Gestational diabetes is a lesser known type of diabetes and is generally considered to be the "third" type of diabetes. It is similar to type 2 diabetes, with the only difference being that it only affects pregnant women.
Just like type 2 diabetes, having gestational diabetes means that your body cannot use insulin properly, which in turn means that your body cannot convert sugar in your blood into energy.
Critical Factor In A Gestational Diabetes Diet
The main issue in a gestational diabetes diet is regulating the sugar level in your blood. Everything you do should concentrate on this and you must control your blood sugar level. If you don’t, you will start to feel effects like fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting very quickly. You may even fall into a diabetic coma, a very dangerous scenario.
Other Advice For A Gestational Diabetes Diet
To follow a gestational diabetes diet you will need to seek the help of a professional dietician. The dietician will create a diet plan based on your age, condition, weight, height, physical activity and the requirements of your unborn child. However, do check with your doctor to make sure that there are no problems with the recommended diet.
In order to make the transition from your old diet to a gestational diabetes diet the dietician will consider your food preferences. That way your change to the different diet will be gradual. The first thing a dietician will take in account is how many calories you consume per day and how much you need to consume. Once she has obtained an average number, she can put together a new diet plan.
By learning how to calculate the number of calories contained in a portion of food, as well as the amount of fat, protein and carbohydrates, you can rationally evaluate how harmful all kinds of food are to you and your baby.
The dietician will also consider the correct amount of minerals and vitamins for your body. That’s why it is very important to eat a variety of foods which contains the correct amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals and vitamins. And don’t skip any meals! You have to eat them, even the snacks as part of your gestational diabetes diet. It is extremely important that you maintain a balanced blood sugar level.
As you can see, a gestational diabetes diet can be very complicated and it is something you should leave to a professional. If you are a pregnant woman suffering from diabetes you will have to follow this type of diet vigilantly. Remember that if you don’t, you and your baby face a higher risk of complications at birth and later life.
