Gestational diabetes

hi, have you seen a dietician yet? as they’ll help massively with what to eat and can’t eat. fruit has a lot of natural sugars in them which can raise your levels so if you’re substituting a lot of foods for fruit then that can raise your levels. vegetables are better then fruit due to not having as much natural sugars or sweetness in them so keep doing that. also switching breads, so if you have white bread then switch to seeded brown bread or just brown bread (seeded is preferable but brown bread is fine!). oats, whole grain stuff is good. limit carbs, carbs release a lot of sugar apparently so they said don’t avoid carbs, but when you’re plating up your dinner, make sure the amount of carbs matches the size of your fist (this was what i was told at dietician appointment). so far my dinners have been fine and haven’t raised my levels. be aware of things that have breaded coating as that’s also carbs (like nuggets or fish fingers, cod etc). xx

You need to reduce your fruit and carb content and pair meals with things like dairy. I can't tolerate cereal or bread at all and switching to wholegrains lots of leafy green veg is fine spinach i find really good to pair with there is a good facebook group and you can refer to the dietician which will help snd brisk walks/exercise after meals enough to sweat a little i was told. My 2nd gd pregnancy first time managed diet controlled this time I'm on metaformin and insulin x

if you notice that your levels are particularly high after a certain meal (so they’re usually more high after lunch or after dinner) then it’s suggested to take a walk after that meal to essentially burn the sugars. my levels are higher after lunch than they are after dinner so i would take a walk after lunch to lower my levels xx

as well as this, they say protein and dairy is super good for you to help limit carbs, balancing it out with extra protein foods xx

Thank you everyone :)

@Sinead yes hun I’ve seen a dietician and they’ve told me what to eat and drink and I’m following everything their saying but it’s still really high xx

@Natasha i had this as well some things they told me to have would make my levels spike, like i was recommended museli for cereal and no added sugar items, well i found museli with no added sugar but it made me levels go ridiculously high j felt so sick, but then i could eat a bog standard bowl of cheerios and my levels be where they need to be, then when speaking to my diabetes consultant she then said everyone’s body reacts differently so it’s all about experimenting with what works for you, which makes life so much harder than just being told what to eat and what not to eat haha!! Xx

@Sinead totally agree hun it’s so hard to know what to eat when everything contains some sugar xx

There is a very helpful group on Facebook called gestational diabetes uk, they also have a website, its super useful with everything you need to know. Its my second time having GD, its really different for everyone

Honestly it’s your first week, so it is trial and error, finding out what works for you. Fruit has natural sugars in it but doesn’t mean you can’t have it you may need to portion control it or pair it with something else to balance out the sugar. Eg portion control - half a big apple or just smaller apples in general Pairing it with something to balance it out - Apple slices and cheese slices and celery if you feel fancy Or Blueberries and Greek yogurt/protein yogurts. Grapes and cheese and salami Also getting some exercise in like hovering or tidying up hanging clothes out going for a 15min walk helps aswell after eating. And switch to healthier options No added sugar dilute juice if you want a sweet drink the sugars are switched with artificial sweeteners And also for example for your tea use sweeteners aswell Cereal wise check the sugars content I found porridge sachets worked best for me they were low enough in sugars and use sweeteners or fruit.

But a few things to bare in mind everyone’s tolerances are different, Your tolerances might change sometimes something that was working fine for you might not the closer you get to birth Don’t be hard on yourself and don’t stress, stress raises you blood sugars as blood pressure and Diabetes are linked together. Don’t be scared to try or eat foods you want cause you won’t figure out what does and don’t work for you at the moment. And you’re doing great so far don’t be afraid to ask for more advice from your dietitians or to be referred back to them for more support as they are there to help you

@Grace thank you hun x