How to Create a Diet Plan for a Gestational Diabetic

If you have been diagnosed as a gestational diabetic, you will need a diet plan that allows you to gain healthy pregnancy weight while keeping your blood sugar in check and avoiding medical complications. Diets for women experiencing gestational diabetes concentrate on carbohydrate monitoring above anything else.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Ask your doctor about the amount of carbohydrates you should be consuming. This is a very individual decision that depends on your weight, the level of your blood sugar, whether or not this is your first pregnancy and your energy level. Once you understand the amount of carbohydrates you are allowed to consume, you can create a diet plan around that number.

2. Plan to include a variety of foods when planning a gestational diabetic diet in order to provide enough nutrients for both you and the baby. Add at least 2 servings of fruits and 4 servings of vegetables to your daily diet.

3. Create a diet plan that allows for several snacks throughout the day. This is especially important for women who suffer from type 1 diabetes or have been diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy. A diet consisting of several small meals will keep blood sugar stabilized and prevent serious complications.

4. Learn to count carbohydrates. You will need a table such as the one provided at the Carb Counter website (see Resources below). The free database provides information about the carb content of most foods, including milk products, fruits and beverages. Examples of what constitutes a serving of carbs include a slice of bread, 1/3 cup of pasta or rice, a cup of cream soup, 6 saltine crackers or a small potato.

5. Visit the nutrition section of Diabetic Mommy, a website that offers professional tips and common-sense advice on how to create a diet plan for a gestational diabetic (see Resources below). The site also offers tips for those who need to lose or maintain weight during or immediately after pregnancy, chat rooms to interact with other women in the same process and links to articles on topics such as exercise, breastfeeding and birth stories.

Tips & Warnings

• Talk to your doctor. Gestational diabetes should be monitored carefully, especially if you are over 35 or have a medical history of high blood pressure, heart problems or other health problems.
• Eat a lot of fiber. This will keep your blood sugar stable, as fiber absorbs sugar excess from your blood. Examples of high-fiber foods include whole-grain breads and cereals, vegetables and legumes, nuts and seeds. Lentils and black beans are especially high, with 15 grams of fiber per serving.

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Resources

• Visit Diabetic Mommy for advice on creating and following a gestational diabetic diet.
• Visit Carb Counter to keep track of your carbohydrate intake.