Gestational Diabetes

[meljam]

Hi Ladies,

I hav just been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. Does anyone have any info on what I should and shouldn't eat to reduce my sugar levels.

[Mummy1988]

The NSW Diabetes website might be worth looking at: http://www.diabetesnsw.com.au/about_diabetes/gestationaldiabetes.asp

There's a healthy eating information sheet you can download.

Your ob/midwives should be referring you to a hospital appointed dietitian who should be able to discuss an appropriate diet with you.

Good luck :)

[karen1979]

Hi,

I was also diagnosed with GD!

Some tips I found are :

1. Stay away from all foods containing processed sugar - no cakes, muffins, chocolate, sugary snacks.

2. Limit "white" foods - white potatoes (buy red instead), white rice, white pasta, white bread.

3. Increase your veg intake - you can have them unlimited so stockup!

4. Get a Blood Glucose Machine as every one is different when their blood sugar is high - I had trouble in the morning.

5. If you are a chocoholic (like me!!) try the sugar-free chocolate, it's not great but enough to satisfy the graving!

6. Look for Low GI foods (yoghurts etc)

Most of all - think of the good things. I felt great on this diet and even though I returned to normal after giving birth I have kept some of the good habits I learned. I also only gained 6KG of weight so was back to my normal weight within 1 day of giving birth!!

HTH
Karen
x

[miko]

hi, i've also recently been diagnosed with this... it's annoying!

have also found potato and white rice to be big no-nos, but italian pasta seems to be okay in small amounts.

grapefruit is very low GI so a good morning fruit

one thing that's helping me out is frozen raspberries... i have them on my porridge or over my homemade muesli every morning and in the evenings i mix them with plain low fat yoghurt as a supper snack. highlight of my eating day!

apparently you can eat a lot of rhubarb too. great because i love it, only problem is rhubarb is usually cooked with sugar... and as i am not interested in sugar substitutes, that makes things a little difficult...

[Manfalee]

Hi Ladies,

I hav just been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. Does anyone have any info on what I should and shouldn't eat to reduce my sugar levels.
hi meljam,

There are a few things u need to know.... Yes potatoes and white rice are bad, so is white and wholemeal bread, Try to stick to Multigrain bread - and smaller doses.. Sweet potato is also a good choice. Low sugar cordial is a good drink and for when its hot freeze some mixed cordial into ice cube trays, better then having an ice cream (though im sure it doesn't taste as nice). McDonalds and other fast food chains are also very high in sugar - as their buns are white bread...

Ill post some handy hints for you. I hope this helps, though I am new to this site and dont want to go beyond my scope.

Before falling pregnant I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes ( which was diet controlled ). Then once pregnant I was upgraded to type 2 requiring insulin... I see a diabetes educator every week as I am now severely unstable. (just thought i would let u know).

OK HINTS :

* You will find that ingredients are in order of quantity from most to least
* Look for hidden fats - shortening, lard, dripping, cream, tallow, coconut oil, palm oil, vegetable oil
* Look for hidden sugars - glucose, honey, sucrose, invert sugar, syrups and molasses
* The terms light or Lite may describe the colour or taste - it doesn't necessarily mean its low in fat
* 25% reduced fat means 25% less fat then the original product - the product could still be high in fat
* Products low in fat may still contain alot of added sugar or energy (calories/kilojoules).

WHEN READING LABELS:
~This is per 100 gram~

Fat -
Total - Aim for less then 10g
for milk and yoghurt less then 2g is best
oils and margarines are high in total fat so choose poly or monounsaturated
Saturated - Aim for as low as possible
Trans - Less then 1g from margarine
Carbohydrate
Sugars - Aim for less than 10g
in food containing fruit aim for less than 25g
Dietary Fibre - aim for more than 5g for breads and cereals
the recommended daily intake of fibre is 30g
Sodium - aim for less then 400mg and is possible less then 120mg
look for no added salt or reduced salt and Low salt.


I hope this helps a little. I have it on a card in my wallet just until i adjust to the changes in eating habits

[Manfalee]

and being pregnant ur midwife or diabetes educator should be booking u in with a dietitian. If they haven't done this yet, ask them, its the only way you are going to feel comfortable

[Nicpolsta]

The most useful thing I have found to really drop the sugar count after meals is doing some exercise. Going for a brisk walk or going swimming really does make a difference. Look at the CSIRO cookbooks and there is a weekly Diebetics magazine that comes out with recipes and meal plans. Proteins do go to filling you up. I have a slice of Bergen toast in the morning with a soft boiled egg for breakfast and a cup of tea with skim milk and an equal sugar. Making a tuna salad for lunch also keeps the sugars down. My nightly treat after getting the reading of my sugars after dinner is a yoghurt with a small sliced up banana and strawberries. It is the highlight of my day. Some nights I will have a bowl of muesli with skim milk. Also the weight watchers snack bars are a good afternoon snack. Also a skim latte (small or mug is ok) also gives you one serve of your dairy and keeps my sugars ok.
Instead of potatoes, cut up some pumpkin into 2cm cubes and bake them, serve with lean veal with a napolitana tomato based sauce and some steamed vegies and its a great meal.
Good luck! I have five weeks left, I cant wait till its over and I can have something naughty again!

[miko]

Also, my midwife/diabetes educator told me that Milo is OK.

I'm not sure why, but if you check the total carbohydrate per serve it's 9grams, so this is probably why.

I often have a glass of milk with milo as a post dinner reading snack.

[judi83]

Hi new to this and just wondering how long to wait after meals to check your sugar levels?

[Manfalee]

u should wait for 2 hours after your meal to check your sugar. this will mean that the false readings will disappear. :)

[Darlene888]

The NSW Diabetes website might be worth looking at: http://www.diabetesnsw.com.au/about_diabetes/gestationaldiabetes.asp

There's a healthy eating information sheet you can download.

Your ob/midwives should be referring you to a hospital appointed dietitian who should be able to discuss an appropriate diet with you.

Good luck :)

When I was diagnosed with GD, I also used this resource to find out the most that I can about the disease. Thanks for the information!

[kennymevrick]

I will give you Some tips which I found are:
1. Stay away from all foods containing processed sugar , no cakes, muffins, chocolate, sugary snacks.
2. Increase your veg intake.
3. Limit "white" foods , white potatoes white rice, white pasta, white bread.