Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan

Amongst the many complications that a pregnant woman may face, one is gestational diabetes. Diet plan for a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes would vary from that of a normal person with diabetes. While it is enough for a normal patient of diabetes to control the blood sugar levels through a monitored diet and enough exercise, in the case of a pregnant woman there are other factors to think about.Gestational Diabetes

Get a professional

The nutritionist who works on a gestational diabetes diet plan has to factor in the needs of the growing fetus within the patient besides taking the physical health and mental state of the pregnant woman into consideration. An empathetic nutritionist would be best suited to handle such cases. The skills of the nutritionist putting the mind of the pregnant woman at ease will be just as important as the actual diet plan that the nutritionist designs.

Special needs for a gestational diabetes diet plan

A gestational diabetes diet plan needs to factor in the stress and increased hormonal activity which one usually associates with a pregnant woman. The control of blood sugarlevels is vital to ensure that the fetus develops in a healthy and timely manner.

The nutritionist will have to ensure that the mother-to- be gets the right number of calories from the right type of nutritional intake.

Since each individual is different, it would be necessary for the gestational diabetes diet plan to be modified to suit the individual pregnant woman.

One size does not fit all in this case, so if you have been diagnosed recently with gestational diabetes please do not follow the diet plan that was written up for your friend or neighbor.

Catch it in time

Screening for gestational diabetes is fairly common practice and does catch many cases before any damage can be done. Managing gestational diabetes is possible with regular monitoring of the blood sugar levels. Food and exercise are the keys to diabetes management and gestational diabetes is no exception.

Exercise is restricted in pregnancy and so the management of diabetes is more focused on the diet aspect. However it is in the best interests of the pregnant woman to do some form of light exercise every day to ensure good health.

Manage gestational diabetes

Factors such as the pregnant woman’s height, weight, level of blood glucose, and tolerance of certain types of food would have to be painstaking thought of before designing the gestational diabetes diet plan. There would also have to be considerable flexibility in the plan as some times the pregnant woman is unable to keep down all that she has consumed due to bouts of nausea.

Besides the gestational diabetes diet plan the pregnant woman may need to be prescribed oral medication to control blood glucose levels. The pre meal dose of fast acting insulin is often prescribed to avoid the peak of glucose in the bloodstream immediately after eating a meal. If medication is prescribed the diet must be carefully adhered to and the blood sugar levels constantly monitored.