Pregnant women require an extra surge of nutrients in their diet, but it is difficult to devise any known diet for coping up with effects of gestational diabetes. Already claiming 1.5 million lives a year globally, diabetes can be attributed to being the most potent silent killer of recent times. Gestational diabetes increases the risk manifold (as compared to a normal person suffering from diabetes) as a series of complications can arise for both mother and infant. Hard to mitigate, these effects however can be managed if early planning is put into effect from the time when diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
Many physicians recommend a treatment schedule using excessive use of drugs; though these do provide some relief, in long run, these drugs bring out their own set of side effects. A proper management of gestational diabetes diet is more economical and effective at countering this deadly lifestyle disease.
Gestational diabetes diet does not necessarily require any special kinds of food supplements; it consists of normal diet in a more regulated form. Knowledge firsthand about calorific value, Glycaemic index, carbohydrate content, etc. is a primary step towards devising up a balanced gestational diabetes diet. This is followed by an actual diversification: a transition from high calorie sources to low calorie, high fiber sources:
Main goal of a gestational diabetes diet is to prevent blood sugar level from attaining its peak. This can be managed by reducing intake of foods which has high glucose content, and which are easily digestible (easy digestion means release of glucose all at once). High fiber rich carbohydrate sources like brown rice, rolled oats, etc, can be included in your diet to combat high blood glucose levels. Another benefit of these foods is they provide a large amount of fiber, so the need for choosing another fiber rich supplement can be eliminated (fiber containing foods also contains significant amount of carbohydrates and fats).
However unappealing as it may sound, a protein rich diet in form of both plant and animal sources is recommended for a gestational diabetes diet. Proteins are next in line behind carbohydrates in terms of calorific values, and are not easily digestible like carbs. Green veggies and proteins from fish sources, dairy products, eggs, etc can provide an interesting diet for pregnant women.
Refraining from fats is quite difficult as all fat rich foods are a delicacy in their own right. However, fats can do permanent damage in gestational diabetes patients, (in terms of peak blood sugar levels) in addition to deposition inside blood vessels. However, some fats obtained from plant sources like nuts can prove beneficial in terms of both nutrition, and digestion supplements (fats tend to decrease rate of digestion, and hence rate of glucose release in bloodstream). Limited quantities of lean meat (not red meats) can be included if recommended by a physician.
Alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, cocktails and likes should be avoided; it is a general recommendation for pregnant women to stay away from alcoholic drinks. This gets more rigid in when focused at gestational diabetes diet. These drinks liberate large quantities of sugar to the bloodstream, and can add to woes in a very short time (alcohol is readily absorbed into blood). Beverage can be diversified from alcoholic ones to tea or coffee. To make things better, tea can be served with almost any spices or lemon.
Gestational diabetes diet actually allows people to conduct explorations in diet. This is highly beneficial in long run, because of chances that a transitioned diet actually allows better balancing. As for example, milk can be diversified with club soda with lemon, or decaffeinated iced coffee/tea.
A lot more explorations are possible with proteins. Veggies form the single largest source of proteins, followed by harmless animal sources like eggs, yogurt, Greek Cheese, etc. These can be used in combination with natural fats like nuts to prepare salads, or other dishes; an example is fatty fish oils can be used as dressing for green salad.
When it comes to the framework of meals, it is generally recommended to place meals at short intervals, instead of long ones. Also, the quantity should be less for uniform distribution of calories throughout the day, and to keep stored glycogen in check.