Pregnant Woman With Diabetes Must Take Care
When you’re a pregnant woman with diabetes, you have to pay careful attention to your food choices. Because the changes that occur in your body can affect your blood sugar levels, it’s important that diabetic women work with a registered dietician during pregnancy to help plan their meals. A dietician can help you create a meal plan that is specific to your individual needs, your food preferences, the type of diabetes you have, your fitness level, and other factors.
When you’re diabetic and you’re pregnant, you have to count carbohydrates to keep your blood glucose levels in control. (Uncontrolled diabetes can have disastrous effects on your baby.) Any food that contains carbohydrates will turn into glucose, which will make your blood sugar increase. Pregnant women with diabetes must find the ideal balance between their intake of carbohydrates and insulin to keep their baby healthy.
In general, diabetic food choices for pregnant women should include the following:
- At each meal (if you don’t eat snacks during the day), most pregnant women with diabetes need 3 to 4 carbohydrate choices. This can include eating raw or cooked vegetables, fresh or dried fruit, milk or yogurt, and a bread product. (Depending on your body size and exercise level, this number of carb choices may differ.)
- If you’re snacking in the day, only choose 1 or 2 carbohydrate choices at meal time.
- Eat a balanced diet. Throughout the day, make sure that you eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, at least three servings of whole grains, and two to three servings of dairy products.
Pregnant women with diabetes must read food labels. Pay attention to the serving size and the total carbohydrate in one serving. This will help you figure out how much you can eat.