tortilla.
Cereals and grains: Serving sizes of ready-to-eat cereals vary. Look at the serving size and the total carbohydrate amount listed on the food label. Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .
- Three-fourths of a cup of unsweetened, ready-to-eat cereal or one-fourth cup of low-fat granola.
- One-half cup of cooked cereal or oatmeal.
- One-third cup of pasta or rice.
Starchy vegetables: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .
- One-half cup of corn, green peas, sweet potatoes, or mashed potatoes.
- One-fourth of a large baked potato.
- One cup of winter squash (acorn, pumpkin).
Beans, peas or lentils: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .
- One-half cup of beans and peas (garbanzo, pinto, kidney, white, split, black-eyed).
- Two-third cup of lima beans.
- One-half cup of lentils.
Crackers and snacks: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .
- Three graham cracker squares or eight animal crackers.
- Six saltine-type crackers.
- Three cups of popcorn.
- Three-fourths of an ounce of pretzels.
Fruit: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .
- One small (four ounce) fresh fruit. Weigh fresh fruit at grocery store. Large pieces of fruit usually weigh more than four ounces and count as more than one serving.
- One-half cup of canned or fresh fruit.
- One-half cup (four ounces) of unsweetened fruit juice.
- One-fourth cup of dried fruit.
Sweets: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .
- One two-inch square of an unfrosted brownie.
- Two small cookies.
- One-half cup of sugar-free, fat-free ice cream.
Milk and yogurt: Foods from the milk and yogurt group contain about 12 g of carbohydrate per serving.
- One cup of milk.
- Three-fourths of a cup of plain, nonfat yogurt.
- One cup of fat-free, flavored yogurt sweetened with artificial sweetener.
Non-starchy vegetables: Each serving contains about five grams of carbohydrate .
- One-half cup of cooked vegetables or one cup of raw vegetables. Some of these vegetables include beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, mushrooms, tomatoes, and zucchini.
- One-half cup of vegetable juice.
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