Carb Counting Crucial In Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan

Gestational diabetes is dangerous not only for you, but for your baby.  This is one of the many reasons you need to have periodic check ups with a doctor during your term.  Sadly, many women are predisposed to getting gestational diabetes when they are pregnant including women over 25, women who are overweight, and women with a family history of diabetes.  But the good news is that this dangerous condition is treatable, partly due to following a gestational diabetes diet plan that concentrates on how many carbohydrates (carbs) you eat per meal.

What's The Deal With Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates make blood sugar (glucose), your body's fuel.  Glucose needs insulin to transport it to where it needs to go in your body cells in order to derive the energy it needs to keep going.  Any type of diabetes is when the body cannot get this fuel where it's needed due to a decrease or lack of being able to make insulin.  If your idea of a gestational diabetes diet is to eat a lot of carbs while and not much else, your body cannot handle the glucose produced and you risk becoming very ill indeed.

You still need to eat carbohydrates in your gestational diabetes diet- you just need to be aware of them more than ever.  You need to eat equal portions of carbs, protein and fats with each of your meals.  You need to eat at regular times and not miss a meal, especially if you are on insulin.  If you take an insulin shot and then forget to eat within two hours, you can go into a diabetic shock.  Some nutritionists recommend a "three thirds" approach - fill a third of your plate with protein, a third with carbs and the final third with fruit or vegetables.

Some Other Advice

Don't eat all your carbs at one sitting.  Spread them out through the day on a gestational diabetes diet.  You need to eat about 300 extra calories a day in order to keep you and your growing baby healthy.  That's about 2200 per day in total.  You also should keep as active as possible in order to keep your body strong and from getting too fat.  Although some women have been able to go through pregnancy controlling their blood sugar levels with a gestational diabetes diet alone, please take any medications or insulin shots your doctor prescribes.  Have a snack before bedtime in order to get through sleep without eating.  Choose high fiber foods when you can.

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