Gestational Diabetes Information

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Weight Management During Pregnancy

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Weight Management During PregnancyIf there is one myth that is constantly circulating about pregnancy, it is the myth that you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and however much you want without retribution. After all, you are “eating for two” and therefore can and should be eating constantly. This is a myth and stereotype that is only heard less than the idea that all pregnant women like pickles and ice cream together. The truth is that the pickles and ice cream stereotype is more accurate than being able to eat whatever you want.

Especially if you have gestational diabetes, it is important for all pregnant women to maintain a healthy diet. Your doctors will track your weight gain, and will likely discuss with you how much weight you should gain for a healthy pregnancy.

Complications of Gaining Too Much Weight [Read more…]

How Meal Planning Can Help Manage Gestational Diabetes

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manage gestational diabetesGestational diabetes can be a challenge, not only because it can be a scary diagnosis, but because you have to change your entire diet. Changing your diet is hard enough without the added stress of pregnancy and all of the fun symptoms and cravings that come with it. Add the emotional and physical hardship of gestational diabetes, and you have a recipe for worry and confusion.

There is something you can do to help ease the confusion and make life a lot easier for yourself. Building a meal plan to help you manage your gestational diabetes diet. An effective meal plan is one of the strongest tools you can use to take the guess work and confusion out of figuring out your new gestational diabetes diet.

Do Some Research

The best way to get started on a truly effective meal plan is to sit down and do a bit of light reading and research. Go online and find recipes that sound appealing to you. Simply looking at all of the delicious recipes and foods that you can eat may help ease your mind and bring the focus off the things that you cannot eat.

Find recipes for all meals for up to a week, and make sure to include snacks as well. Try not to plan for more than a week at a time, at least at the beginning. Taking one day a week to sit down and write out your meal plan is usually the most effective, or if you want to start smaller try three to four days at a time.

Hit the Track

The first step to actually executing your plan is to hit the ground running and load up on groceries. Use the recipes that you found and your written meal plan to come up with a grocery list.

There are, of course, rules to going grocery shopping when you are pregnant. Typically, pregnant women have one of two issues with the grocery store- either they feel nauseated or they want to eat anything. The best way to combat either of these issues is to eat something small but substantial before you go, have some cold water with you to sip, and keep some mints or sugarless hard candies available.

Get To Prepping

After you have all of your supplies, you need to get them ready. The more prep work you can do ahead of time, the easier you are making it for yourself. You are also ensuring success, because you have everything at the ready. There will be no excuses for not being able to eat your healthy planned meals.

Cut up veggies, separate out ingredients, and do whatever other work can be done ahead of time. For lunches away from home, you can use lunch baggies or small containers to separate out different lunch items such as baby carrots, cheese cubes, salads, etc. For dinners, you could even fully prepare and freeze meals ahead of time so you literally just have to heat and eat. The easier you can make it on yourself the better.

All of these steps together equal an easy and fool proof meal plan. Effective meal planning is a great way to manage a gestational diabetes diet because it takes out the guess work and ensures that you always have a healthy meal or snack on hand. Click here to check out my sister site about gestational diabetes diet.

Fast Food with Gestational Diabetes

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fast food with gestational diabetesNo matter how healthy their diet, pretty much every one finds themselves at a drive through window once in a while. Maybe you are having some strong fast food cravings, or maybe you are just hungry and pressed for time. Either way, there are fast food items that you can eat even with gestational diabetes. Of course, even the healthiest items on a fast food menu should be eaten in severe moderation, but there are options that won’t hurt you every now and then.

It is important to remember that every woman is different, so your numbers may react differently than other women with similar issues. Of course, talk to your doctor about their recommendations, as you should before you make any changes to your diet or lifestyle. Overall, though, finding fast food options that work for you and your gestational diabetes may prove to be a bit of a trial and error.

Here are some ideas to help balance a fast food meal:

Burger Places

At your typical burger fast food place, such as McDonald’s, Burger King, or Wendy’s, you want to focus on balancing carbohydrates if you are eating a burger. Try having a side salad instead of fries, or omit part or the entire bun in exchange for a small order of fries. Keep your toppings, such as salad dressings, special sauces, and ketchup in moderation. Keep in mind that these sauces have high sugar content. To drink, choose water, unsweetened tea, or diet soda. If you are drinking tea or soda be sure to keep the caffeine content in mind.

Most of these places, Wendy’s in particular, have a lot of other options than just burgers and fries. You can also get chicken nuggets, but be aware of the breading. There is also chili, which will have a higher protein content that may react well with your numbers.

Taco Places

Taco places can sometimes be a little easier when it comes to balancing or cutting out as many carbohydrates as possible. You can choose corn tortillas instead of flour to cut down on simple carbohydrates, but overall there is less bread involved in Mexican fast food options. Be wary of your sauces and toppings, as usual, as this is where a lot of sugars and carbohydrates can be hidden. Sticking to grilled chicken options instead of beef is always a better choice. Also try to avoid rice, and for some people, re-fried beans.

Chicken Places

The majority of fast food chicken places are going to primarily offer fried chicken, but some have healthier grilled options. Whenever possible, definitely choose the grilled options. When grilled is not a possibility, choose smaller offerings that are made with whole cuts of meat. For example, a single chicken breast as opposed to a three piece dark mix. As always, choose your sides wisely and ask for them to not include a biscuit in your meal so you won’t be tempted to eat it.

All of these options will have some sort of salad options. Even though you still have to watch your toppings and dressings, salads are always a better choice. A grilled chicken salad is typically found at almost any fast food establishment, and is usually a safe choice for fast food for gestational diabetes diets.

Helping Your Partner Understand Gestational Diabetes

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helping your partner understand gestational diabetesOne struggle that many women have is that their partner does not properly understand the struggles of pregnancy. In some cases, you partner may seem almost over protective, accommodating every whim. In other cases, you partner may be the type to expect you to overcome the challenges of pregnancy as quickly and quietly as possible. Sometimes the intricacies of pregnancy are just too much for them to comprehend, especially since they are not experiencing it first-hand.

Gestational diabetes can add on to your pile of complicated issues to deal with in your pregnancy. Especially if you have made big changes to the food that you keep in the house, or the way you eat meals, your partner might be feeling overwhelmed, and therefore might seem less than understanding of your plight. Often times, your partner just might not be feeling as connected as you are to the pregnancy, since after all your maternal instinct has already kicked in while you grow the child inside of you. [Read more…]