What is Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results in increased amounts of sugar in the blood stream because the body has become resistant to the effects of insulin.

As you eat each day your body metabolizes the food into simple sugars. These sugars are transported into the cells using insulin so the cells can use the sugars for energy. When the body becomes resistant to insulin the extra sugar floats around the blood stream and causes complications to both the mother and the developing baby.

One of the factors in treatment are the foods to eat with gestational diabetes. These foods determine how high your blood sugar rises and how much insulin is needed to accommodate the increase in simple sugars. The foods to eat with gestational diabetes are a factor in the treatment along with exercise, rest and possibly injected insulin.

Carbohydrates

One of the largest contributors to simple sugars in the metabolism of food is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates come from starchy foods such as rice, pasta, bread or potatoes.  They are also found in sweets, fruits, dairy and some vegetables.

The quality of carbohydrate does make a difference – so the carbohydrates that originate from fruits or vegetables are more easily accommodated in the body than those from processed foods such as breads or pastas.

Proper Foods Balanced with Exercise

In order to adequately nourish the new baby you need an appropriate amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats. This must be balanced with the correct amount of exercise and insulin to manage your blood sugar. It might sound complex at first, but once you’ve begun managing your gestational diabetes you’ll find that it can be accomplished with just a little bit of learning.

A few of the simple rules are to:

• Eat three meals plus 1-3 snacks each day.  Your dietician will help determine how many snacks are necessary to support the development of the baby and maintain your blood sugar levels.
• Once your program is developed eat at the same time each day and don’t skip snacks or meals.  Skipping can lower your blood sugar to dangerous levels.
• Avoid foods that have added sugar or syrups or are processed foods as much as possible.
• Use high fiber foods to fill you up, keep your bowels regular, and give you calories without the added carbohydrates.
• If your cholesterol levels are too high incorporate a low fat diet as well.
• Talk with your dietician about your exercise plans after you’ve cleared this with your doctor.  Your doctor must clear you to exercise and your dietician must incorporate the exercise into the management of your blood sugar.

Serving Sizes - Less is Better
When you are considering foods to eat with gestational diabetes you must have a good understanding of serving sizes. They are really smaller than you might think.

For instance, 3 oz of meat or fish is a serving and it also the size of a deck of cards. That’s definitely much less meat than most of us are used to eating.

Consult with your dietician before finalizing your dietary intake. The following are guidelines:  If you are eating approximately 2100 calories you’ll eat about 245 grams of carbohydrates (47% of calories); 123 grams of protein (23%) and 72 grams of fat (30%).

You’ll need 300 more calories each day than you were eating before to support the appropriate amount of weight gain for your developing baby. This would assume that you were eating an 1800 calorie diet prior to your 2nd trimester.

Foods to eat with gestational diabetes can change depending upon the diet you follow. You and your registered dietician will decide if the diet from the American Diabetic Association or a vegetarian diet or a combination of both will be best for your needs and your lifestyle.

Some women during their 24-28th week of pregnancy develop a resistance to insulin. This is known as gestational diabetes and is a condition that mimics type 2 diabetes. This can harm both the mother and the unborn baby, so it is very important that during the months of pregnancy each woman gets tested regularly for abnormal blood sugar levels.

Gestational diabetes results in the body not being able to use sugar that is the by-product of metabolism.  Usually when you eat your body breaks down the food into products the cells can use, such as simple sugar.  But without the help of insulin the sugar can’t get into the cells.

When the insulin and cells are working well together the insulin helps the sugar into the cells which is then used for energy.  But if the sugar can’t get into the cells that sugar is left floating around in the blood stream.

This can be harmful to the mother and the unborn baby. In the mother the excess sugar, when gestational diabetes is left untreated, can lead to complications at birth.

What does this do to the baby? One result can be babies who are larger than normal for their gestational age. This can lead to complications at birth and for the child after birth.

After birth these babies are at greater risk for breathing problems and low blood sugar. But sadly there are also long term effects as well, such as the possibility of neurological abnormalities.

Researchers have found links between these babies and neurological abnormalities. Thankfully many of these links appear to become less statistically significant as the children get older and become teenagers.

There have been several studies done on this condition. In one study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood researchers found that children born to diabetic mothers were heavier, had lower IQ scores below the age of 9 and more scored abnormally in the Conners questionnaire (a test used to evaluate the presence of ADD).

In a study published in 2005 in Pediatric Endocrinology Review researchers found that children born to mothers who had poor glycemic control with gestational diabetes had delayed brain maturity, did not perform as well in fine and gross motor functions and had a higher rate of inattention or hyperactivity.

In yet a third study published out of Sweden researchers found that children of women with gestational diabetes had an increased risk of hospitalization for neurological or developmental disorders.

Basically, ADD and gestational diabetes are inexplicably linked.  The best thing to do is to get regularly tested during your pregnancy so your doctor can work with you to correct gestational diabetes if it should occur.